One of the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is expanded awareness among consumers of the impacts of their travel – be they environmental, social or otherwise – and a greater embrace of nature tourism.
While consumers across the Asia Pacific are more interested in sustainable travel options than any other region globally, regional carriers generally lag their peers in Europe and North America in offering sustainable options.
This was the topic of a panel discussion at the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit in Brisbane in the middle of Sep-2023.
The session was moderated by Envest, Executive Director, David Wills and included Virgin Australia, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer, Christian Bennett; Air New Zealand, Chief Sustainability Officer, Kiri Hannifin; Travelport, Head of Air Partners, Asia Pacific, Ailsa Brown; and Boeing, Regional Sustainability Lead APAC, Heidi Hauf.
Some of the topic areas covered included:
- How do regional markets build on the increased attractiveness of nature tourism, while also highlighting their own environmental credentials?
- How do air transport stakeholders ensure there is easy access to clear and meaningful information needed to make sustainable travel choices?
- How can transport providers ensure the reliability of environmental and sustainability data being provided to them?
- How do airlines in the region ensure they meet the aviation industry’s ambitious environmental targets, without the same levels of investment and regulatory support enjoyed by airlines in some other regions?
- What roles do regional governments have in pushing forward sustainability from regional airlines?
- What lessons can be applied in the Asia Pacific from other national and multi-national approaches to mitigating aviation emissions?
- How can regional states – which owe much of their international tourism success to perceptions around their natural beauty and pristine conditions – capitalise on the pivot towards more nature travel?
- Is there a role for businesses and travellers to play in supporting aviation environmental targets?
You can view the full session via the following CAPA TV recording.
