Checking In with Professor James Higham

In this second episode of Checking In, I reflect on Air New Zealand’s recent abandonment of its science-based targets. This has been an embarrassing and uncomfortable announcement for the country’s flagship carrier to make, after putting a lot of emphasis on the importance of climate leadership and action in recent years. So in this episode, I comment on the background to Air New Zealand’s previous commitments and consider how the airline might navigate its climate impacts into the future.

In this first episode of Checking In, I reflect on recent examples of overtourism around the world. In particular, the news over the last few days that the mayor of Santorini has asked residents to "stay indoors" whilst the town is overwhelmed by visitors coming off multiple cruise ships to get their iconic Instagram sunset shots. But it's not just Santorini suffering from this phenomenon. I consider what this means for tourism destinations elsewhere in the world.