International transport-related carbon footprint and traveler’s profile in a travel clinic before and after COVID-19

The carbon footprint of the tourism sector represents around 8% of global emission, almost half of which are linked to transport. COVID-19 has had a strong impact on international travel. During the pandemic, the desirability of a profound change in society has been at the center of debates. Indeed, while the COVID-19 pandemic brought travel and tourism to a halt, it might also have acted as a catalyst and accelerated trends toward more sustainable tourism. Therefore, the question of the influence of the pandemic on behavioral developments related to travel arises. The objective of this study is to describe the effects of the pandemic on travel by comparing pre- and post-pandemic data from a travel clinic. In our clinic, the proportion of tourists among travelers remained similar before and after the pandemic. After the pandemic, people traveled for significantly shorter periods. The carbon footprint of passenger international transport remains > 2.5 tons of CO<sub>2</sub>-eq after COVID-19. As a result, practices are almost back to pre-pandemic levels. It would be interesting to follow the evolution of the phenomenon over time, by looking at the travel modalities (accommodation, food, local activities) and the ecological sensitivity of travelers.