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Travel & Tourism is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. Some industries already have mature low-carbon alternatives. For example, cars can be electrified and gas boilers can be swapped for heat pumps.This transition may be difficult and expensive, but the solutions are known. For planes and cruise ships the path to decarbonise is harder. Alternative, more sustainable fuels exist – but they are costly, and are not yet being produced at the scale needed to meet the world’s climate ambitions.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and ICF have therefore developed this Sustainable Fuel Engagement Framework to help accelerate the scaling up and adoption of sustainable fuel. It has been designed to enable all members of the Travel & Tourism value chain – including hotels, destinations, tour operators, and travel agencies – to participate in this critical area of decarbonisation, alongside aviation and maritime transport operators.
The challenge is simple: despite the urgent need for sustainable fuel, supply is too limited. In 2024, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) accounted for just 0.3% of total jet fuel consumption, with similar low figures for the cruise industry. Airlines and cruise operators are working hard to build up this new supply chain and have made huge purchase agreements. But establishing sustainable fuel refineries, renewable feedstocks, and distribution networks will require significant effort and investment if clean fuels are to become the default, affordable option.
Now is the time for collective action. It will take all Travel & Tourism industries joining forces to scale up the production of sustainable fuel. This report therefore outlines practical activities, engagement strategies, and defined roles that any Travel & Tourism company, or Travel & Tourism association can embrace to help drive up sustainable fuel production.
Travel & Tourism Companies
Every Travel & Tourism company, regardless of its size or industry, can have a role in increasing the supply of sustainable fuel. Depending on the nature of the business, that role might be as a Collaborator, Promoter, Adopter or Investor.
Collaborators are Travel & Tourism companies who partner with airlines and cruise lines to advocate for government policies that make sustainable fuel more affordable and globally accessible. They also include companies who provide waste products such as used cooking oil to fuel producers to be converted into sustainable fuel.
Promoters are Travel & Tourism companies who lead campaigns to raise awareness about the urgent need for more sustainable fuel production. These might take the form of videos, brochures or social media initiatives directed towards external stakeholders such as government officials.
Promoters can also appoint ‘Sustainable Fuel Ambassadors’ within their organisations to educate colleagues, company leaders and external partners in the sector, such as suppliers, about sustainable fuel and the importance of scaling up production.
Adopters are Travel & Tourism companies who integrate sustainable fuel into their operations. They include airlines and cruise lines, but also non-transport Travel & Tourism companies with internal emissions reduction and offsetting/insetting* schemes for staff travel. This could include the purchase of sustainable fuel certificates from dedicated scheme providers, or directly from fuel producers, cruise lines or airlines.
Investors are Travel & Tourism companies who contribute to sustainable fuel investment funds or take equity stakes in sustainable fuel development to accelerate production, especially in their local regions. Investors could also provide funds for research and development (R&D) activities that support the next generation of even greener sustainable fuel solutions.
Insetting
Insetting involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions within a company’s own value chain. This means investing in projects, or adopting practices that directly lower the emissions associated with a company’s own operations or supply chain. This differs from offsetting, which involves compensating for emissions by purchasing carbon credits from projects that reduce, or remove, emissions outside of a company’s value chain (e.g. reforestation projects, or renewable energy initiatives elsewhere).
For Travel & Tourism operators outside of aviation and cruise (such as tour companies, or hotels, that frequently fly their staff, or clients), contributing to sustainable fuel purchase can be seen as directly addressing emissions from their supply chain (Scope 3).
Insetting is typically considered preferable to offsetting. Unlike some offset projects where the actual emission reduction can be debated, the reduction from using sustainable fuel is directly linked to the fuel consumed in their operations, or the travel they facilitate.
Travel & Tourism Associations
All Travel & Tourism associations have a vital role to play in scaling up sustainable fuel, including international, regional, national and industry-specific bodies. Their work programmes should focus on Government Advocacy and Industry Engagement.
**Government Advocacy **aims to advance policies and regulations that make sustainable fuel more affordable and more widely available. This might include encouraging more cross-government collaboration between transport, tourism and finance ministries, or collaboration between government agencies and regional development organisations. Advocacy can also encourage government-backed financial frameworks and incentives for investment in the construction of sustainable fuel infrastructure to speed up production.
**Industry Engagement **promotes greater awareness of the proactive steps that businesses across the Travel & Tourism value chain can take to scale up sustainable fuel and decarbonise the sector.
Travel & Tourism is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. Some industries already have mature low-carbon alternatives. For example, cars can be electrified and gas boilers can be swapped for heat pumps.This transition may be difficult and expensive, but the solutions are known. For planes and cruise ships the path to decarbonise is harder. Alternative, more sustainable fuels exist – but they are costly, and are not yet being produced at the scale needed to meet the world’s climate ambitions.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and ICF have therefore developed this Sustainable Fuel Engagement Framework to help accelerate the scaling up and adoption of sustainable fuel. It has been designed to enable all members of the Travel & Tourism value chain – including hotels, destinations, tour operators, and travel agencies – to participate in this critical area of decarbonisation, alongside aviation and maritime transport operators.
The challenge is simple: despite the urgent need for sustainable fuel, supply is too limited. In 2024, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) accounted for just 0.3% of total jet fuel consumption, with similar low figures for the cruise industry. Airlines and cruise operators are working hard to build up this new supply chain and have made huge purchase agreements. But establishing sustainable fuel refineries, renewable feedstocks, and distribution networks will require significant effort and investment if clean fuels are to become the default, affordable option.
Now is the time for collective action. It will take all Travel & Tourism industries joining forces to scale up the production of sustainable fuel. This report therefore outlines practical activities, engagement strategies, and defined roles that any Travel & Tourism company, or Travel & Tourism association can embrace to help drive up sustainable fuel production.
Travel & Tourism Companies
Every Travel & Tourism company, regardless of its size or industry, can have a role in increasing the supply of sustainable fuel. Depending on the nature of the business, that role might be as a Collaborator, Promoter, Adopter or Investor.
Collaborators are Travel & Tourism companies who partner with airlines and cruise lines to advocate for government policies that make sustainable fuel more affordable and globally accessible. They also include companies who provide waste products such as used cooking oil to fuel producers to be converted into sustainable fuel.
Promoters are Travel & Tourism companies who lead campaigns to raise awareness about the urgent need for more sustainable fuel production. These might take the form of videos, brochures or social media initiatives directed towards external stakeholders such as government officials.
Promoters can also appoint ‘Sustainable Fuel Ambassadors’ within their organisations to educate colleagues, company leaders and external partners in the sector, such as suppliers, about sustainable fuel and the importance of scaling up production.
Adopters are Travel & Tourism companies who integrate sustainable fuel into their operations. They include airlines and cruise lines, but also non-transport Travel & Tourism companies with internal emissions reduction and offsetting/insetting* schemes for staff travel. This could include the purchase of sustainable fuel certificates from dedicated scheme providers, or directly from fuel producers, cruise lines or airlines.
Investors are Travel & Tourism companies who contribute to sustainable fuel investment funds or take equity stakes in sustainable fuel development to accelerate production, especially in their local regions. Investors could also provide funds for research and development (R&D) activities that support the next generation of even greener sustainable fuel solutions.
Insetting
Insetting involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions within a company’s own value chain. This means investing in projects, or adopting practices that directly lower the emissions associated with a company’s own operations or supply chain. This differs from offsetting, which involves compensating for emissions by purchasing carbon credits from projects that reduce, or remove, emissions outside of a company’s value chain (e.g. reforestation projects, or renewable energy initiatives elsewhere).
For Travel & Tourism operators outside of aviation and cruise (such as tour companies, or hotels, that frequently fly their staff, or clients), contributing to sustainable fuel purchase can be seen as directly addressing emissions from their supply chain (Scope 3).
Insetting is typically considered preferable to offsetting. Unlike some offset projects where the actual emission reduction can be debated, the reduction from using sustainable fuel is directly linked to the fuel consumed in their operations, or the travel they facilitate.
Travel & Tourism Associations
All Travel & Tourism associations have a vital role to play in scaling up sustainable fuel, including international, regional, national and industry-specific bodies. Their work programmes should focus on Government Advocacy and Industry Engagement.
**Government Advocacy **aims to advance policies and regulations that make sustainable fuel more affordable and more widely available. This might include encouraging more cross-government collaboration between transport, tourism and finance ministries, or collaboration between government agencies and regional development organisations. Advocacy can also encourage government-backed financial frameworks and incentives for investment in the construction of sustainable fuel infrastructure to speed up production.
**Industry Engagement **promotes greater awareness of the proactive steps that businesses across the Travel & Tourism value chain can take to scale up sustainable fuel and decarbonise the sector.
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