Long-haul destinations face carbon tax threat

BRISBANE – As Australia prepares to showcase its products at Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) this weekend, the industry has been warned that long-haul destinations will soon face new challenges from government policies to counter global warming.

Jerry Bridge, from the London-based Bridge and Wickers tour agency, told the TRENZ tourism conference in Rotorua, that he feared UK prime minister-in waiting, Gordon Brown, would further increase airport departure taxes amid environmental concerns.

“It will have an impact on people’s travel, especially if you are a family of four or five,” he said.

“I think that people are beginning to think twice about the frequency of when they travel Down Under.”

Bridge said concern about the environmental impact of long-haul travel, combined with the hip-pocket hit of departure taxes, would make Australasia less attractive for people in Britain.

Meanwhile, the Australian Tourism Export Council has reacted strongly to suggestions by the Australia Institute that an A$30 “greenhouse levy” be tacked onto air tickets in order to decrease demand for travel.

ATEC managing director, Matthew Hingerty, said the tourism industry rejected any suggestions, both in Australia and overseas, that decreasing air travel would have a marked impact on the fight against climate change.

“The reality is that air travel contributes to less than four percent of greenhouse emissions globally and as new technology continues to be developed and implemented, it is envisaged that these emissions will decrease, or at least not worsen as more people continue to travel.

“If anything, travel is one of the greatest supporters of environmental protection, particularly in countries such as Australia, which attracts millions of international visitors each year largely because of our natural environment.

“Tourism also has a real economic and social benefit, for example, providing a source of income for indigenous communities.

“Telling people to stay home will do little to battle climate change issues and will do a lot of economic damage, particularly for countries like Australia and New Zealand, whose multi-billion tourism export industries are almost completely reliant on air travel.

“The more people who are encouraged to experience the world’s natural wonders first hand, the more passionate ambassadors for environmental protection we will have.”

Hingerty said this was not to say that the Australian tourism industry could not do more to reduce its environmental “footprint”.

The industry needed to set itself a realistic target for being carbon neutral if not carbon positive, he said.

“Many of Australia’s tourism operators are already world leaders in environmental practices, but with increased investment in researching and developing new products and experiences, this number could grow considerably.

“The Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree Rainforest, Kakadu and Uluru are major drawcards for millions of international visitors each year and there is no denying that the tourism industry is extremely concerned about their future.

“Travel is one of the true forces for good in the world as, by encouraging people to experience new destinations and meet people from different nationalities, it increases tolerance and appreciation of other cultures and environments,” he said