UNWTO Future Vision: Tourism Towards 2030

UNWTO launches its new long-term research programme UNWTO Future Vision: Tourism Towards 2030. The study will forecast international tourism growth through the year 2030 and identify key actual and future trends and their impact on tourism development. It will combine industry data with the views of UNWTO members, tourism practitioners, trends experts and academics around the world. This initiative will update the previous Tourism 2020 Vision, which has become the definitive global reference on the future of tourism.

Source: UNWTO press release; read full text here>>.

Antarctica: threatened by tourism?

Tourism in Antarctica has grown dramatically. In 1985, just a few thousand people visited the area but in the season 2007/2008 more than 40,000 did the same. Increasing tourism on Antarctica can result into a threat for the vulnerable South Pole area.

Antarctica is not a sovereign state and so legislation is difficult. With strict guidelines and codes of conduct, the umbrella organisation of Antarctic tour operators, IAATO, has been able to dispel many of the concerns. However, this self-regulation is no absolute guarantee for a healthy tourism industry on Antarctica.

Research from Maastricht University provides a possible solution: marketable visitor rights, as already used in the climate policy by means of trading in CO2 emission rights..

Source: Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. "Tourism on Antarctica Threatening South Pole Environment; Solution Offered." ScienceDaily.

Climate Change: Due to New Study Road Traffic Pollutes Worse Than Aviation

A new study carried out by Norwegian researchers at the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research (CICERO) of Oslo Univerity reveals that road traffic is the worst offender. It causes more greenhouse gas emissions than aviation, which is the second-largest pollutor. By contrast, shipping has a cooling effect.
Aviation is second in the research because the researchers opted for a historical approach. The historical contribution from aviation emissions to global warming is more than doubled by the contribution from road emissions. “Over the next 100 years, today’s road emissions will have a climate effect that is four times higher than the climate effect from today’s aviation emissions”, the researchers say.

Source: globalpolitican.com; find full article here.