Contact usTourism accounts for about 5% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, so what are the implications for the future?
Can we imagine a time when there are major water shortages at golf courses making it impossible for green fairways, or no snow at your favourite ski resort, or the loss of living reefs at that favourite dive spot?
The United Nations recently held a conference, "Climate Change and Tourism", to discuss the impact of global warming on their livelihoods.
The final report concluded - "The tourism industry must adapt rapidly - every destination has a climate-related component"
This impact can already be seen around the world. One such example is the Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort in Canada where glaciers are receeding and good snow can only be found higher in the mountains. This has meant that the resort has had to use computer simulations to plan where ski lifts need to either be moved to or new ones designed to ensure that tourists can ski when they want.
We all understand that air travel is a major component to the carbon levels attributed to tourism. But lets not forget what impact to global sustainability would happen if we did not travel to certain areas dependant on tourism - places like the Maldives, Seychelles and Africa.
This is going to be a complex ongoing issue with no simple solutions - but let's not forget what we have today we leave for our children tomorrow - lets' all work together to make it a better place.