The Regional Tourist Board of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Ademe have created a calculator that we rarely see: a tool for calculating the carbon footprint, tested in the metropolis of Bordeaux with the results of a survey of tourist visits and qualifications. 2019 in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. The Bordeaux Métropole Tourist and Convention Office (OTCBM) was thus able to calculate the carbon footprint of tourism for 2019 and divide it by sector of activity.
It knows, for example, that transport was the main source of greenhouse gases at 56%, ahead of eating out (11%) and shopping (10%). Half of the visitors in 2019 arrived in the metropolis by car, 30% chose the train and the remaining 20% by plane. Additional data 6% of the metropolis’ tourist carbon footprint comes from leisure, 4% from accommodation and 7% from transport once on site. The calculator will be used again to produce the 2024 report, which will be published in 2025.
3 conferences analyzed by calculator in 2023
The tool has also been used to calculate the impact of several events such as the RoboCup. The international robotics tournament, held in Bordeaux in July 2023, caused 4,624 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions with almost 40,000 visitors and 2,500 competitors from 45 different countries. “The goal is to create a new methodology and apply it in the future”suggests Brigitte Bloch, President of OTCBM.
On the occasion of the 2023 Tourism Report, the Bordeaux Métropole Tourist and Conference Office presented the environmental results of the RoboCup calculated using the new tool of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Tourism Commission.
In addition to quantifying the environmental impact, Bordeaux Métropole wishes to maintain the constant increase in the number of businesses in Bordeaux that have newly obtained the “green” label. Transition support programs will be offered to tourism and events professionals. The “Bordeaux Bienvenue” system already allows event organizers to obtain a Best Practice Guide for an eco-positive event as well as personalized support such as offering TBM cards to attendees.
“When we receive the specifications, we analyze them to see if the carbon footprint can be optimized before starting the project.”explains Amélie Dechenais, director of the Bordeaux Convention Bureau, another OTCBM support program.
Bordeaux ranked 9th most sustainable tourist city
Of the 36 accommodation providers that benefit from support from the metropolis in 2023, 31 have applied for the international Clef Verte label, which is awarded by a jury of tourism and environmental experts based on around a hundred ecological criteria. Among these candidates, 29 are marked at this stage of the year, which the metropolis considers to be proof of the effectiveness of its actions.
To promote environmentally certified facilities and “make the offer more understandable to the general public”, this year the OTCBM will create a joint distinction “dedicated to responsible commitment”. In 2023, the city of Bordeaux was ranked 9th in the world in the ranking of the most sustainable cities in the Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) barometer.
Tourism is finally finding its face in 2019
The tourist and congress office of the metropolis of Bordeaux recorded numerous increases in activities in 2023 compared to 2022… and 2019. This is the case, for example, of business tourism, which surpasses the results of 2019 with 177 million economic benefits (+21%) to 3,860 professional events. For marine tourism, the metropolis welcomed 55 ships and 60,000 passengers, up from 53 in 2019. Wine tourism has almost returned to pre-Covid levels, with an 11% year-on-year increase in the number of paid tour participants. compared to 2022. River tourism and even vineyards managed to achieve a similar performance.