When the Swedish student and initiator of the "Fridays for Future" campaign Greta Thunberg did not board the plane for a trip to America, but instead sailed on a sailboat across the Atlantic, the issue of "emission-free travel" took on a very broad public discussion one.
It also reached the tourism industry, whose business consists of transporting many people over great distances. For example, at this year's 22nd Berlin Tourism Summit, climate change is not the focus of attention.
Flying shame is for the time being a question of faith
After Greta Thunberg, like her Viking ancestors, set out on a sailboat towards America around 1000 years ago , news came from Sweden that more and more people also wanted to do without flying. And, of course, there was a media-friendly buzzword right away: flying ash .
"Sailor" Greta Thunberg. Although not in Berlin at all, it determines the agenda of the tourism summit.
But whether they really exist is controversial. Also Torsten Schäfer is not sure. Schäfer is Head of Communications at the German Travel Association (DRV). The industry association represents the interests of travel companies, among others, towards politics. In any case, he said to DW, the mooring to numbers, because "to judge it is still too early."
According to Schäfer, the industry reckons on a larger scale: "Most Germans book their annual leave long in advance, which has not played a major role in the bookings for this year." Only in the next year or the year after next you can prove the flying shame with numbers - or not.
Air France Airline Director-General Anne Rigail also said in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper on 1 October that she was unable to confirm reports of the effects of the flight ash . The current decline in bookings is "not high enough" to be able to determine clear causes.
It will continue to flow
A media report suggests, however, that there is currently at least in Germany no flying ash. On 9 October, the "Rheinische Post" reported that the number of air passengers in Germany had risen further. That would have resulted in air traffic data from the Federal Statistical Office.
Accordingly, there has been an increase in passenger numbers in German air traffic every month since August 2018 compared to the corresponding month of the previous year. In the twelve months from August 2018 to July 2019, about 125.1 million flight passengers started from Germany. In the twelve months from August 2017 to July 2018 it was 119.4 million.
The demands on politics
The president of the German Tourism Association, Michael Frenzel , had called for "fair competition conditions" at last year's tourism summit last November. Traditional companies would often still have stricter requirements than digital competitors. The classic travel agency business is falling behind the providers on the Internet more and more behind.
The industry has also long been relieved of politics , such as bureaucracy and labor law. It demands a flexibilization of the working time laws. The rigid daily maximum working time in the working time law is not up to date, Frenzel had already complained at the 21st Tourism Summit.
The bread business of the tour operators: summer, sun, beach and quite a lot of tourists.
Tourism as an economic factor - and globally
The DRV warns in the words of Torsten Schäfer on the topic of "climate change". For "the abandonment of travel as a basic freedom" is not a solution from the point of view of tour operators: we all profit from tourism, we all want to go on holiday, we want to explore the world. "
Radical solutions would not only jeopardize jobs in Germany - according to the industry association, there were around three million jobs in tourism. Jobs and livelihoods are also in danger globally: "Some countries are dependent on tourism, and if this sector of industry would break away, many people's livelihood would disappear."
DRV press spokesman Torsten Schäfer points out a number that is to prove the importance of the industry: "15 German travelers, for example, support a job in developing and emerging countries."
The customer is required
The German travel association sees not only the legislature demanded, he also takes the customer into the obligation. He has to "make sure that you fly climate-friendly." You can choose the airlines that they use new aircraft, you can make sure that the hotel operates according to certain standards that it is rated as sustainable. "
In any case, the travel industry, says Torsten Schäfer, is sensitized to the topic "Tourism in times of (climate) change". After all, radical climate change could even destroy the industry's business foundation. Because, says Torsten Schäfer: "An intact environment is vital for us all and it is also the basis of the economy for the tourism industry."
Torsten Schäfer suggests that there is still a lot to do for the tour operators, as he talks about the importance of climate change for his industry: "People's awareness is there, but concrete demand is not as pronounced as this also applies to offers of travel agencies. "
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