Welcome to Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Travel!

This book is designed to give readers an introduction to sustainability while looking at key concepts of sustainability, the relationships between tourism and sustainability, and the principles of sustainable tourism.

Recent Articles & Posts

  • Traveling to islands can take us to new worlds and allow us to experience completely different ways of life. Escaping to an island can be rejuvenating and inspiring. Yet small island states face great challenges as we enter the middle decades of the 21st century. In a recent annotated review [1], I highlighted a number of challenges, including habitat preservation, pollution issues, and, of course, climate change. Islands are facing some of the greatest climate crisis challenges – from more powerful hurricanes and cyclones to rising sea levels.......

  • Sustainability has been an important topic in tourism for decades. It is exciting to see the ways groups from around the globe are tackling the wicked problem of ensuring tourism is a force for good. In a chapter I contributed to the Routledge Handbook of Trends and Issues in Tourism Sustainability, Planning and Development, Management, and Technology (catchy title, isn’t it??), I tackled the question – What are the trends in Tourism Sustainability? Here’s what I see as some of the important trends (Chapter spoilers ahead). If you......

  • The summer of 2023 will be remembered for the devastating fires impacting communities around the world. The images of destruction from Maui, Canada, and the Greek Islands are each seared in our minds. Many of these fires took place in communities that welcome visitors, highlighting the intersection of natural disasters and tourism.   As we think about how these places will rebuild, I recall lessons from Australia’s Bushfire Season of 2019. The fires that Summer (Southern Hemisphere) ravaged much of the country, including Lamington National Park in Queensland.......

  • Ensuring that tourism is truly sustainable – improving the lives of travellers and people in the destination communities – is a team effort. All the tourism system members must contribute in their own way to achieve the best possible outcomes. Travellers must be part of the solution. As Jane Goodall says, “ You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”. Each......

  • Conventions come, conventions go, and except for the money the conference attendees spend, too often, these meetings have little impact on the community. But what if it was about more the money the conference and its attendees contribute to the economy? What if conventions were a catalyst for learning and skill development beyond the walls of the conference center? What if conventions positively changed the destination community and improved the quality of life? The Glasgow Convention Bureau (GCB) has a program designed to do just that. GCB encourages......

  • Citizen scientists play an important role in gathering scientific data for research projects around the world, from counting birdlife to monitoring winter storms. But could they help in the work of making destinations more sustainable? Working with Dr. Cristina Cavaliere, Julia Branstrator, and Dr. Kelly Bricker, we set out to examine the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Destination Criteria to see if there were indicators that citizen scientists might be able to observe and report on. Our question was: “could citizen scientists help monitor sustainable tourism?” The Answer: Yes.......

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