Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For some time now the 'business as usual scenario' has been increasingly
subject to critical review (Hall, 2009). The traditional tourism growth model,
with the recent additional mix of mitigation and adaptation policies, will not,
as things stand, help to avoid serious predicted impacts of climatic change.
The response to the climate change challenge relates not only to a legacy of
previous inadequate strategies, but is as much about future development and
the consequent increasing impact on the world's ecological systems (Parry,
2009). It is therefore timely that several authors have begun to reappraise sus-
tainable tourism development, for this has helped to refine a conceptual
framework on which to review and build a tourism system that will survive
the present century (Sharpley, 2009).
The morphology from mass tourism to newer forms of tourism has been
mooted by several authors. For example, Krippendorf (1984, p138) envisaged
a 'more human tourism', where the supply sector becomes more educational
and inspirational than simply selling tourist products. He envisaged that con-
sumers will become increasingly aware of their personal impact and more
ethical in their approach to travel. He also argued that we will need to pre-
pare for more locally-based recreation near to our homes, envisaging a time
when long-distance travel will be less fashionable. Fayos-Sola (1996) discussed
the transformation of mass tourism to a market characterized by a high degree
of segmentation, new technologies, a differentiation of products and more
experienced consumers aware of social and environmental impacts. He iden-
tified a number of key trends in relation to increased mobilities, but in the
main was concerned about a lack of policy-making to account for these devel-
oping trends.
Poon (1993), on the other hand, seemed more assured in her analysis; she
presented a new tourism paradigm which differed markedly from the old
tourism. She concluded that a new form of tourism would gain ascendancy;
tourists would become more discerning and would want to blend their work
and leisure life together into a more flexible lifestyle pattern. Thus, she argued,
there would be a transition in the tourism system which would be character-
ized by being more competitive, flexible and aided by a rapidly changing
impact of technology to meet the complex needs of new customers (i.e. their
changed values and lifestyles and ready access to information). She envisaged
a scenario where standardized mass tourism would give way to an innovative
tourism paradigm, based on efficient use of technology to serve the needs of a
marketplace no longer satisfied by a Fordian system of delivery of tourism
packages. Poon also noted that the heavy environmental impacts of tourism
would continue to degrade the environment before reaching a turning point.
A tourism system which respects the environment would then emerge with the
development of the new tourism. Seemingly, we have not as yet reached that
point.
These authors have provided insights into the way in which contemporary
tourism might change in the coming decades. Much of the new tourism that
Poon and Fayos-Sola predicted is in the making. They recognized the chang-
ing nature of the market and the rapid pace of technology which has helped
to shape not only tourism but all mobilities in the 21st century (Sheller and
