Travelers urged to keep it local in the name of sustainable tourism

From rolling vineyards to stunning beaches, there’s no shortage of beauty to discover right in our own backyards.

A University of South Australia tourism expert is urging travelers to support local destinations and experiences close to home, rather than long international journeys, to reduce the environmental impact of tourism.

Assistant senior lecturer in tourism management Dr. Freya Higgins-Desbiolles says we should consider more localized travel and do all we can to reduce unnecessary emissions.

He says space travel, private jet travel and mass travel to remote and extreme environments such as Antarctica are “unethical” and contribute to a culture of privileged overconsumption.

“Under these conditions, it is difficult to justify tourism to Antarctica. We have to question whether we use cruises or flights in our tourism consumption,” he says.

“We need to create a cultural shift that sees tourism consumption as a luxury to be enjoyed and not something we can have every year or several times a year as many expect in the Global North. A shift to valuing local leisure and domestic travel and lower expectations for long-haul international travel is a must.”

The Global North, i.e. the Northern Hemisphere, is responsible for 92% of global emissions.

In recent research by Dr. Higgins-Desbiolles is responding to “deep adaptation” analysis by Professor Jem Bendell of the University of Cumbria, which argues that civilizational collapse is likely or even already underway due to continued dependence on fossil fuels and emissions, a view shared by others. including naturalist David Attenborough and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The work is published in Journal of Tourism Futures.

Dr. Higgins-Desbiolles outlines how tourism contributes to the depletion of natural resources, pollution, overconsumption and environmental destruction. He also reflects on the 2023 Hawaii wildfires on the island of Maui that killed 100 and destroyed the town of Lahaina. Residents lacked water resources to fight fires due to years of overuse by golf courses, hotels and tourism corporations.

He advises travelers to be more considerate when choosing holiday destinations and think about the impact of their activities on the environment.

“Tourism should be defined by the local community, decision-making should be grassroots and with an emphasis on interrelationships between people, place, ecology and all living things. We need to slow down – stay longer, stay local, be thoughtful with our holiday choices.” says. “There are so many resources like Rise Travel Institute or The Travel Foundation that shed light on sustainable, responsible and fair tourism.

“It’s about respecting the destination, looking for codes of responsibility and being aware of the culture and challenges faced by the communities you’re visiting. I encourage people to try to be more aware next time they travel – stay in one place.” longer, travel more slowly, go for nature walks, get involved in culture, try to leave your destination a better place than you found it.”

Tourism Research Australia predicts that domestic travel will see only moderate growth over the next five years, mainly due to increased competition from international outbound travel, which will continue to rise.

The tourism industry contributes 8% of total global carbon emissions, yet the Tourism Panel on Climate Change – an international group of climate scientists and tourism experts – focuses on profitable climate-resilient tourism rather than addressing the industry’s environmental contribution . destruction.

Dr. Higgins-Desbiolles says it’s up to everyone to make environmentally conscious travel choices.

“We need to see all governments willing to better legislate and regulate tourism. For example, France has passed legislation banning short-haul flights – the mode of transport that contributes the most to emissions – if a train journey of less than 2.5 hours is available,” she he says.

“Meaningful change is needed at every level; governments, organizations and travelers must focus on sustainable and climate-just tourism.”