DAVOS, SWITZERLAND -- A booming worldwide tourism industry could prove its own worst enemy by contributing to the global warming that threatens some of the planet's most prized destinations, United Nations agencies warned on Monday.
"The tourism industry is both challenged by climate change and a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions," Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN Environment Program, said at an international conference in Davos, Switzerland.
Coastal, mountain and nature destinations, especially in poor countries or island states such as the Maldives, are likely to be the most affected by weather shifts and rising sea levels or temperatures, according to extracts from the report.
Franco Frangialli, secretary-general of the UN World Tourism Organization, called for immediate action from the industry and public authorities, even though tourism's contribution to global warming is smaller than that of many other industries.
"Climate change is pushing the world of tourism to a revolution - not only an economic and technological one, but also a cultural one," he told the three-day conference in this Swiss Alpine resort.
"The Swiss Alps suffered due to a lack of snow this winter and it's not due to chance. Tourism contributes to climate change just as it is a victim [of it]," he added.
Tourism activities account for 4 to 6 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change, according to the report, which is due to be released this year.
Emissions are being driven by the rapid increase in international travel, with about 846 million trips worldwide last year and growing at an average annual rate of 6.5 per cent since 1950, according to the UNWTO. The number of international trips is expected to nearly double to 1.6 billion by 2020.
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