Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors in the world, providing employment for millions and allowing travelers to discover different cultures and places. However, growing tourism also has its cost: it significantly contributes to the global CO2 footprint. According to recent scientific studies, the travel and tourism sector will account for about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2022.
In this article, we have tried to highlight the sustainability of tour guide systems as an app compared to hardware based on a very limited dataset.
The Trend Toward Sustainable Travel
Given the climate challenges, the trend toward sustainable and environmentallyconscious travel is growing. Climate-neutral city tours are a response to this trend. The idea is to minimize the CO2 footprint of tourism activities, for example, by:
- Sustainable transportation: walking or cycling instead of buses and cars.
- Supporting local businesses: Instead of visiting large chains, support small, local shops that often operate more sustainably.
- Waste reduction: digital tickets and reusable materials can reduce the waste generated by tours.
Savings Potential by Eliminating Traditional Tour Guide Systems
A significant source of CO2 emissions in the tourism sector is the tour guide systems required for guided tours. The production, shipping, and eventual disposal of these devices significantly contribute to the CO2 footprint.
Fortunately, there are alternative solutions: applications like the elysium® Tour Guide App rely on smartphones, which most people already own, instead of requiring additional hardware. This has several advantages:
- No additional hardware: No need for specialized devices that are often made for a single purpose.
- No shipping of hardware: No CO2 emissions from transporting rental devices.
Analysis of Savings Potential in German Cities
Based on data from various city tour providers in Germany, we calculated the potential CO2 savings for eight major German cities:
- Berlin: 1,512,800 guided tours/year
- Dresden: 245,700 guided tours/year
- Hamburg: 566,280 tours/year
- Frankfurt: 201,780 guided tours/year
- Cologne: 501,140 guided tours/year
- Munich: 567,840 guided tours/year
- Nuremberg: 153,660 guided tours/year
- Heidelberg: 234,780 guided tours/year
Assuming each of these guided tours required the shipping of hardware, the savings from eliminating the shipping alone for these eight cities amount to 1,753.6 tons of CO2 per year. This does not account for manufacturing. Of course, we know that many smaller group tours are conducted without hardware, but these are not included here.
Across Germany, based on the average CO2 emissions per city and the number of large cities in Germany, potential savings of over 17,500 tons of CO2 annually can be achieved.
Conclusion:
The elysium® Tour Guide App and similar technologies can make a significant contribution to reducing the CO2 footprint in tourism. By eliminating additional hardware and its shipping, both costs and significant amounts of CO2 can be saved.
It is time to steer tourism in a more sustainable direction and use technologies that make sense both ecologically and economically. Only in this way can we ensure that future generations can enjoy the beauty and diversity of our planet as much as we do.
