Description
We live in a precarious time. Global climate change is increasingly disturbing species and habitats of which the COVID-19 pandemic perhaps is a speaking and disturbing example. Awareness is growing that the usual order of things does not hold for the future. Everyday discourse directs attention towards global risks and crisis, such as climate change, pandemics and mass migration. At the same time hopes regarding economic growth and competitiveness hinge on technological innovations and smart solutions. - This raises questions about the competences and skills necessary for building decent conditions for life.The concept of the Anthropocene underlines that humans have become geo-social force, which eliminates the traditional divide between nature and culture as usually defined forcing us to recognize ourselves as humble inhabitants of the Earth. The Earth can no longer be framed as a passive resource for human exploitation. Rather it needs to be acknowledged as an agent in its own right that we live with, not on or above. This demands new political and organisational configurations.
In this context, tourism mobilities hold a somewhat contradictory position. They can be seen as iconic for ever more intensified and unsustainable consumption while at the same time proclaimed to be a driver for sustainable growth. Tourism is blamed for depletion of resources, environmental degradation, CO2 emissions, cultural commodification, and labour and social inequality. Furthermore, in the light of recent events the COVID 19 has highlighted their vulnerability. However, tourism mobilites are seen as a tool for replacing resource-depleting economies and re-establishing force for post-COVID future.
Is there a way out of the vicious circle of irresponsible production and consumption towards more sustainable futures for tourism?
Can tourism live up to its expectations and become something other than part of the problem and, if so, how?
What sort of tools and methods are needed to plan for and manage tourism sustainably in a changing world?
| Period | 21 Sept 2021 → 23 Sept 2021 |
|---|---|
| Event type | Conference |
| Conference number | 29 |
| Location | Akureyri, IcelandShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |