Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hall, 2009; Simpson et al, 2008). From an equity perspective it has been sug-
gested that travel should be apportioned more equally among the population
(Dubois and Ceron, 2006b; Holden, 2007).
Many in the western world see travel as a right that would not be readily
given up (Barr et al, 2010; Hares et al, 2010; Shaw and Thomas, 2006).
However, if the rest of the world was to engage in comparable levels of inter-
national travel, then increased contributions to climate change would be an
inevitable consequence. As it stands, the development paths of India and
China are likely to result in much increased demand for international travel.
This presents severe problems. It is difficult, in ethical terms, for developed
nations to impose significant limitations on the GHG emissions of developing
countries during climate change negotiations, while their own emissions
remain high in the travel sector. There is therefore a need for a very different
tourism development path, that is decoupled from high carbon-dependent
forms of transport. As it stands, sustainable tourism development appears ide-
alistic and, for some, fundamentally impractical (Sharpley, 2009). On the
other hand, we contend that a redefined sustainable tourism model that encap-
sulates slow travel could provide an appropriate development path for
tourism, as it offers an attractive alternative rather than tourism with con-
straints.
Note
1
There are eight United Nations' Millennium Development Goals to be achieved by
2015: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education;
promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve
maternal health; combat HIV/aids, malaria and other diseases; ensure environ-
mental sustainability; develop a global partnership for development.
