Tourism's Future - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 453

Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia) are considered to be potential candidates for future
membership.
Although the EU has had to provide financial assistance to Greece and Ireland, it is currently the
largest economic bloc and tourism region in the world.

A Decline in the Role of the Nation:
The Rise of the City-State

As already noted, the increasing importance of regional trading blocs, such as the new borderless
Europe, is now a reality. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has created another
similar bloc. In response to these two initiatives, the Asian nations are moving toward an equivalent
arrangement. Also, one can anticipate some similar form of free trade agreement in South America at
some point in the future.
Although it is too early yet to reach firm conclusions regarding the changes that free movement of
labor will bring to the social fabric of Europe, it does seem reasonable to anticipate that despite
emotional attachment to the concept of national sovereignty, the importance of each existing
individual nation-state will slowly decline. Indeed, one of the major goals of European integration is to
arrive at common standards, a common currency, and a more common political system based on
common values. At first glance, one might argue that the creation of the new Europe will result in a
new meganation. In strictly pragmatic terms, this may be the case. However, it remains to be seen
whether the emotional attachment to Europe as an entity comes anywhere close to the historical
attachment that residents of the European nation-states had for their individual countries. Despite the
famous depth of emotion underlying (or cry from the

heart) of every French citizen, now seems to be increasingly inappropriate. Certainly, the effective
elimination of borders will greatly facilitate travel flows. At the same time, it will, over time, greatly
reduce national distinctiveness and thus the appeal of a particular country as a unique travel
destination.
Although speculative at this point, evidence exists that as a reaction to the decline of national
identities, major metropolitan centers

'' Vive la France, '' this traditional '' Crie de Coeur ''

are rising in importance as competitive
tourism destinations. These city-states, it is argued, may become the focal point both for economic
development and for individual identity. Of direct relevance to tourism is the possibility that the new
city-states may also become the primary basis for tourism destination development, branding, and
promotion. Indeed, it can be argued that cities such as London, Rome, New York, Beijing, and a number
of others have already achieved such a status.

— or city-states —

Environmental Issues

As Chapter 17 examines in considerable depth, growing concern about carbon emissions and resulting
climate change now occupies center stage in tourism. This tourism reality is, however, a re ection of a
much broader societal realization that the world must get serious about the

health of our planet. The widespread rati cation of the Kyoto agreement represented a move toward
global acceptance and its ultimate implementation. Since the Kyoto agreement was never fully
implemented, recent talks (late 2010) in Cancun, Mexico, were the latest attempt to make progress
toward a new global deal on tackling climate change after the 2009 meeting in Copenhagen failed to
secure a new legally binding treaty on cutting emissions, instead delivering only a voluntary accord. The
Cancun Accord acknowledges the need to keep temperature increases to 2 C and brings nonbinding
emissions cut pledges made under the voluntary Copenhagen Accord (hammered out in the dying hours
of the 2009 conference in that city), into the UN process. It also includes an agreement to set up a green
climate fund as part of efforts to deliver US$100 billion a year by 2020 to poor countries to help them
copewith the impact of global warming and developwithout polluting. The need for implementation of a

' s population — all of it —