Sustainability expert: “Few people pay attention to the climate on holiday”

Climate change has arrived in people’s minds. But almost no one wants to do without a vacation flight or a cruise. A CO2 tax could change that, says tourism expert Wolfgang Günther.

DW: Europe has the second record-breaking summer in a row behind it. Will we soon spend all of our vacations in the cooler forests of Scandinavia while the beaches in southern Europe are orphaned?

Wolfgang Günther: No, because for now there are no precise predictions about what the next summer will bring. People know from experience that the weather in the north can sometimes be inconsistent and rainy and that in the Mediterranean area you will most likely have stable warm bathing weather. However, many other factors also play a role in travel decisions. Starting with stories from friends and acquaintances to articles in the newspapers to personal travel experiences and expectations. The Weather is so just one of many decision-making factors. This is important to know so as not to overestimate this factor. A holiday destination is booked not because of the expected weather in the next summer or winter, but based on what the holidaymakers have of the destination in their heads.

But are there holiday destinations that are essentially threatened by climate change?

That is actually a question of how far into the future you want to look. So far we have of course been able to determine climate changes, but travel behavior has only changed marginally, if at all. We do not expect much different for the next 20 years either. There are of course exceptions, especially when you look at the local level and individual branches of tourism. We assume that extreme weather events will increase. They already hit some tourist infrastructures sensitively. Just think of a national park that primarily offers hiking tours as a tourist product. Heavy rain is now coming and washing away the hiking trails. The parks and tourist providers there then have lost sales, have to spend a lot of money on repairs and the customer is annoyed. This is already happening today and we assume that it will be more in the future.

And what about the coasts?

We expect sea levels to rise by about a meter by the end of the century – and these are conservative estimates. That means the beaches will change. Tourist infrastructure must then be better secured or tourism regions must consider whether they can and want to maintain their infrastructure at all in the event of such a rise in sea level.

You have just come back from vacation yourself. Did you pay attention to the climate compatibility of your trip during the preparation?

Yes, I try to be consistent. We did a hut hiking tour in Norway. Last year we were in Sweden and were able to book a good train connection. Unfortunately that didn’t work out this year, we had to drive. But we loaded the car with five people and packed Grandma with us [lacht]. For us as a family, flying is out of the question, and we only take the car if there is no other way.

You are sure to be a role model for many people. A majority of Germans take climate change very seriously. Nevertheless, most of them are not ready to limit themselves when it comes to their own vacation trip.

Well, I don’t know if I’m a role model. But we have actually investigated the phenomenon you are referring to. Around 60 percent of Germans say they want to travel sustainably – but most of the time they don’t. However, this is not necessarily because sustainability is unimportant to them, but rather, as mentioned at the beginning, because many factors are decisive for the travel decision. The topic of sustainability is one of many. But you don’t go on a trip to protect the environment or to improve working conditions for people in the tourism industry. The intention is rather to discover new things, to relax, to have great experiences. And for many, the trip should also be sustainable. But in the sum, the vacationer weighs up. For most of them, the trips are just not that sustainable.

You talk a lot about “sustainable travel”. What does that actually mean in concrete terms?

The question about this standard can be answered in different ways. It depends on what is individually important for someone. At the moment, the CO2 balance is rightly in the foreground, and the lion’s share is accounted for by the arrival and departure. Then, of course, mobility, activity and on-site accommodation also play a role, albeit a relatively small one compared to the arrival and departure. Do I drive around or do I go hiking? Do I sleep in a five-star hotel or in a small hut? Do I go to the amusement park or to nature? These are all things that play into the ecological footprint. As far as social compatibility is concerned, it starts with the booking. Do I book through a chain or do I want to promote local providers? Do I then buy regional organic products on site or do I care? But the Sustainable travel does not exist as a registered trademark with a fixed content, but it always depends on which aspects of sustainability are in the foreground for providers or travelers.

And what would have to happen now so that we all travel more sustainably?

If we calculate sustainability using the CO2 balance, then we are in the discussions that we are already having. We would have to levy a CO2 tax, make CO2 emissions more expensive. This would make energy-intensive travel more expensive and therefore also less attractive. There is also room for improvement when it comes to the offer and findability of sustainable travel. One could promote these offers and create incentives for climate-friendly modernization. At the same time, consumers have to be clear about which criteria their trip should meet and invest more time in research in order to find more sustainable travel options. And on site, they should then speak to the companies about the aspect of sustainability so that they notice that the topic is important to the customer.

Wolfgang Günther is a biologist. He is the head of the “Sustainability in Tourism” department and authorized signatory of the Institute for Tourism and Swimming Pool Research in Northern Europe (NIT) in Kiel.

The interview was conducted by Felix Schlagwein.

Author: Felix Schlagwein

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