Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and that boat cruises consumed most energy per tourist after air trips. These
figures provide some indication that small motorized boats should be excluded
from slow travel, as they do not meet the low-carbon criteria.
Ferries might also be considered a relatively high carbon option; however,
in many contexts there is no alternative, especially for island communities such
as those in Canada, Greece or Scotland. Here ferries are an essential element
of everyday life, as well as providing tourism access. Ferries have the poten-
tial for integration with other forms of slow travel. In Dorset, the Dorset Belle
ferry company sells tickets that integrate a ferry excursion from Bournemouth
to Swanage, with an open-top bus ride on the journey back. On the other
hand, ferry travel is integrated with car use in Europe and North America,
facilitating long-distance driving holidays that have high carbon footprints.
Because of this there will ultimately always be some ambiguity about the inclu-
sion of water-based travel within slow travel.
Summary
While the majority of water-based travel takes place at a slow pace, in com-
parison to land-based travel, this is only one of the defining features of slow
travel. Water-based travel also provides an integral and distinct travel experi-
ence. On the other hand, some forms, notably cruise ships, provide rather
limited and staged opportunities to engage with people and places en route,
and the shared social experience is carefully managed. Cruise ship passengers
have little authentic contact with the localities visited, in many respects the
destination being the ship itself. There are also environmental considerations.
While some forms of water-based travel involve human physical propulsion
(e.g. canoes) or rely on renewable energy such as the wind (e.g. yachts), motor-
ized boats and ships have a carbon footprint and localized ecosystem impacts
have been attributed to most forms of water craft. Thus, there is considerable
debate about the inclusion of water-based travel within slow travel.
While experiential elements play a part, perhaps the most significant issue
at stake is the carbon footprint of forms of water-based travel. It is our con-
tention that cruise shipping is excluded from slow travel. While accurate
figures on the carbon efficiency of cruise ships are not currently available,
there is enough evidence from the few isolated studies to suggest that cruise
ships have a relatively high carbon footprint. This is largely due to their con-
siderable size; as floating resorts, customers have come to expect a range of
tourist activities on board. Transporting this bulky infrastructure across the
ocean is not an energy-efficient way to travel. There are also concerns about
the carbon footprint of smaller motorized vessels within the pleasure boat sec-
tor. There is certainly some doubt about the carbon efficiency of this form of
travel. Until further evidence is made available, we have included smaller
motorized pleasure craft within slow travel. Perhaps this will be a wake-up call
to this sector. Investment will need to focus on energy-efficient vessels that
might even operate at lower speeds.
The sector in general also needs to consider how it is integrated with other
forms of travel. The canoe/kayak sector, for instance, could readily meet the
