Sustainable tourism: the future of tourism...
 ArticlesThe future of travel
By Justin Francis of responsibletravel.com Travel adaptors
Dossier: future of tourism Goodbye fuel world
The search for kerosene-free aviation Want to see a better world?
Geotourism: improving the places we visit Are we there yet?
How technology will change the way we travel Room for improvement
Building and operating sustainable hotels Commentators
Opinions on sustainable tourism |
 The environmental cost of travel has been well debated and tourism has taken a battering. Consequently the industry and those who work within it feel deflated. Many travellers are left wondering whether they can and should continue to travel.
I approached Geographical magazine earlier this year with the idea of producing dedicated editorial on the sustainable future of travel and tourism. I wanted to start a positive and forward thinking debate around the future of our industry. Geographical’s Publisher Graeme Gourlay and Editor Geordie Torr were inspired to dedicate their entire December 2008 issue to the topic. You can read the editorial from our collaboration below. We look at the future of hotel architecture with visualisations by Jeremy Blake, a leading eco-architect; the innovations in aviation; developments in travel technology; and ‘geotourism’ as a growing trend. I also share my thoughts and suggestions for the future based on my own experience in the industry. I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers but I hope you’ll use this site as a place to tell us what you think and to share ideas.
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Sustainable tourism articles
Travel trends and predictions
The future of travel. Justin Francis of responsibletravel.com says: We face a dilemma. How can we align a desire to visit other cultures in a thoughtful way alongside a conscience that calls for the reduction in our everyday carbon emissions? It's this dilemma that inspired us to start a debate around the future of tourism. If we're serious about pursuing a sustainable future for travel, it's essential that we have a vision to which we can aspire. My own experiences within the industry have given me a unique insight into the forces that drive it. This, in turn, has allowed me to formulate a series of ideas about the changes we can expect to see taking place over the next 20 or so years. Read the travel trends and predictions article
Future of tourism dossier
Travel adaptors. Mark Rowe reports: When the budget airline Zoom grounded all operations in August, marooning thousands of Britons in the USA, it was the 26th 'no-frills' airline to fold or hit financial turbulence this year. But those who view Zoom's demise as another harbinger of the end of fossil-fuelled travel would do well not to hold their breath. Mass global tourism isn't about to self-combust, at least not just yet. Read the future of tourism article
Aviation
Goodbye fuel world. Air travel is responsible for 700 million tonnes - around three per cent - of global carbon emissions every year. But if the growth of aviation continues, this could rise to three billion tonnes by 2050. Now, despite being perceived as resistant to environmental change, aircraft manufacturers and airlines have come together in an unprecedented act of co-operation in the search to survive in a world after kerosene. Read Mark Rowe's aviation article
Geotourism
Want to see a better world? Geotourism is a new movement that shows travellers how to improve the places they visit. Jay Walljasper tours Chile with Jonathan Tourtellot, the dedicated globetrotter who founded the movement. Read the geotourism article
Travel technology
Are we there yet? Mark Eveleigh embarks on a spot of time travel and asks how technology will change the way we travel in the next decade. Just how will we see the world when we're equipped with '2020 vision'? Read the travel technology article
Hotel architecture
Room for improvement. Often attaked for its wastefulness, the hospitality industry is slowly starting to think and act in a more environmentally responsible way. And building and operating in a sustainable way not only gives hotel chains the green credentials they crave, it makes good business sense, as award-winning architect, Jeremy Blake - who has drafted a series of conceptual drawings exclusively for Geographical - explains to Natalie Hoare. Read the hotel architecture article
Sustainable tourism opinions
Commentators from tour operators to research centres give their opinions on sustainable tourism
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