Enter 'last chance tourism'- a growing controversial trend of travellers rushing to endangered locations before it's too late. Whether it's snorkelling the waters of the Great Barrier Reef, taking a gondola ride through the Venice canals, or hiking the Swiss Alps, people are able to experience the natural wonders of the world from their bucket lists, encouraged by travel agents advertising 'discover destinations before they disappear!' The appeal is driven by urgency and alarm, unethically tapping into customer fears of missing out on spectacular destinations, and ultimately spirals into a huge paradox.
Travel is accountable for approximately 8% of the world's carbon emissions, with transport itself accounting for one quarter of global carbon dioxide emissions from energy. Travel's huge carbon footprint is an outstanding contributing factor to the destruction of these natural wonders, and with increasing flocks of tourists to their sites, the foot traffic and emissions are weighing additional pressure to the imperilled ecosystems and potentially driving them to an even earlier demise. Research on visitor data in Antarctica has found that an increased human presence in the past decade has led to snow melting faster.
The dilemma of last chance tourism lies in its potential for change; allowing tourists to witness the weight of the climate crisis first-hand can spark feelings of responsibility and perspective, as well as benefitting endangered destinations. Revenues built from tourism can go straight into conservation efforts, with income like entrance fees generating funds to maintain sites and support local communities. Allowing tourists to observe the stark reality of climate change can prompt personal change through adopting eco-friendly lifestyle change, with a 2022 study saying that 80% of visitors would 'try to learn more about the environment and try to protect it' after visiting Mer de Glace.
The paradox is a reminder of the evergrowing tug-of-war between human desire and environmental sustainability...
The solution isn't to simply stop visiting these places, but instead approaching visitation with mindfulness; I believe that the road to responsible last chance tourism is within careful management operations and examples set towards orienting sustainable mindsets. Whether it's restricting access to particularly sensitive areas, implementing stricter regulations on tour operators, or having particular locations only open for a small window annually to control visitors and wider traffic emissions, exploring restorative practices will aid in shifting the focus from 'get it before it's gone!' to engaging in restorative practices of conservation, both by the industry and travellers themselves.
The vicious cycle of last chance tourism is complex, and begs the question of where the line is drawn between the moral dilemma. The paradox is a reminder of the evergrowing tug-of-war between human desire and environmental sustainability- but more importantly, the epitome of the urgent need for systemic change within the travel industry, changes that prioritise preservation over profit and plays a role in protecting the natural world that uphold the industry.
Both individual roles and corporation roles in the deterioration of the climate crisis must be confronted. Only through collective responsibility can tourism evolve into a force food good, helping to protect the very places it seeks to showcase.
