The US has a large airplane fleet because, she said, there are few options for long-distance travel by train. “However, China has built a large high-speed train system that allows for travel throughout the country by rail — a lower-carbon means of travel.“

　　Besides, in China, the government encourages rail travel over air travel for shorter distances by reducing or even eliminating flights for shorter distances, Loh said. “Europe also has a good rail system, so there are real options not to fly,“ said Loh, who is a former undersecretary for environment in the Hong Kong SAR government.

　　Alex Lee Chun-ting, general manager of Miramar Travel in Hong Kong, said his firm is one of the first travel agencies to launch the concept of low-carbon tourism, and promote tours that feature high-speed trains in the Chinese mainland or Rail Europe in the European continent.

　　To achieve this end, “our itinerary tries to incorporate as much as possible“ transportation, hotels, restaurants, etc, that involve low emissions, even airlines that adopt sustainable aviation fuels.

　　According to him, the itinerary design also includes participation in local sustainable activities such as city walks, strolls and cycling to experience the local scenery and culture while integrating tourism with nature.

　　Lee noted that railway tourism is a model of green tourism that enables sustainable development of tourism. “In the future, we will launch more high-speed rail tours and European railway tour groups to respond to green tourism,“ he said.

　　Visitors take a cyclo to explore the 36 Streets in Hanoi Old Quarter, Vietnam, on April 12. [PHOTO BY FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY]

　　Reducing food waste