Tourism in the Green Economy

The concept of the green economy has now entered mainstream policy debates and been endorsed by a range of United Nations and other organizations. The Rio+20 UN conference specifically drew attention to the green economy approach in the context of sustainable development to move away from business-as-usual practices, act to end poverty, address environmental destruction and build a bridge to the sustainable future. It is increasingly recognized that the tourism sector can make a major contribution to the green economy through more sustainable practices, climate change mitigation and ecotourism. The role of tourism sector will continue to be crucial in the post-2015 sustainable development agenda too. However, there are ambiguities about how tourism and allied industries can maximize their contribution to human well-being and ensure environmentally sustainability, embracing issues of political economy, geography and business ethics.

In this context, this book provides consensus about what the green economy entails, what role tourism can play in a green economy, early responses from many countries, on-going and emerging research initiatives that will enable tourism’s transition to a green economy. The chapters address three key themes: understanding the Green Economy concept and the role of tourism; responses and initiatives in greening tourism; and emerging techniques and research implications. A wide range of case studies from around the world and in different contexts is included to demonstrate the extent of the challenge and range of opportunities for the tourism industry.

Maharaj Vijay Reddy is the Deputy Head of the Department for Marketing, Enterprise and Tourism within the Lord Ashcroft International Business School at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK. Previously, he worked as a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Principal Lecturer in the Faculty of Management at Bournemouth University. Before joining Bournemouth, Vijay was at the University of Kent as a post-doctoral Research Associate within the Kent Business School. Vijay gained his PhD from the University of Exeter. He has completed challenging projects commissioned by international and national agencies, for example, research exploring disaster impacts following the 2004 Asian and 2011 Japanese tsunamis. His consultancies for UNESCO resulted in the inscription of natural and cultural properties on the UNESCO List. Vijay has been invited by policy organizations including UN Secretariat, UNEP, UNWTO and the Intergovernmental Oceanic Commission to comment on sustainability issues.

Keith Wilkes is the Executive Dean of Bournemouth University’s Faculty of Management, one of the world’s leading centres for tourism research and education. Keith was a UK Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Subject Specialist Reviewer, and a long-standing member of the Association for Tourism in Higher Education (ATHE) Executive Committee. His research focuses on sustainable tourism development, visitor attractions, heritage management and tourism education. He has played a significant role in developing tourism education in the UK.