Introduction

Along with the participation of 195 countries, the Paris Climate Agreement aims at decreasing greenhouse gas emissions to prevent severe climate changes. The tourism industry is aimed to reduce these emissions, along with a target reduction of 70 percent by 2050 [15] which will help reduce the carbon footprint of the industry. However, depending on the current trends, greenhouse gas emissions in the same period will be twice the planned target in the future [10]). Greenhouse gas reduction requires the collective efforts of all countries, especially in tourism, to balance the emissions and economic development [20] to achieve sustainable tourism development.

The learning objectives of the module are to understand the applicability of environmental management practices to tourism SMEs to decrease carbon footprint and gas emissions in tourist activities, understand the role of environmental management in increasing the touristic attractiveness of the destination, raise awareness of sustainable tourism with green travel preferences, understand how to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and how to create a better tourism environment beyond the measure of environmental pollution, along with fair trade and the support of local food and beverage businesses.

Specific topics are chosen for this module along with the help of the tourism professionals such as tourism academicians, travel agents, hoteliers, and department managers by asking them questions in a short questionnaire about the importance of carbon footprint, greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental management concerning the tourism industry. Low-carbon tourism is inevitable in terms of sustainable tourism development. Carbon footprint measurement is becoming an important tool for greenhouse gas management [2, 19] In this way, the tourism industry professionals, especially the hoteliers, destination managers, and travel agencies, will s sustainably serve the guests’ needs, by raising awareness of carbon footprints, considering the protection of the natural environment, reducing the energy needs and greenhouse gas emissions.

The module consists of six parts: 1. Environmental management practices in the tourism industry and the creation of a better tourism environment, 2) Activities to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, 3) Ways to reduce carbon footprint, 4) Supporting local food and beverage businesses and fair trade, 5) Three case studies concerning the tourism industry, and 6) Quiz questions.