Travelling with Mr Frans Melissen, a Transversal Professor of Sustainability Transitions at Breda University of Applied Sciences

What is your definition of the sustainable development in tourism?

“Sustainable development in tourism aligns with its definition in other domains. The Brundtland Commission (1987) defines sustainable development as meeting the needs of the present without compromising those of future generations. It establishes a development pathway that ensures society, and the socio-economic system operates within planetary boundaries, prioritising well-being and social justice.”

Which role does transport to and from Europe and mobility within Europe play in sustainable tourism development?

“Transport plays a key role in sustainable development and sustainability transitions. Considering that transport is a large part of the tourism product, its role in tourism is particularly significant, often exceeding its impact in other sectors. The way one travels to a destination has huge implications when it comes to sustainability, especially when the transport mode that is used results in high levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. Thus transport, whether that is within Europe or to and from Europe, undoubtedly has a huge role to play in the context of sustainable tourism. However, it is only a part of the tourism carbon footprint. Once people reach their destination, what are the activities that they engage in? What are the food and drinks they consume? What are the products that they buy? Where do they sleep and how is that accommodation arranged? What's the energy use in this accommodation? So, while transport is an important component of this story, it is also not the only important issue.”

What is Europe’s role and responsibility in all of this?

“Europe as a continent has a special obligation when it comes to pursuing sustainable development and to speeding up sustainability transitions. As a continent, over the last few hundred years, Europe has benefited a lot from the technological and socio-economic system developments that have made our lives more pleasant and luxurious. But that also came at a cost: the planetary costs and social costs. By doing so, as a continent, we've already emitted more than our fair share and we also have benefitted more than our fair share if you take the perspective of social justice at a world scale. That is why it is only fair, a must, that we take the lead in trying to reduce those emissions and to make sure that we create a form of tourism that operates within planetary boundaries and does so in a way that accounts for the principles of social justice.

In other words, I think Europe has a special responsibility in creating a tourism system and within that, a transport system for tourism, that operates within planetary boundaries, but in a way that benefits everybody and not just Europeans themselves.”

Which solutions do you see to decouple tourism growth from its emission growth?

“That is the million-dollar question. I'm not going to claim that I know the solution, however I do see some elements that deserve attention. One thing is clear - we need to find different ways of transporting tourists. And different ways mean two things.

Transport should not cover the distances that it currently does. Long-haul tourism cannot remain as big a part of tourism as it is right now, if it continues relying on flying. Furthermore, for short haul tourism we need to facilitate transition to different transport modes: e.g. train travel, electric car travel, cycling or walking. We need to find ways to rearrange the tourism system in such a way that transport becomes part of the experience, which tourism is all about, and is not just seen as a way to get from here to there as fast as possible. Current tourism experiences are focused on the ultimate destination where we need to go to enjoy our holiday. We need to find a way to make the trip to the destination part of the actual holiday, part of the experience.

For the long term, I think that we may need to get away from the whole idea that it is logical to go on holidays, visiting far away destinations by plane, every year. That's just not sustainable in the long term. More importantly, we need more emphasis on rearranging the system instead of finding technological solutions for some of the problems within the current system.

We need a new perspective on what it means to be a tourist, what it means to go on holiday, what it means to travel, instead of trying to solve the problems associated with our current perspectives on what tourism is. We are probably not going to be able to decouple the negative consequences of those perspectives fast enough to make tourism operate within planetary boundaries within the timescale that is required.”

How can we encourage travellers to choose alternative, less polluting forms of transportation in tourism travel?

“To achieve it we need a rearrangement of the tourism system, which means rearrangement of the supply side of tourism. This is where my perspective on sustainability transitions comes in and not just for tourism, but for any other sector. What we have done far too much thus far is trying to influence the end consumer, whether that is the tourist or the buyer in any production system, or the guest in a hotel, or the employee in a working environment. We have focused way too much on shifting responsibility for changing the outcomes of the system to the end consumer instead of trying to rearrange the system, whereas the latter cannot but also involve rearranging the supply side of the system.

Again, like the responsibility of Europe with the rest of the world when it comes to solving sustainability problems, the same goes for solving sustainability problems within a specific system. I think most of the responsibility should lie with the supply side of the system: organisations that create the things that tourists can enjoy, can engage in, can buy, can choose for. I think it's the supply side’s responsibility to make sure that new and more sustainable alternatives become available in a way that makes it attractive for tourists to go for those alternatives.”

Who would we need to make it happen and which actions can they take to support sustainable tourism mobility agendas?

“The supply side bears a huge responsibility in making change happen, that is tourism operators, airline companies, airports, hotel operators, etc. The change should also come from the government. I think right now governments leave it too much to the industry, not just in tourism, but in any other sector as well. Industries figure out solutions for problems within the current system without the government taking its natural role to shape the whole system and redirect it through regulations, and for example, taxing. The actual price of tourism products, regardless of whether that is food and drinks in a hotel, or an airplane ticket to a destination or a railway ticket to a destination, should reflect the actual impact of that product. And currently that is not the case. Governments play a crucial role in fostering sustainable alternatives by reshaping the system to make their development more attractive. This involves ensuring that sustainable options become more affordable for consumers while providing the necessary supporting infrastructure.

Going a step further, if the current situation, where those two key parties are not yet taking up responsibility at the speed that they should be, change will probably also come from a third key actor in all of this, which is civil society. You can already see this happening daily: you see new legal actions being started by NGOs, by civil society organisations, by groups of citizens forcing government and industry to speed up the way they approach redirecting the system. In my opinion, that is, currently, probably the biggest force when it comes to speeding up change. And I think it will become only more influential in years to come.”

What is your vision on the future of tourism mobility?

“My vision on the future of tourism mobility comes down to the need for rearranging the tourism system. It needs to be a combination of several perspectives. We need a new perspective on what it means to go on holiday. Maybe traveling to a destination far away should become something less frequent. That needs to be available to everybody, however, only a few times throughout their lives, so that everybody gets the opportunity to explore other parts of the world, to be positively influenced by new cultures, by new surroundings; but not in the way we do it right now; only for the happy few and sometimes even multiple times per year.

Maybe holidays in the long term would resemble more what we now see as a sabbatical. And then the short breaks should not be that far away: e.g. if you live in Europe then short breaks are in Europe. This can bring tourism forwards, turning it into something that helps us to appreciate what we already have instead of constantly looking for something else. That change of perspective is what is needed in all sectors, when it comes to sustainable development.

Ultimately, solving the mobility problem within tourism in Europe comes down to a bigger change with reshaping the whole tourism system and the role that the various actors play in it.”