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The longing for new impressions in distant countries was clear: 56.9 percent of the viewers said they wanted to travel again as soon as possible - not only within Germany, but also to places further afield.

With this vote, the last panel discussion of the "Better Future Conference" on the subject of "Sustainable travel to Corona?"

Christina Brause (editor WELT AM SONNTAG) welcomed the founder and managing director of Chamäleon Reisen GmbH, Ingo Lies, as well as Thomas Ellerbeck, who is responsible for politics and international relations with the governments of the target countries at the TUI Group, as guests in the studio.

Daniel Rieger, Head of Transport Policy at the Naturschutzbund Deutschland (Nabu), and Harald Zeiss, Professor at the Harz University of Applied Sciences in Wernigerode with a focus on sustainability and international tourism, were involved.

Zeiss is also chairman of the sustainability committee at the German Travel Association.

The year of transition

When asked when tourism could “take off again”, everyone was optimistic.

2021 will be a kind of “transition year”, according to Ellerbeck.

"A year ago we had neither a vaccine nor rapid tests - now we have both." He is currently in talks with representatives from many destinations: "They all do their homework." This is another reason why he sees "the chance of a summer with vacation" .

Discussion with Thomas Ellerbeck, Daniel Rieger, In go Lies, moderator Christina Brause, Harald Zeiss (from left)

Source: Philip Nürnberger

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Tour operator Lies, who offers long-distance travel for small groups, doubts that, but hopes for autumn. Rieger, on the other hand, assumes that the situation will not relax enough until 2022 that travel as we are used to will be possible again. Zeiss warned that society must be prepared to live with Corona and also to travel with restrictions in the future.

As in 2020, many people will be spending their vacation in Germany this year and driving, if at all, by car.

Nabu expert Rieger complained about “major construction sites” at the travel company when it came to sustainability: “For air travel and cruises, I would have hoped for solution concepts that would show how the industry can make travel climate-neutral.” On-site inspection must also be increased how, for example, hotel facilities can be made more sustainable.

Full vacation flyers

TUI manager Ellerbeck argued that - at least before Corona - the holiday airlines fly with high occupancy, which arithmetically reduces the CO2 emissions per passenger.

It registers how strong the awareness for the environment and sustainability is growing in the industry.

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With the “Better Holidays, Better World” strategy, TUI has been aiming for some time to reduce its own ecological footprint, offer more sustainable holiday trips and support local charitable projects.

TUI recently counted “43 million fair and green holidaymakers”.

Own hotels and partner hotels in the target countries can be certified as sustainable.

In the past few years, investments have been made in the fleet of the company's own airline as well as in the cruise ships.

But "the state should also use funds to promote the transformation of drives and fuels."

Cheap flight to London

Traffic expert Rieger agreed.

He also considers “significantly stricter requirements” and regulations to be sensible, as does “the abolition of climate-damaging subsidies”.

The behavior of "some companies at the moment" is "underground".

That is why monetary incentives are needed “to get away from fossil fuels”.

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Rieger regretted: “At the moment it makes economic sense to behave in a way that is harmful to the climate and the environment.” Flight ticket bargains suggested to consumers that it was “okay” to travel to London for 19.90 euros.

Moderator Brause asked whether sustainable holidays "for the masses" would still be possible.

Zeiss, who used to be in charge of sustainability management at TUI Deutschland, is certain that a large number of customers will help providers to become more sustainable.

Travel cheaper

Package tours can only be offered cheaply because they are sold in large numbers.

There are already financial incentives for companies.

Zeiss gave the example of water flow limiters in hotel facilities.

"The guests don't notice anything about it."

Travel operator Liesch thinks it is "important that companies are responsible".

He himself founded the Chameleon Foundation, through which aid projects for socio-economically disadvantaged people, craft support programs and nature conservation projects are financed worldwide.

With a second foundation, the Rainforest Foundation, he buys 100 square meters of rainforest in Ecuador for every trip that is booked with him “to compensate for the climatic footprint”.

So far, 14 million square meters have come together.

He would like more such “concrete evidence from companies”.

Ellerbeck recalled the many regions dependent on tourism that are currently suffering from travel restrictions - and how people make the best of their situation.

For example, instead of showing guests the area on bike tours, a young woman in Morocco is now providing elderly and needy people with medicines and food.

"That shows how a social business can emerge in a crisis," said the TUI man.

He complained that the badly battered industry was still without concrete prospects. To underline the importance of travel, he recalled perhaps the most famous German traveler, Alexander von Humboldt. He is supposed to have said: "The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have not looked at the world."