Doing all we can? Destination management organizations’ net-zero pledges and their decarbonization plans

Abstract

Strong leadership by destination management organizations (DMOs) is urgently needed to foster significant emissions reductions at the macro-level. With an increasing number of DMOs pledging to the Tourism Declares initiative and the Glasgow Declaration, achieving net-zero becomes a responsibility. This study (1) proposes nine macro-level decarbonization factors as a framework for DMOs to strategize their climate actions, and (2) examines whether DMOs’ pledges and plans address critical decarbonization factors. It is found that most DMOs do not fully utilize all effective factors in their climate strategies. More than half of the DMOs focus on improving the energy intensity of tourism businesses and inspiring tourists toward green service, factors that, alone, are insufficient. We identify two key initiatives on which DMOs can have the most influence, yet they are rarely considered: optimizing the marketing mix for low-emission groups and setting a growth threshold. We conclude with recommendations on how they might improve their commitments for real progress toward the net-zero transition.