Sustainable Insights Live: Is it possible to balance growth with sustainable tourism?
Published: 10 September 2024
Commentary
Dr Anna de Jong, Lesley Judge, and Professor Sandro Carnicelli to explore the challenges and solutions for achieving sustainable tourism throughout Scotland and the world.
Monday, 3 September saw the first event of the newly launched ‘Sustainability Insights Live’ series, held at Dumfries Campus. Dr Anna de Jong (Senior Lecturer in Tourism at University of Glasgow) was joined by Lesley Judge (Strategic Programmes Executive at Interface) and Professor Sandro Carnicelli (Professor of Tourism and Leisure Studies at University of the West of Scotland) who engaged with the topical question: is it possible to balance growth with sustainable tourism? Guests from industry, academia, and the community joined the conversation, enabling a timely and wide-ranging discussion on the challenges that come from attempting to enhance community cohesion and environmental protection through tourism growth.
In thinking through how tourism impacts might be managed sustainably, the panel highlighted the importance of engaging a diverse range of stakeholders in the planning and management of tourism, particularly those who have traditionally engaged less with public consultation processes. The role of education was also noted as crucial in the sustainability transition. Tensions were highlighted in regard to the Scottish Government’s decision to withdraw funding for the Scottish Funding Council Upskilling project, which limits the ability to develop the skills of the tourism workforce, whilst simultaneously continuing to position responsible tourism as a key driver of the economy. Discussions also highlighted the broader limitations of the sustainability framework and our continued reliance on visitor numbers as an indicator of success, alongside the need to engage with more radical frameworks such as degrowth.
This series has been developed by the School of Social & Environmental Sustainability and will see the School hosting events in Dumfries, Glasgow and beyond. Building on the success of the Sustainability Insights Podcast, the Sustainability Insights Live series facilitates conversations between academia and industry in front of a live audience. Focusing on the School’s specialist subject areas of Education, Environment, Sustainable Development, and Tourism, the panel series opens up discussion on some of the greatest challenges being faced across Scotland and around the world.
More information on the podcast and events series.
First published: 10 September 2024