Checking In with Professor James Higham

It is no coincidence that some of the most breathtaking and iconic attractions in Aotearoa are also the most geologically active. Tourism destinations such as Rotorua, Queenstown, Aoraki and Piopiotahi offer awe-inspiring visitor experiences, but also the risks of natural disaster. So how can we strengthen the connections between tourism operators and emergency managers so that when disaster strikes, communities and visitors alike are better supported? 

Last year in my first podcast I talked about the Mayor of Santorini asking residents to stay at home to make space for hordes of cruise passengers coming ashore. Now mass tourism is back in the news in Europe with the start of a new summer season. So what does this mean for New Zealand? Can we fulfil out potential to be global leader on sustainable tourism?

Aviation is the Achilles heel of sustainable tourism. It accounts for 52% of direct global tourism emissions. For decades the aviation industry has repeatedly failed to deliver its promise of sustainable aviation. Now it appears that a new model is emerging. Finally, an industry-led voice is calling for demand management.

Space tourism is back in the news following the all-female Blue Origin space mission on 15th April. That mission has raised lots of questions and a lot of criticism from the global public. Space might be the final frontier for humankind, but it may also be the ultimate frontier for unsustainable tourism.

While on holiday in Central Otago in January, my wife Linda and I climbed Ben Lomond, the peak overlooking Queenstown above the Skyline Gondola. The views from the saddle and the summit were spectacular. But what we saw on the track to the summit was concerning. That was the uncontrolled germination of windblown wilding pines that are rapidly transforming and destroying the natural and iconic Central Otago alpine landscape. But what can we do to slow and reverse this unfolding ecological disaster?

It is hard to reconcile climate change and climate denial when you are regularly exposed to new research findings from world-leading climate scientists. But climate change denial still exists, all the way from our social media feeds to the White House. Trying to convince firm deniers is futile. So I look elsewhere for inspiration on climate action, and I have found it in the concept of ‘stabilisation wedges’ - and in The Hague, of all places.

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. 

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?