Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The primary aim of this topic is to define and establish the concept of slow
travel. This will, no doubt, continue to be the subject of debate for some
time: the following chapters set out key contextual issues, identify the primary
ingredients of slow travel and provide case studies of slow travel.
The topic begins with a reappraisal of the impacts of transport for tourism
in Chapter 2. It provides an overview of the literature on tourism impact stud-
ies. The chapter explores the extent to which tourism is a force for good, or
whether we have failed to register the negatives sufficiently. While there are
widespread benefits achieved through tourism development, it is evident that
these do not always materialize. It is also clear that there are many impacts.
At the same time, there is some doubt that the benefits of tourism are equi-
tably apportioned across the world, and this chapter spends some time
unpicking tourism's claims to alleviate poverty. The chapter then focuses more
specifically on transport impacts and draws attention to the impacts of travel
to destinations which have been more or less ignored until recently. Transport
has long been recognized as a cause of destination-based impacts; however,
when set in a more global as opposed to local context, the impacts of trans-
port for tourism become more significant due to GHG emissions and their role
in climate change.
Tourism is affected by climate change, through the climate-sensitive
nature of the tourism resource base; and is a major contributor to climate
change, through the production of GHG emissions. The range of international
climate change policy instruments are discussed, together with examples of
responses at a national level. The chapter then analyses a low-carbon indus-
try strategy that has arisen in response to policy and assesses the likely success
of measures. It is clear from our analysis that the sector has a long way to go
to achieve the reduction in GHG emissions currently proposed in international
and national legislative frameworks. Finally, the chapter reflects on tourism
impacts at both a local and global level, and critiques the concept of sustain-
able tourism development. It seems that while adopted in a wide range of
documentation, sustainable tourism development is far harder to achieve. This
is especially the case when impacts are assessed globally as well as locally.
Chapter 3 explores what drives tourism and travel. It examines theoreti-
cal perspectives from the social sciences that offer explanations for tourist
demand. This begins with a discussion of tourism travel choice as a rational
decision process and follows with an examination of the theory applied to the
study of pro-environmental behaviour in order to offer an explanation for
slow travel. However, while providing many insights into travel behaviour,
much of this theory has been questioned by more recent perspectives to emerge
from a variety of social science disciplines. In particular there is an exploration
of the critiques provided by social representations theory and discourse
analysis. The chapter discusses what these approaches might have to offer the
study of slow travel.
More recently, two theoretical perspectives of significance to tourism have
emerged from sociology: social practice theory and the new mobilities para-
digm. Social practice theory provides a further critique of pro-environmental
behaviour theory. It specifically questions the focus on individual agency,
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