Checking In with Professor James Higham

Ep.20: Tourism and the war on science

We live in chaotic and turbulent times. I don’t know quite where to begin with the two weeks that have passed since my last podcast. So much has happened and so much has changed. Most of it has been driven from Washington DC and it has been wall-to-wall bad news. But the response has been decisive and reassuring. Consumer power is being exercised. The oligarchs are beyond our direct line of slight, but the Oligarchy is not beyond our reach. What is happening in these turbulent times has implications for tourism. Fortunately there are pockets of resistance which reassure us that the links between tourism and science remain intact. 

Ep.19: Back to Pre-COVID levels of tourism – but what happened to the post-COVID tourism re-set?

Last week marked five years since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in New Zealand. In the same week Statistics New Zealand reported that international tourism has returned to pre-COVID-19 levels. Those are two very important milestones to contemplate. It has taken five years but now that we are back to 2019 levels of tourism it is timely to consider where to from here? And specifically what ever happened to the post-COVID tourism re-set? 

Episode #18: Tourism Growth – how much is too much?

My return to work this year coincided with several tourism announcements from the New Zealand government. Its announcements amount to a slash and burn approach to economic growth, and blind focus on tourism growth without concerns for those who live with tourism. The current government’s plans for the visitor economy are void of any thinking or any evidence of commitment to sustainable tourism.  

Episode #17 Measuring global tourism emissions – a starting point for action

Last week on Wednesday our paper on global tourism emissions was finally published online. It was a long road to publication and the results reported in the paper are sobering. But most importantly the paper also provides rich and detailed insights that serve as a strong starting point for governments and industry organisations that are serious about reducing tourism carbon emissions.  

Ep.16: Wealth and tourism – should we be targeting only the richest tourists?

There is a longstanding debate in sustainable tourism, as to the tourist markets that are most worthy of our marketing efforts. Much of the debate centres on affluence which is assumed to link directly to economic impacts. But there is increasing evidence to suggest that in terms of a commitment to sustainable tourism development, the most affluent visitors may be best avoided. 

Ep.15: Hyper-Mobility or the End of the Road?

Can we travel without contributing to climate change? The answer is yes, we can, but to arrive at solutions we have to rethink the relationship between speed, distance and time. In doing so we will rediscover the journey itself.

Ep.14: COP29 – are we any closer to decarbonising tourism?

COP29 is over – so after eleven days of discussions and negotiations involving 65,000 delegates from around the world, all of which concluded on Friday last week, what was in it for tourism? And are we any closer to decarbonising tourism?

Ep.13: Sustainable tourism policy and management at a major crossroad

Sustainable tourism is at a crossroad. There is a well-established link between tourism growth and environmental impacts. But there are competing interests at stake and proponents of continual growth are playing hard ball.