India ranks 6th in Sustainable Tourism Index
HNA Group, a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics and financial services, announced its sponsorship of a white paper entitled ‘2018 Sustainable Tourism Index’, using research carried out by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Tourism accounts for approximately 10 per cent of world GDP and just under 10 per cent of all jobs. Driven by rising wages in emerging markets, tourism is primed to power further global growth, however the industry can only realise its full potential through sustainable practices.
Key findings include:
- France and Germany exhibit the strongest commitments to sustainable tourism while China and India’s high-growth tourism sectors could provide a foundation for action and leadership in sustainable tourism into the future.
- Fragmentism reigns in sustainable tourism-related policymaking. Local, regional, and national policymakers in every country surveyed can protect and grow their tourism industries through enhanced integration across jurisdictional bodies.
- Large businesses have made major strides in sustainability and sustainability reporting however small businesses have to keep pace.
“Sustainability is more than just a regulatory requirement, it also allows for long-term profitability for business. Since our founding HNA Group has placed great emphasis on sustainability, and we hope that the Sustainable Tourism Index provides both the private sector and public sector with data to enable positive change,” said Adam Tan, CEO and vice chairman of HNA Group Sustainable tourism is defined as the creation and promotion of a tourism industry that preserves or enhances a country’s social, cultural or environmental capital. Governments, the private sector and average citizens all play a role in driving tourism toward positive outcomes. The Sustainable Tourism Index, produced by The Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by HNA Group, compares the policies and practices of ten countries around the world in building and managing a sustainable tourism ecosystem.
HNA Group started as a regional airline in the southern Chinese province of Hainan but over the last 25 years has developed into a diversified company spanning the globe. Its assets in the tourism sector include airline companies, aviation services, hotel management, travel agencies, logistics firms focused on the mobility of people, goods and services. These wide-ranging interests mean that HNA Group takes the findings of the Sustainable Tourism Index very seriously and is committed to providing top quality services to its customers in as sustainable a manner as possible. HNA Group and its subsidiaries are spearheading efforts to push the agenda on sustainable tourism, exemplified by programmes such as HNA Group flagship carrier Hainan Airlines’ Green Aviation Initiative, which in November of last year involved the company’s first transpacific flight powered by biofuel. “The Sustainable Tourism Index is an important body of research because it shows that the effective pursuit of sustainable tourism requires a high degree of coordination between the business and public sector, as well as civil society and individual tourists themselves.” said Michael Gold, the EIU editor in charge of the research programme.