Baku: A series of events continued in the COP29 Green Zone, alongside the main conference in the Blue Zone in Baku. Following up on previous events, the COP29 Azerbaijan Operating Company hosted another session in the Green Zone on November 20, this time jointly with the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, APA reports.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, a panel discussion titled ‘Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism: Innovative Solutions and Way Forward’ explored the future of sustainable tourism and how to minimize the industry’s environmental impact while boosting local economies and preserving cultural heritage.

Moderated by Virginia Fernandez-Trapa, Programme Officer of the Sustainable Development of Tourism Department at the World Tourism Organization of the United Nations (UNWTO), the panel included Gunay Bayramova, Head of Tourism Policy and Strategy at the State Tourism Agency (Azerbaijan); Heitor Kadri, Head of the International Relations Department at Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism; Erika Harms, Global Direc
tor of Sustainability at Iberostar Group; Shannon Gihan, Chief TreadRight and Sustainability Officer for The Travel Corporation; and Amy Lewis, Operations Senior Specialist at the Climate Change Division of the Inter-American Development Bank.

Tourism experts on the panel shared best practices for reducing carbon emissions, protecting biodiversity, and ensuring both economic and ecological sustainability in the tourism sector. The discussion highlighted how innovative approaches like ecotourism, green infrastructure, and responsible travel can contribute to the development of global tourism.

In addition to the panel discussion, the COP29 Green Zone featured other events throughout the day focusing on sustainable urban infrastructure development, creating more resilient, inclusive, and human-centered environments, tourism’s contribution to climate resilience and ecosystem restoration, and decarbonizing the construction sector. Local and international experts participated in these discussions.