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.

Foreword Nikhil Seth, Director of the Division of Sustainable Development, UNDESA, New York Part 1: Understanding the Concept of Green Economy and the Role of Tourism 1. Introduction: Tourism in the Green Economy: Rio to Post-2015 Maharaj Vijay Reddy and Keith Wilkes 2. Defining the Green Economy and the Potential Role of Green Tourism Adrian C. Newton 3. Environmental Ethics and Challenges to Tourism's Place in the Green Economy Andrew Holden 4. The Role of Nature-based Tourism in the Green Economy: A Broader Perspective for Conservation and Sustainability in the Philippines Corazon Catibog-Sinha 5. Understanding the Philosophy and Performance of Tourism and Leisure in Protected Areas for transition to a Green Economy Agita Livina and Dzintra Atstaja 6. Ecotourism Regulation and the Move to a Green Economy Colin Crawford, Jared Sternberg and Robert C. Cudd 7. China's Tourism's March Forward: Towards a Green Transition or Unsustainable Tourism Michael O' Regan Part 2: Best Practices for the Greening of Tourism and Allied Industries 8. Green Jobs and Employment in Tourism Adele Ladkin and Edith Szivas 9. Sri Lanka and Tourism: The Need for a Green Economy Approach Jeremy Buultjens, Iraj Ratnayake and Athula Chammika Gnanapala 10. Responses and Green Tourism Initiatives from National Parks in Sabah, Malaysia Jennifer Kim Lian Chan 11. The Potential of Energy Tourism: A Multiple Case Study on Renewable Energy-based Tourist Attractions Lena-Marie Lun, Michael Volgger and Harald Pechlaner 12. Eco-Certification and Labelling Programs of Hotels in China: Policy Perspectives for Sustainable Tourism and a 'Greener' Economy Fu Jia and Ralph Wahnschafft 13. Working towards a Transition to Green Economy in Small Island Developing States: The Seychelles Rachel Welton 14. Destination Ukraine: Tourism Litmus of Transition to Green Economy Victoria Kiptenko and Pavlo Doan 15. Ecotourism as a Mechanism for Achieving a Green Economy in Developing Countries: Experiences from Ghana Patrick Brandful Cobbinah, Rik Thwaites and Rosemary Black 16. Local Food: Greening the Tourism Value Chain Susan L. Slocum 17. The Role of Green Events in a Green Economy Bill Merrilees, Dale Miller and Amelia Green Part 3: Research Implications and Emerging Issues 18. A Micro-Macro Assessment of Climate Change and Visitors to the Great Barrier Reef, Australia Tazim Jamal, Bruce Prideaux, Hana Sakata and Michelle Thompson 19. Investigating the Transition of the Tourism Industry towards a Green Economy in Samui Island, Thailand Gunjan Saxena, Nisarat Thaithong and Dimitrios Tsagdis 20. Greening the High-spend Visitor: Implications for Destination Marketing Emma Whittlesea, Victoria Hurth and Sheela Agarwal 21. Steps towards a Green Economy: Which Factors Contribute to the Social Inclusion and Economic Development of the Locals in the Brazilian Tourism Industry? Gilson Zehetmeyer Borda, Elimar Pinheiro do Nascimento, João Paulo Faria Tasso and Everson Cristiano de Abreu Meireles 22. Economic Greenwash: On the Absurdity of Tourism and Green Growth C. Michael Hall