Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
targets, and there is an urgent need to pursue energy efficiency in European
transport. These points are reinforced in a 2009 document (COM, 2009b,
p11), which highlights that 'in no other sector has the growth rate of green-
house gas (GHG) emissions been as high as in transport', and there is a need
for an inversion of current trends to meet targets. A new EU Transport White
Paper is expected in 2010.
In general there is little specific tourism policy that relates to GHG emis-
sions, although it is covered in wider policy on transport and development.
However, it is useful to refer to the UK in order to highlight inconsistencies
that occur at a national level between UK transport and tourism policy
(Robbins and Dickinson, 2007). In the UK, as in many other governmental
contexts (Peeters, 2007), transport and tourism policy structures are prepared
and delivered by different government departments. While this is not in itself
a problem, the respective departmental policies in the UK are to reduce car
traffic and to advance tourism growth, much of which is currently car depend-
ent. There is clearly a conflict in policy (Robbins and Dickinson, 2007).
Robbins and Dickinson suggest that there is a need to integrate tourism and
transport policies so as to facilitate tourism growth and modal shift from cars
to other forms of more sustainable transport. This would be appropriate in
terms of climatic change mitigation. Since the Climate Change Act, disparity
is also apparent between climate change and tourism policy and, perhaps more
so, with UK plans to expand airport capacity (Charles et al, 2007).
At an EU level there has been some indication of the direction that tourism
policy might take in a communication on sustainable tourism (COM, 2003).
A sustainable tourism advisory group was also launched in 2004 (the
European Commission Tourism Sustainability Group), which published a
report in 2007 highlighting the climate change impacts of tourism. This rec-
ommends actions to reduce emissions in the aviation sector and a modal shift
from air and car travel towards environmentally friendly forms of transport
for tourism (train, coach/bus, water, cycle, foot). While not enshrined in for-
mal policy, this does lay the foundation for the growth of slow travel in the
future.
Water-based transport
Another important sector for tourism is shipping. Many tourism trips depend
on ferries, and the cruise industry has shown exceptionally strong growth in
the past decade (Dowling, 2006). As with aviation, the fuel used for shipping
is exempt from taxation and currently is not covered by international regula-
tions such as the Kyoto Protocol or the EU ETS. While there are significant
difficulties in accounting for fuel use in this transport sector, there is growing
pressure to bring shipping into wider GHG emission accounting systems.
In summary, therefore, tourism has remained largely unaffected by climate
change policy and legislation. However, the sector, as represented at an inter-
national and governmental level, is increasingly aware of the magnitude of the
problem. Policy guidance is slowly being put into place to address the key
issues, but as yet there is a considerable gap between policy and delivery at a
regional and destination level.
