Times of Change- The Tourism 2023 Vision

On October 8, 2009, Forum for the Future, a non-profit sustainable development organization, introduced its project the “Tourism 2023 Vision” at the ABTA travel conference.  The purpose of this project is to help the UK outbound travel and tourism industry understand the challenges it faces in planning for a sustainable future.  This ‘what if’ report outlines what could happen to tourism in the future as a result of climate change, population growth and shortages of oil and other resources through the exploration of four possible scenarios that could impact the future state of the tourism market. Major UK based tour operators, airlines, cruise companies and travel agents participated in the exercise and signed the Tourism 2023 Vision, committing themselves, individually and as a group, to creating a sustainable industry by 2023.

 

In summary, these Tourism 2023 scenarios include “Boom & Bust” where new technologies make green traveling easier and where an aging population takes medical holidays for cheap operations elsewhere. “Divided Disquiet” where political instability will have made many world destinations unattractive to tourists, except for doomsday tourism where people will flock to see rapidly disappearing natural resources. “Price and Privilege” where the rising costs of fuel and energy will make long distance travel too expensive for most people. “Carbon Clampdown” where legislative measures such as personal carbon credits combined with increased awareness on the risks of climate change could result in a reduced demand for international travel.

 

This vision for action that resulted from the 18 month project is based on six principles: protecting the environment, developing employees, providing customers with mainstream sustainable products, ensuring that destinations benefit from tourism, innovating to create sustainable transport and resorts and developing a business which is environmentally, socially and financially sustainable. The group of signatories are expected to focus on measures for promoting low carbon destinations and travel options, reducing landfill waste, better returning economic benefits back to local communities, and improving resort water efficiency.

 

The project has been successful in drawing attention to some challenges the tourism industry will face in achieving sustainability.  It has also been successful in convincing businesses and organizations that their practices must change to ensure sustainability in the future of tourism.  Currently only targeting the UK tourism industry, these principles could be applied to the Canadian tourism industry to further the conversations on sustainable tourism and act as a catalyst for action.  

Comments

[Anna Pollock]

The scenarios provide an excellent filter or lens through which either destinations or businesses can view alternative futures. As mentioned in my own post on the subject (http://desticorp.typepad.com/desticorp/2009/10/uk-tour-operators-lead-in-thinking-about-the-future.html),

I believe it is the destination's responsibility to determine what kind of future it wishes to aim for; what kind of tourism matches its own sense of "who it is". The window in which we have the luxury of choice narrows daily - better to start now.