Travelling Green: How the tourism industry affects climate change

A recent performance plan by the Department of Tourism indicates that Tourism contributed 8.6% to South Africa's pre-Covid-19 GDP. While the pandemic has significantly reduced that number, it is estimated that by 2032 the sector could become a key driver of economic growth contributing 800,000 jobs and R287 billion. One of the things that could stand in the way of that recovery is the climate crisis.

Tourism is one of the industries most vulnerable to climate change, and South Africa's tourism industry has already felt the effects. Natural disasters can be devastating, as demonstrated by the droughts in Cape Town and the floods in Kwa-Zulu Natal which are both major tourism hubs in South Africa.

No need to panic, yet…

While the Day Zero Crisis in Cape Town and the flooding in KZN that led to badly polluted beaches, may have had an impact on tourism in those places, both have shown resilience. Tourism Kwa-Zulu Natal (TKZN) reported that last year occupancy rates across the province were at 81% for the festive season. Cape Town has also shown impressive visitor numbers since COVID-19. That does not mean things are destined to stay that way.

It's clear that climate change is affecting tourism in South Africa in many ways. Temperature increases and droughts, affect wildlife and biodiversity, which could spell disaster for a country that prides itself on being home to the big five. What’s worse is that changing weather patterns cause extreme weather events such as flooding, heat waves, and wildfires. Nothing will scupper someone’s Rainbow Nation travel plans like hearing about some severe flooding.

Communities under pressure:

Another way climate change is hurting South Africa's tourism industry is through its effects on the livelihoods of the communities that depend on it. Most people who work in the tourism industry are from rural areas and rely on natural resources for their livelihoods. Changes in climate patterns can lead to crop failures, water and food scarcity, and, in turn, a loss of income. It can also lead to business closures as the resorts people rely on for jobs are forced to close. In a country with an unemployment rate as high as South Africa’s, any threat to a community’s ability to sustain itself can have potentially dangerous consequences.

One positive is that industry stakeholders have been able to help mitigate this through ground-breaking technology solutions that help put money in the pockets of hoteliers and staff.

For example, Profitroom began working with The Gooderson Group back in May 2021. Using our Booking Engine 360 and Channel Manager we converted their website from a place where guests would only book accommodation, into a full-service booking platform that could incorporate packages into their direct revenue. This increased their revenue by 76%. Given that their hires were from local communities, this meant that they were able to give their staff and the communities they lived in, the means to feed, empower and take care of themselves, instead of being left destitute.

There’s still time:

While potentially devastating, climate change is not an incommutable death sentence. Society can still dodge a disaster if it acts decisively and immediately. Luckily, many of the answers have already been found and more are being found every day. For instance, hotels can make a near-instant impact by simply using renewable energy sources, implementing sustainable water and waste management systems, and reducing food waste.

Exploring the world sustainably does not have to be difficult. We encourage our partners to invest in regenerative travel practices because, at the end of the day, you cannot have a tourist attraction that isn’t attractive, or worse, non-existent.