City Sightseeing moves toward sustainable tourism by offsetting its carbon footprint
City Sightseeing Worldwide has taken a significant step forward in its sustainability journey by beginning to offset the carbon footprint of its operations in Spain — a first milestone on the path to implementing this initiative across its global network. The Spanish multinational, known for its open-top sightseeing tours, began calculating its emissions in 2024 and, with the support of sustainability consultancy Climate Partner, has now started contributing to certified climate projects.
Through its agreement with Climate Partner, City Sightseeing has successfully measured the carbon footprint of its 12 operations in Spain, in accordance with international standards, and has committed to reducing its emissions with each new report. The company identifies key areas for improvement and aims to move toward full carbon neutrality. In parallel, it supports forest conservation initiatives that help absorb CO₂ — one of the major contributors to climate change.
Enrique Ybarra, founder and CEO of City Sightseeing Worldwide, stated: “The entire tourism industry has a clear responsibility toward sustainability, and at City Sightseeing, we’ve long been implementing measures to reduce our environmental footprint. From continuously upgrading our fleet to phasing out paper and single-use plastics, we’ve taken real action. But we wanted to go even further. Understanding the volume of emissions we need to offset was a key starting point. We are proud to support reforestation projects and hope to inspire the rest of the industry — and our travellers — to do the same.”
City Sightseeing calculates both Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, following internationally recognised methodologies. Scope 1 refers primarily to greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fossil fuels in the company’s vehicles, while Scope 2 includes emissions generated through electricity consumption in offices, garages, and other operational facilities. These emissions offset have been certified by Verra, a globally recognized standard, which issued a global certificate on behalf of City Sightseeing Spain, ensuring full traceability and transparency of the process.
Specifically, in 2023 City Sightseeing offset 1,420 tonnes of CO₂ through a forest conservation project in the Peruvian Amazon, located in Tambopata, in the southeastern region of Madre de Dios. This project prioritises supporting Brazil nut farmers and other sustainable practices, helping to halt deforestation since its launch in 2009. By protecting tropical rainforest ecosystems, the project contributes to global carbon capture and climate resilience for the planet.
At City Sightseeing, we’re working destination by destination to reduce our impact and shape a more sustainable way to explore the world.
More information about the project with Climate Partner here.
