Tourism Administration, Republic of China (Taiwan)-Taiwan Tourism Administration's Taiwan Tourism Information Website

The global tourism industry continues its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, and tourists continue to look for sustainable options. These are ongoing processes. However, calculating carbon footprints remains a major challenge for travel agencies amidst the ever-changing tour landscape. To address pain points of sustainable tourism development, assist industry upgrades, and capitalize on future green business opportunities, the Tourism Administration in 2025 convened a “Conference on Guidelines for Calculating the Carbon Footprint of Tour Itineraries in the Travel Industry.” Representatives from the Ministry of Environment’s Climate Change Administration were joined by industry representatives, such as those from My Taitung Trip, Ecotour Taiwan Travel Service, and Phoenix Golden Tours, as well as representatives from academia. Using the latest ISO 14067 standard, the meeting clarified the lifecycle of tour carbon footprints and discussed issues such as data acquisition responsibilities, a simplified assessment logic, and industry feasibility. The meeting resulted in a set of " Guidelines for Calculating the Carbon Footprint of Tour Itineraries in the Travel Industry."

The Tourism Administration noted that setting these guidelines is a first step in helping travel agencies manage their operations in a sustainable manner. The guidelines cover topics such as 1) how to determine calculation scope (system boundaries); 2) how to identify tourism service elements that generate carbon emissions, such as transportation, accommodations, and tour activities; 3) how to identify what data needs to be collected, such as vehicle fuel consumption and accommodation water consumption; 4) how to collect data that meets quality requirements, and 5) how to calculate a carbon footprint inventory and compile a formal report. These guidelines are available on the Tourism Administration's website. Going forward, tour operators can use these guidelines to better understand the basic concepts of “carbon footprints,” and also to assist them in seeking professional consultants to help them complete the calculation of their tours' carbon footprint emissions.

To provide examples to the industry, the Tourism Administration recently conducted carbon footprint assessments based on these guidelines for 10 "Phoenix Golden Journeys" promoted by the Administration for senior citizens. The assessments were conducted by Chase Sustainability Technology, a professional carbon footprint calculation firm in Taiwan. After four months of route investigation, data collection, and carbon emission calculations, an inventory/results report was completed. Building on this self-assessment, the Administration encourages tour operators to employ third-party verification by impartial entities and apply for Ministry of Environment "carbon labels" based on the results. Completing third-party verification not only grants companies positive recognition for their self-disclosure, but also allows them to identify carbon emission hotspots throughout the tour lifecycle, pinpointing high-energy-consuming processes or operational policies. This serves as a crucial basis for optimizing sustainable tour design. The project’s carbon footprint assessment reports have been completed, and operators are encouraged to leverage these existing results as they conduct their own verification procedures and apply for carbon labels. Upon approval, carbon emission labels can be applied to tour products and information.

Taiwan’s carbon labeling system is still in its early stages, and the ability to compare carbon-labeled products remains rather limited. The Tourism Administration hopes that these assessments will help operators in the following areas: 1) understanding the carbon footprint concept and its practical application to tours; 2) evaluating the emission structure of different tour elements, including transportation options and catering arrangements; and 3) gradually expanding the use of this process to promote better carbon management, green procurement, and the provision of sustainable services. Facing a new era of net-zero-carbon emissions, carbon footprint assessments are a key part of the low-carbon transformation of the travel industry. This is not the end of the journey, but a new starting point for the tourism industry as it creates low-carbon and sustainable tourism.