.The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has identifi ed climate change as one of the key challenges to the tourism sector in the 21st century. As the travel industry is a signifi cant contributor to climate change, businesses are called upon in the “Davos Declaration” to take the leadership in implementing concrete measures designed to mitigate climate change throughout the value chain.
Tour operators are an integral part of the international tourism industry and nowadays their role extends far beyond their original wholesaling function. As a result of consistent horizontal and vertical integration, a few potent tourism corporations currently wield significant market power and are capable of influencing supply and demand. Those market leaders need to play a proactive key role within a sector-wide response to climate change. By approaching tourism as a contributor to climate change, this publication takes a closer look at the role of mainstream tour operators in the requisite mitigation processes. It describes the way in which the European market leaders are currently responding to the climate challenge and what an ideal response could look like. Voluntary mitigation measures that could be enhanced by tour operators by committing themselves to their “Corporate Social Responsibility” are identified and related challenges are discussed.