¶ … Tourism Should Adopt Alternative Energy Strategies
Tourism is one of the largest industries in the world. In 2010, international tourist arrivals increased by approximately seven percent, to 935 million arrivals ("World Tourism Organization," n.d.). This figure doesn't include the millions of arrivals for national tourism. Clearly, this global powerhouse of an industry can significantly impact global change. Included in this ability is the ability to impact the global environment. Global climate change is an increasing social concern. Additionally, the climate can either positively or negatively impact this industry.
As such, this paper develops an argument supporting why the tourism industry should adopt alternative energy/fuel strategies to combat climate change. To this end, a summary of how climate change and tourism are interrelated is presented. This is followed by a summary of the types of alternative energy/fuel strategies that may be considered for use in the tourism and hospitality industry. This discussion concludes with an overview of the existing obstacles and/or problems the tourism and hospitality industry may encounter as they work to adopt alternative energy/fuel strategies.
Climate Change and Tourism:
Both public and political concern regarding climate change has increased significantly over recent years. Scott and Becken (2010) state, "With tourism's recognized growing contribution and key regional vulnerabilities to climate change, the Davos Declaration on Climate Change and Tourism declared that climate change 'must be considered the greatest challenge to the sustainability of tourism in the twenty-first century.'" (p. 284). As such, much research has been conducted, in recent years, regarding climate change and the tourism industry.
As Scott (2011) notes, "scholarship on tourism and climate change now extends over a period of 25 years" (p. 18). Thus, a large body of knowledge has been developed over the years regarding this relationship. Scott further cites Weaver as describing the rapid increase in the quantity of academic publications on tourism and climate change. Between the years 1996 and 2009, 128 papers were found via the CABI Direct database. Of these, the topics that were researched included: the potential impact of climate change on destinations and/or visitation patterns, climate change as it impacts winter-ski tourism, climate change as it impacts coastal areas and small islands, and how tourism contributes to climate change via greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As much of tourist activities center on travelers spending time outdoors, it is not surprising that climate change can significantly impact, not only individual destinations, but also the industry as a whole.
Several studies discuss the importance of climate and destination choices by travelers. Hu and Ritchie (1993) reviewed multiple studies that found that climate and natural beauty were universally important to travelers when they defined a destination's attractiveness. Shoemaker's (1994) study found that a pleasant climate and the ability to sunbathe while on vacationing, were attributes travelers sought when selecting a destination. Dwyer (1988) investigated a variety of factors, including: noon temperatures, percent of sunshine, percent of rain, and depth of snow, and how they affected the daily site use for urban forest recreation. Warmer temperatures and increased sunshine were positively correlated to increased visitation of hikers, cyclists, joggers, and dog walkers.
Viner and Agnew (1999) review the impact of climate change on a wide variety of international tourism destinations, noting that many of the ecosystems of these destinations are vulnerable to climate change. The impacts on these destinations from climate change occur in a variety of different ways. Increased stresses on the environmental systems of these areas is one such impact, such as rising sea levels around small island states. The Maldives are one such destination where sea level rise is a significant concern.
The risk of illness due to climate change is another impact of climate change on tourist destinations, reducing tourism to these areas. As Viner and Agnew (1999) note, "More frequent periods of extreme heat will cause discomfort in many resorts of the Eastern Mediterranean, where the number of days above 40C is estimated to increase. Decreasing cloud cover in Australia will increase exposure to the sun's harmful rays and malaria is likely to re-emerge in Spain" (p. 3). Winter destinations, as well as sunny destinations, are also likely to be affected by climate change. Less snowfall and shorter ski seasons are a significant climate change impact that can affect popular winter destinations from the Alps to the Rockies. Commercial ventures that are already marginal because of their low-lying ski hills, such as ski resorts in the Scottish highlands, are especially impacted.
Types of Alternative Energy/Fuel Strategies Tourism and Hospitality Should Consider:
It becomes clear that climate change can negatively impact the tourism...
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now