Checking In with Professor James Higham

The H5N1 bird flu has arrived in New Zealand. It is a flu that has killed millions of birds and mammals around the world. Now it poses a threat to species conservation and primary industries in New Zealand, and an enormous biosecurity challenge for sustainable tourism.

Two weeks ago an important paper was published in the Journal of Travel Research. The paper offers a dialogue between climate science, policy and justice in tourism. In doing so it reveals why science alone is not enough to address the complexity of climate change in tourism.

A recently published paper speaks directly to something this podcast has been circling for a while - the relationship between access to nature, the health of people, and the future of conservation lands.

What does sustainable hospitality, ethical tourism and responsible travel look like in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It turns out to be very different but also quite instructive for a country like New Zealand.

Last month the New Zealand’s government announced it was introducing legislation to parliament to strip New Zealand citizens of the right to take legal action against major climate polluters. It turns out that this was the tip of an iceberg that has important implications for climate change action in tourism. 

Why do we have a conservation estate in Aotearoa? This is a very current and very political question. It makes for divided views on the current Conservation Amendment Bill and what it means for tourism and conservation in New Zealand. 

For most people, booking a holiday is about sunshine, relaxation, and getting away from it all. But now, around the world, millions of people are making travel decisions that are deeply political - and nowhere is that more evident than in the retreat from America.

Last month my Research Assistant Yi Bian and I launched a report on Regenerative Tourism to government and industry at the Tourism Policy School Research Forum in Queenstown. Today, we are making the report publicly available - supported by today’s podcast.