Islands are the most vulnerable and fragile of tourism destinations and will experience even more pressure as the combined impacts of economic, social and environmental change accelerate in the future. In order to understand the process of island tourism development, response to change and challenges and their journey to sustainability, the 2011 CABI book “Island Tourism – Sustainable Perspectives” provides insights and instruction on topics including social, cultural, environmental and economic aspects of island tourism.

The symbiotic relationship between coastal tourism and amenable climates has become a paradox with climate change now threatening the very nature of tourism that it has so successfully encouraged in the past. The U.S. coastline along the Gulf of Mexico (i.e. Louisiana and Florida) represents a good example of this ongoing dynamic relationship. Similarly, many of the island archipelagos of South and South East Asia demonstrate vulnerabilities in this context.

By Alex Narracott

UK charity The Converging World (TCW) and ethical travel resource Much Better Adventures have partnered to deliver an alternative way to reduce the carbon footprint of travel, without resorting to carbon offsetting. The effectiveness of carbon offsetting is widely debated, but donating to TCW brings carbon savings and social benefits above and beyond the traditional offsetting schemes available.

The newest subsidiary of the WHL Group, Green Path Transfers (GPT) offers eco-friendly airport and intercity transfers and helps leisure and business travelers seeking cost-effective ways to reduce their carbon footprints. Through GPT’s straightforward online booking system, travelers and businesses can now hit the road confident that, for rates equal to those of other global providers, their transfers are in good hands and that they’ve made a beneficial earth-conscious choice.

By Alex Narracott

15 months ago Tim, Will and Lynn of the Atlantic Rising team set off on a voyage of discovery, to explore the Atlantic coastline and discover what will be lost if seas levels rise by one meter. Travelling, living and working in a Land Rover, they covered 32,000 miles and 21 countries, hopping on container ships for the Atlantic ocean crossings, and biking, sailing or walking in between. Travelling overland through West Africa, Latin America and the US, they had no end of adventures.

By Cynthia Ord

Climate and travel are inherently linked. Climate affects our decisions about where to travel, and lately we’ve learned that the emissions of our travel (and our human activity in general) are affecting the climate. Climate change will change travel, and new winners and losers will emerge. For the past five years, headlines have claimed that climate change is actually popularizing certain at-risk destinations.

What does it mean for a tour operator to be “carbon-neutral”? Can a company really be carbon-neutral, or even carbon-positive? Climate change is undoubtedly among the most important challenges facing our world today, and the tourism industry is a major contributor of carbon emissions. What can be done to address this challenge in a practical way? Here are just a few examples of TIES members who incorporate carbon management policies, carbon offset options, and climate-friendly practices into their tour operations, as well as their outreach and education efforts.

Everyone has heard of the Annapurna trail, Mount Everest and other Himalayan hotspots, which draw thousands of trekkers and mountaineers to Nepal every year. Now there is a new trail in development which is likely to go straight to the top of many adventurers’ To-Do list, and the people behind it hope it will, to spread the benefits of trekking tourism to little visited regions of the Himalayas.

Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism (CMAT), in partnership with Destination Management Organization (DMO) of Chitral, celebrated the International Day of Climate Change Action (October 10, 2010 – 10/10/10), which was initiated by 350.org, was celebrated in Booni, Chitral (Northern Pakistan), through the facilitation of and 350.org. The theme of the day was “Breaking of Booni Glacier, Its Relation to Climate Change.”

Estonia’s “summer capital” city of Pärnu welcomed the first European Ecotourism Conference yesterday with Mayor Toomas Kivimägi’s address highlighting the importance of tourism and its roles in promoting healthy lifestyles. As one of the major summer holiday destinations in Estonia and in the Baltic region, Pärnu is in a unique position to encourage active travelers to engage in nature-based experiences and to participate in health-conscious activities.