Holidays and leisure should be about creating wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. But too many workers in the tourism sector are living a day-to-day reality of precarious work, low pay and unsafe working conditions. The emergence of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria as serious considerations for investors, businesses, regulators, governments, unions and the millions of workers they represent in travel and tourism presents a welcome opportunity to address fundamental issues that have plagued the sector for decades. Unsurprisingly, the ESG criteria have also generated a groundswell of debate about how best to navigate the different ESG standards and frameworks, and how to identify what really counts as a sustainable investment.
The Tourism Workers’ Alliance has commissioned and published this report as a practical contribution to answering these questions. The alliance was created in April 2023 by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the International Union of Food, Agriculture, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF). This timely research, expertly crafted by Dr Anke Winchenbach, with support from Professor Xavier Font, both of the University of Surrey (UK) and Graham Randles of Envecso Ltd, examines the current ESG trends, projections, risks and opportunities for travel and tourism, drawing on the perspectives of companies, unions, investors and regulators.
