Editorial

Citation

Korstanje, M.E. and George, B.P. (2012), "Editorial", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 4 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/whatt.2012.40804daa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Volume 4, Issue 4

The concept and implementation of sustainable tourism has been a key feature of several recent WHATT theme issues and this work has attracted much interest. In 2009, theme editors Anthony Clayton and Carolyn Hayle explored the question: “What are the implications of climate change for the Caribbean travel and tourism industry?” I should like to thank Maximiliano Korstanje and Babu George and their team for building on this work and for the rich and detailed studies and analyses contained in this theme issue.

WHATT aims to make a practical and theoretical contribution to hospitality and tourism development and we seek to do this by using a key question to focus attention on an industry issue. If you would like to contribute to our work by serving as a WHATT theme editor, do please contact me.

Richard Teare Managing Editor, WHATT

To what extent might sustainable tourism mitigate the impact of global warming?

This theme issue focuses on the interrelationships between global warming, climate change, and tourism. There are numerous politically charged debates on this theme and our objective is to develop a better understanding of the complex nature of this topic. Increases in air and ocean temperatures, snow and ice reductions, and rising sea levels point to the fact that our global climate is changing but it is not easy to determine the extent to which this is affected by human activity. The complexity increases when we pose the question: What impact is an industry like tourism having on climate change? In part, the difficulty relates to the fact that tourism is not a single industry but rather an amalgam of numerous related industries and activities.

Many expert sources think that tourism is one of the major contributors to global warming and advocate that the industry should be taking proactive measures to mitigate this. The tourism industry draws heavily on nature and on natural resources and so it should take responsibility for ensuring that these resources are preserved by means of sustainable consumption initiatives. Although tourism contributes to global warming, it is also impacted by global warming and it is doubtful whether the industry’s response to-date to the global warming threat has been adequate. In order to reduce the impact of tourism on global warming and vice versa, tourism practitioners need to mobilize all the economic, socio-cultural, environmental, and technological resources available to them and the way in which the industry addresses this issue will in turn, become a value statement by the industry. The key strategic question is: What should the tourism industry do in order to help reduce global warming and at the same time achieve its long-term goals?

Viachaslau Filimonau’s article entitled: “Carbon calculators as a tool for carbon impact appraisal of holiday travel: a critical review” compares and contrasts the relative effectiveness of various carbon impact appraisal methods. These calculators, most of which are available online, are designed based on various and often conflicting assumptions. The issue is further complicated by the debate about what actually constitutes tourism-induced impact on the environment. A system of impact accounting is needed in order to measure the extent to which holiday-related travel contributes to carbon footprints.

In their paper “Global warming and tourism: chronicles of apocalypse?” Maximiliano Korstanje and Babu George explore the future prospects of global warming in the context of tourism interactions. Thanks to the glitter and glamour reflected in marketing and advertising approaches, tourism’s impact on global warming tends to be played down. Further, in policy debates, the tourism industry is conveniently separated from its allied industries (such as airlines) without which tourism would be largely impossible. It can be argued that efforts to secure green industry status for tourism is a good step forward but these efforts are unlikely to offer long-term solutions to the central problem of climate change.

In his article “Climate change and tourism: comparing female Costa Rican and American perceptions” Juan Antonio Aguirre Gonzalez considers wherever National Parks could take a more active role in providing educational information about climate change. Responses were sought from Costa Rican and American visitors to Costa Rica’s largest national park. Among other findings, the latter group displayed more concern about immediate threats whereas the former group expressed more concern about the current and future threat of climate change.

Peter Tarlow’s contribution raises the question: “Should tourism scientists accept climate change at face value?” While the term “tourism scientists” is not very common in the literature, the author realizes that tourism researchers have to approach the complex issue of climate change in an scientific manner. Drawing parallels with other events, the author states: “History teaches us that we must be careful in how we chose our point of commencement and termination”.

In the concluding article “Sustainable tourism and global warming: panacea, excuse or just an accidental connection?” Maximiliano Korstanje and Babu George draw together some of the key points arising in this theme issue and argue that well-crafted actions are now needed to mitigate the accelerating impact of climate change, especially in relation to tourism which is a major income generator for many developing nations.

About the Theme Editors

Maximiliano E. Korstanje is a Professor at the University of Palermo, Argentina. He has specialized in Tourism and Anthropology and he holds a PhD in Social Psychology. In recent years Dr Korstanje has studied the influence of modernity and mobility in the social geography of Latin American countries. He has authored 15 books and published more than 300 papers in international journals. He also works with international scientific organizations such as International Research Committee on Disasters, Texas (USA) and the Israeli Science Foundation (Israel). In 2011, his biography was included in the Marquis “Who’s Who in the World”.

Babu P. George, PhD, is Associate Professor of Business Administration at Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage, USA. Previously, he taught in various universities in India and China. He has authored five books and published widely in academic journals. He also serves on the editorial or review boards of numerous journals. Additionally, Dr George frequently writes on current issues for periodicals and the popular press. Recently, after moving to Alaska, he developed a special interest in the socio-economic consequences of climate change in the polar regions.

Maximiliano E. Korstanje, Babu P. GeorgeTheme Editors