Luxury tourism in the global south: wealth or threat to nature?

Luxury tourism in the global south: wealth or threat to nature?

The VW Foundation has launched an important research project that is being funded with 1.5 million euros. Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Silke Jansen from the FAU and geographer Andrés Gerique, the project examines the impact of conservation philanthropy and luxury tourism in the Global South. It is entitled "Nature's Wealth or Nature for the Wealthy? Philanthropism and Ecotourism in the Global South" and aims to explore the complex connections between wealth, nature conservation and the living conditions of local communities.

As part of this project, interviews and surveys will be carried out in the affected countries, current public texts will be analyzed and tourism trade fairs will be taken part in. The research team receives support from other experts such as the sociologist Hugo Romero Toledo from the Universidad Autónoma de Chile and the economist Emmanuel Munishi from the College of Business Education in Tanzania. The project also works with the Charles Darwin Foundation on the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.

Challenges in ecotourism

Modern tourism, which has dominated in a globalized form for several decades, has differed significantly from previous types of travel. In 1998, international tourism revenue was $504 billion, leading the sector to overtake the automobile industry as the largest export industry. Every year there are approximately 700 million cross-border travelers and 2.3 billion tourists traveling within their own countries. Overall, the industry is estimated to generate $1.7 trillion in annual revenue.

Despite marketing efforts for “green” tourism, actual progress in environmental friendliness remains sparse. Long-distance travel increased by 73% between 1985 and 1996, and forecasts suggested that over 7% of the world's population would undertake long-distance travel by 2020. This has a massive impact on climate emissions, as air traffic alone accounts for 2% of global CO2 emissions, a share that could rise to 4% with additional pollutants.

Economic and ecological consequences

The economic consequences of tourism are not always positive. All-inclusive packages often exclude the local population from the profits, reducing the economic benefit for locals. Cruise tourism in particular maximizes the profits of international companies, with little benefit to the local economy. In addition, a large amount of waste is often generated and dumped into the ocean.

Additionally, forms of tourism such as golf and sex tourism can lead to land grabbing, environmental pollution and social exploitation. Ecotourism, originally intended as a sustainable alternative, is often viewed as just an additional business, although negative impacts on the environment and local cultures cannot be ruled out. Experts warn that the UN Year of Ecotourism could potentially lead to a further sell-off of areas and resources rather than bringing about the positive changes sought.

The cooperation between Bavarian and Latin American universities, supported by BAYLAT (Bavarian University Center for Latin America), aims to promote exchange in research and teaching and to place the results of the project in a larger context. This will be particularly important to achieve sustainability goals in the international tourism industry.