| Jonathan Tourtellot, the Director of the Centre for Sustainable Destinations at National Geographic expressed his hope of an international effort to improve the environmental impacts of tourism at World Travel Market’s Responsible Tourism Day on 8 November 2006.
“To say we should stop flying is as absurd – particularly when there is no alternative way of getting there,” he said, although there should be greater investment into alternative forms for short haul travel.
When asked whether taxes would help the environment, Mr. Tourtellot replied, “A reasonable tax with the money put to good use creates a level playing field that shouldn’t really affect tourism traffic.”
“If, for example, £1 a day is going to make you cancel a holiday, then you are probably not making much of an economic contribution. It is better to go for the kind of traveller who is going to take extra care of the environment.”
Harold Goodwin, Director of International Centre for Responsible Tourism said that everybody in the industry needs to play their part, “There is a tendency to put all the pressure on airlines. We need to be realistic about that. They are not the only cause in travel and tourism for global warming.”
“We need to look in particular at aviation but also beyond that agenda,” continued Mr. Goodwin. “If we stop flying to Africa, the damage will be severe to the economies and people of that region. The struggle is to find more sustainable forms of transport.”
More importantly, the speakers stressed that the money raised from any green taxes should be spent on green initiatives – and not on other areas.
“If the Government can show where green tax money goes and how it has benefited the environment with a positive impact, then we would support that,” said Kimberly Kay, Corporate Responsibility Manager for Thomson and Thomsonfly.
“A lot of people say they are prepared to pay but when it comes to it don’t want to put their money where their mouth is,” she added. |
