Travel as we know it could be extinct by the year 2040 due to climate change, a new report has warned.
Predictions for the future include holidaymakers “chasing the shade” and swapping traditional summer destinations like Greece and Mallorca for Belgium, Slovenia and Poland as temperatures continue to rise.
Produced by Intrepid, the world’s largest B-Corp-certified travel company, in partnership with foresight agency The Future Laboratory, the Sustainable Future for Travel report outlines what holidays could look like by 2040 if action isn’t taken now.
The report forecasts that, unless things change, low-lying destinations currently popular with tourists, such as the Maldives and Jakarta, will be nearly fully submerged by 2050. The rising mercury could also put an end to visits to see Santa Claus in Lapland, as snow becomes thinner on the ground, while ski seasons would continue to shorten.
“One of the problems with tourism at the moment is that it is the opposite of regenerative,” said Darrell Wade, co-founder and chairman of Intrepid Travel. “It’s extractive – and this cannot continue for much longer.”
The report envisages a world in which virtual holidays become mainstream and carbon passports restrict movement, unless the travel industry makes significant changes now.
The Future Laboratory’s Martin Raymond said: “A new era is dawning for the travel and tourism industry. Transient and transformative travel experiences will revolutionise the notion of leaving no trace. We will see hotels will be at the forefront of this extraordinary change.
“In the next decade we will see more now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t travel experiences popping-up across the world.”
Highlighting how travel could change for the better, the report outlines five key trends it predicts will shape the future of holidays:
Regulation on ‘tourism leakage’
“By 2040, governments will be required to implement regulations on travel businesses to ensure that the majority of money spent by tourists in a destination stays in the local economy,” reads the report. “This will pave the way for a more equitable and mutually beneficial relationship between travellers and the communities they visit, elevating the quality of life of the locals.”
Real-time carbon footprint tracking
The Sustainable Future for Travel analysis predicts that carbon…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Independent Travel…