Why a Small Patagonian Tour Operator is Declaring a Climate Emergency

Creating Sustainability Practices & Awareness in Tourism

written by Alicia Caton, Marketing & Communications Director, Chile Nativo Travel

"Little is said about the fact that CO2 emissions from tourism contribute 8% of all greenhouse gases in the world, about the loss of local identity caused by deregulated activity, about economic leakage in tourist destinations, about the destruction of ecosystems or the feeling of tourismphobia in residents whose territories have been saturated during high seasons."

2020 was certainly a year which made us all stop and change in some way. And as a tourism company, we found that there had never been a better time to assess how we can make meaningful changes that would improve the way we operate and offer products to our future clients. So in the wake of the pandemic, Chile Nativo Travel joined the Tourism Declares initiative - declaring a #ClimateEmergency and taking action to reduce our carbon emissions as we began our year-long evaluation developing our first Climate Action Plan. 

In the beginning, trying to develop such a plan posed a challenge. There were several uncertainties to face as a small tour operator and a lack of capacities like finances, time, and knowledge. However, along our journey we discovered an incredible community of organizations, colleagues, and partners like Marco Lucero, co-founder of Cuidadores de Destinos & co-founder of Turismo Declara (Tourism Declares spanish sector for Latin America & Spain). Together with Marco and other trusted partners, Chile Nativo has been working to further assess our climate action campaign as a tour operator, how to measure our carbon emissions, and how to implement further changes into our operations and programs. 

During our year-long quest to create our first climate action plan, we realized that a good tour operator should ultimately be a steward of the land - caring for a region regardless of its ownership. If travelers trust us to show them the beauty of Patagonia, then we must operate in a way that balances sustainable practices and tourism, while being responsive and respectful to the ecology, economy, and social & cultural aspects. Our existing partnerships with local stewardship & conservation nonprofits, like the Torres del Paine Legacy Fund, helped shape initial ideations of a more climate friendly tourism model.

Chilean Patagonia is a richly diverse region of our planet where fjords, glaciers, mountains, pampa, and coastline join the Pacific, Atlantic, and Southern Oceans together. Dramatic landscapes, precious nature and wildlife make our region - like any other - worth protecting and fighting for. While working one afternoon at our headquarter office in Puerto Natales - the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park - I had reflected on a recent conversation I had with Marco and what he had shared with me: "that little is said about the fact that CO2 emissions from tourism contribute 8% of all greenhouse gases in the world, about the loss of local identity caused by deregulated activity, about economic leakage in tourist destinations, about the destruction of ecosystems or the feeling of tourismphobia in residents whose territories have been saturated during high seasons…." ]

For this reason, we are urging fellow tour operators and all those involved in the tourism supply chain - whether in our very own Region of Magallanes in Chilean Patagonia or around the world - to make the same declaration, committing themselves to creating their own Climate Action Plan and maintaining this industry-wide movement to cut carbon emissions. 

While creating our climate action plan for Chile Nativo, we organized it into 4 defined areas: operations & excursions, waste & recycling, partnerships & education, and team & work dynamics. Our initial step was evaluating normal operations while looking for simple, obvious ways to become more efficient. The first answer was in the way we buy and purchase, which we have now committed to doing in bulk from a local zero-waste supplier in our community. Changing the way we buy drastically changes our structure of operations and forces us to redesign, reduce or eliminate, therefore cutting our carbon emissions significantly. Addressing the waste we do generate such as plastics, aluminum, glass, batteries, & organics (which all gets used or recycled locally) and assuring that our box lunches are designed to be zero-waste or 100% bio-compostable (including packaging!) was the next step. 

Evaluating our supply chain, partnerships and providers followed; making sure our suppliers have similar practices and philosophies which align with ours and giving preference to those who have already made their declaration with Tourism Declares or for those who are a climate conscious operator, and continuing our support of the Torres del Paine Legacy Fund by donating USD$ 15 for each guest to support conservation projects and community development initiatives in Torres del Paine National Park. By doing this, we ensure that visitor dollars go into work that promotes the long-term protection, conservation, and sustainable development of one of Chile’s most prized destinations.

In addition, Chile Nativo has also become a member & benefits provider of Tomorrow's Air, a climate alliance program between ecotourism agencies and large-scale climate engineering programs. As a member, our alliance extracts 600kg of carbon from the earth's atmosphere, storing it permanently underground. Individuals and travellers may also subscribe to Tomorrow´s Air and receive travel benefits. As a benefits provider, Chile Nativo will have a native tree planted in each Tomorrow´s Air subscriber's name. Each native tree is planted by the Mapuche-Pehuenches people in the Araucanía Region in Chile which supports reforestation through native forest core planting (Miyawaki methodology). 

Chile Nativo is committed to upholding our promise to our community and region, holding our company and others accountable,  and encouraging honest and transparent operations. We are currently working to measure our carbon emissions in order to take further action by offsetting and reducing. 

Together in this global community of industry leaders, we believe the complex nature of the tourism industry; its climate impacts (especially through aviation); and its potential for positive influence and transformative change, necessitate the creation of an industry-specific Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency initiative.

Here's how you can play your part in addressing the climate emergency caused by tourism:

Run a Tourism Business?

Want to give back to destinations?

Want to travel responsibly to Patagonia