Abstract

The purpose of the current study is to examine the possibilities of mitigating the carbon footprint of the tourism industry in Crete, Greece, to estimate its carbon intensity and additionally the cost of eliminating all tourism-related carbon emissions with compensation credits in the island. Various mitigation options in different sectors of the tourism industry in Crete, including transport to the destination, accommodation, catering and various tourist activities at the destination, have been proposed. Mitigation of carbon emissions in accommodation is easier, due to the presence of appropriate technologies, than in other tourism sectors. Various carbon offsetting schemes including the use of carbon compensation credits and forest restoration have also been investigated. Based on existing research regarding annual CO2 emissions due to the tourism industry in Crete, the area of new forest plantations required for offsetting all tourism-related carbon emissions in Crete has been calculated at 114 031 ha. The carbon intensity of the tourism industry in Crete has been estimated at 0.562 kgCO2/€ which is in the same range of values reported for other EU countries. The annual cost of eliminating all tourism-related CO2 emissions in Crete has been estimated at €20,525,580 which corresponds to 0.51% of the annual gross domestic product in the island attributed to tourism.

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