Tourism Industry Weighs Up Impacts Of Kyoto Protocol

Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIANZ) Chief Executive John Moriarty has announced that the tourism industry is undertaking significant work to assess and weigh up the impacts of the Government ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, and will present its findings to its members and to Government by the middle of the year.

“Energy and transport are significant components of tourism and therefore public policies that seek to reduce carbon emissions will have a significant impact on tourism businesses. The Government claims national benefits from Kyoto not yet backed-up by detailed industry-by-industry analysis,” he says.

“Both levels of analysis must be undertaken and we need to know where the problem areas are so we can formulate industry-friendly policies that maintain our international competitiveness.”

TIANZ has commissioned work to investigate the expected impacts of Kyoto on the tourism industry, and on the diverse sectors within the industry.

“We will use the outcome of this research to play a constructive role in the development of the government’s climate change policies,” says Mr Moriarty.

He says TIANZ will continue to encourage tourism businesses to become more involved in energy efficiency and conservation initiatives that reduce energy consumption per visitor and improve the sustainability of tourism activities.

“Energy conservation and climate change are not new issues for the tourism industry and we have been involved in initiatives to address these issues for some years now. Energy conservation and environmental sustainability are simply good business. We challenge all other industries to undertake similar work and to take a lead, as we have, in encouraging sustainable business practices in their own industries. “

ENDS

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