With summer just around the corner, I’m sure many of your clients
are busy finalizing their travel plans. This summer, in particular,
I’m predicting that we will see the beginning of a trend toward
“climate travel” to destinations such as the Canadian Rockies, the
subject of this issue’s cover story, “Peak Interest” (page 18).
Certainly, there is plenty to recommend a trip to Canada’s western
mountains, as you’ll read in the story, but one thing that wasn’t
mentioned may affect many of the world’s destinations for years to
come.
It seems that a growing number of travelers are choosing
destinations based on the perceived future effects of global
warming. My brother-in-law, for instance, just got back from
Patagonia. An avid backpacker, he wanted to hike in the shadow of
the region’s glaciers now “before it was too late.” Another
traveler I met recently was planning a trip to Greenland, because
“that place is melting so fast, it will be totally decimated in 10
years.” Maybe you’ve heard similar stories from clients about areas
such as the Alps, the Andes, the Himalayas, Africa and, of course,
Alaska. Lately, I have even been getting spam e-mails suggesting
now is the time to buy a timeshare in Alaska before the housing
boom due to climate change. (Nevermind what a population surge
there might do to the environment. Not exactly what Al Gore has in
mind, I think.)
I believe there’s little doubt that the current environmental
crisis will have significant long-term effects on the travel
industry and in ways people might not anticipate. However, I think
it makes the most sense to encourage travelers to enjoy these
natural wonders, not because they are doomed, but because they
deserve to be appreciated, period. Even better, concerned travelers
could seek out ways to assist in efforts to stop some of the
destruction we’re seeing.
It shouldn’t take the thought that we might destroy the world’s
natural treasures to motivate people to visit these places. They
deserve that respect all on their own. K.S.
