Conclusion: Tourism and Development - Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues - page 462

barriers. The first of these barriers, covered in Chapter 10, relates to the
structure of the global tourism industry, which is discussed in the context
of the political economy of tourism. It is argued that capitalist restructuring
and economic globalisation has led to a change in power relations that chal-
lenges the validity of state-centric approaches to the political economy of
tourism, characterised by the neo-colonial dependency model. The reason
behind these changes relates to the increasing dominance of transnational
tourism corporations and the growing structural power of global and
regional market forces. In the context of the political economy of tourism,
it is important to not only understand if incomes are rising due to tourism
but also to know whether or not the move to global tourism is increasing or
decreasing the access to power and resources. Central to the political econ-
omy is the question 'who has the power in tourism development ? ' How
does the study of the political economy of tourism help to understand the
process of development in the tourism industry ? Will those who have the
power in the tourism industry be willing to share this power with local
communities in destinations and will the sharing of power represent a
meaningful partnership ?
Chapter 11 argues that climate change may be one of the most critical
issues related to the tourism development process. Climatic shifts and higher-
magnitude weather events are going to have major impacts on tourism.
A report by the IPCC released on 30 March 2014 clearly indicates that climate
change is a threat to security, food and humankind and that climate change
linked with economic shocks could lead to war and drive people from their
homes (Goldenberg, 2014; see also Dyer, 2008, on Climate Wars ). This chapter
presents some of the major risks that climate policy and climate change pose
to tourism and for the prospects of using tourism as an agent for development
in developing countries. Many developing countries and, in particular, island-
based countries rely on tourists arriving by airplane and so while these tour-
ists may generate economic benefits, their arrival by airplane is simultaneously
contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, thereby threatening the destination
they are visiting. Similarly, cruise ship tourism continues to grow and some
Caribbean island destinations already have per capita emissions that exceed
the world average. The rising profile of the IPCC is acknowledged in the shift
towards the most recent development paradigm, which is global develop-
ment, as indicated in Chapter 2. How will climate change impact destinations
and travel patterns ? Just as international travel has crossed the one billion
arrival threshold, are travellers prepared to restrict their travel ? Are tourists
prepared to pay higher ticket prices that incorporate a required carbon offset ?
What steps are governments and the industry prepared to take to regulate
greenhouse gas emissions ? Will advertisements for staycation holidays con-
vince people to travel closer to home ? If we travel now will we pay later ?
Chapter 12 argues that tourism is a form of consumption which militates
against the development process. Tourists are an integral part of the tourism