Defining sustainable transport in rural tourism: experiences from the New Forest

Transport policy agendas have long sought to bring about more sustainable transport at tourism destinations. While there are examples of successes, it remains unclear what inroads have been made towards creating a sustainable transport future. Policy directions have evolved over a number of years and in many tourism destination contexts it is far from clear what a desirable transport future looks like. When translated to implementation, the aims of initiatives can be unclear and baseline measures inconsistent, making success difficult to judge. This paper analyses how sustainable travel has been implemented in practice at a destination level. The focus is rural tourism and data are derived from a specific case, the New Forest National Park, UK, where a wide range of transport initiatives have been implemented since the Park’s designation in 2005. The study adopts a social practice theory perspective. Data are derived from a visitor survey, interviews and observations. It finds there is scope to improve sustainable transport provision at destinations through understanding visitor practices, but limited scope to influence meanings associated with visitor travel and travel skills. Policy meets the needs of some visitors more than others

The Emirates at 2050: Balancing Development and Environmental Stewardship

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) faces the challenge of balancing rapid economic development with environmental preservation and conservation in the Anthropocene era. The nation’s unique ecosystems, characterized by arid desert, rugged mountains, and diverse marine habitats, are vulnerable to disturbances such as urbanization, habitat degradation, groundwater extraction and climate change. To chart a more sustainable course for the Emirates by 2050, the paper proposes policy recommendations such as adopting a national strategy for sustainable development, strengthening environmental policies, investing in urban planning and design, promoting sustainable water management, encouraging use of nature-based solutions, addressing climate change, fostering environmental education, supporting research in environmental sciences, encouraging national and regional cooperation, promoting sustainable business practices in the private sector, and monitoring the progress of environmental policies. By embracing a vision of development that respects the natural environment and safeguards its plant and animal life, the UAE can demonstrate its commitment and serve as a model for other nations to follow, becoming a shining example of responsible development by 2050

Can Tourism Promote Inclusive Growth? Supply Chains, Ownership and Employment in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Inclusive growth is contested yet adopted by the World Bank to reduce poverty and inequality through rapid economic growth. Research has tested inclusive growth in sectors including agriculture, but few studies apply it to tourism which is significant for many developing countries. The paper interrogates tourism-led inclusive growth: supply chain, economic linkages/leakage, ownership, employment and expenditure. It draws from fieldwork in Vietnam where tourism has rapidly developed with partial economic benefits for local communities, but does not appear to fall within the inclusive growth paradigm. It is unclear if tourism-led growth will become any more inclusive in the short-to-medium term

Hosting Friends and Relatives in the Yukon

This study includes qualitative interviews of 54 residents of Whitehorse, Yukon, about their experiences of hosting friends and relatives, with implications for destination marketing and community development

‘Do it Forever’: Discursive representations of older adults and sexualities in vacation marketing

In advertising, sex has been ascribed a major role, but mostly in a one-dimensional, uniform, and ageist manner framing sexuality as the privilege of younger people. This has traditionally strengthened stereotyping discourses of older adults as ‘asexual’. However, in recent years, counter narratives emphasizing sex as an integral part of active, healthy, and successful aging have gained momentum. Using the promotional video ‘Do it Forever’ as a relevant case, this article analyzes representations of older adults’ sexualities in vacation marketing and points to how advertising is not ‘innocent’, but discursively positions older adults’ sexualities within an antiaging culture which positions older adults as ‘sexy olders’ in sharp opposition to the discourse of ‘asexsual old age’, potentially leaving older adults with little room to construct (a)sexual identities in-between the two strong and oppositional discourses

‘Do it Forever’: Discursive representations of older adults and sexualities in vacation marketing

In advertising, sex has been ascribed a major role, but mostly in a one-dimensional, uniform, and ageist manner framing sexuality as the privilege of younger people. This has traditionally strengthened stereotyping discourses of older adults as ‘asexual’. However, in recent years, counter narratives emphasizing sex as an integral part of active, healthy, and successful aging have gained momentum. Using the promotional video ‘Do it Forever’ as a relevant case, this article analyzes representations of older adults’ sexualities in vacation marketing and points to how advertising is not ‘innocent’, but discursively positions older adults’ sexualities within an antiaging culture which positions older adults as ‘sexy olders’ in sharp opposition to the discourse of ‘asexsual old age’, potentially leaving older adults with little room to construct (a)sexual identities in-between the two strong and oppositional discourses

‘Do it Forever’

In advertising, sex has been ascribed a major role, but mostly in a one-dimensional, uniform, and ageist manner framing sexuality as the privilege of younger people. This has traditionally strengthened stereotyping discourses of older adults as ‘asexual’. However, in recent years, counter narratives emphasizing sex as an integral part of active, healthy, and successful aging have gained momentum. Using the promotional video ‘Do it Forever’ as a relevant case, this article analyzes representations of older adults’ sexualities in vacation marketing and points to how advertising is not ‘innocent’, but discursively positions older adults’ sexualities within an antiaging culture which positions older adults as ‘sexy olders’ in sharp opposition to the discourse of ‘asexsual old age’, potentially leaving older adults with little room to construct (a)sexual identities in-between the two strong and oppositional discourses

Supplemental Material, first_order_analysis_do_it_forever_(1)_Supplement - ‘Do it Forever’: Discursive representations of older adults and sexualities in vacation marketing

Supplemental Material, first_order_analysis_do_it_forever_(1)_Supplement for ‘Do it Forever’: Discursive representations of older adults and sexualities in vacation marketing by Bodil Stilling Blichfeldt and Karina M Smed in Journal of Vacation Marketin

Assessing sustainability and adaptive capacity in Arctic tourism

The shrinking Arctic sea ice is enabling an increase in Arctic cruise tourism opportunities Simultaneously Arctic tourism is increasing as a response of increased demand. Tourism is also a driver of change in the Arctic coupled socio-ecological system, inflicting changes on communities and local environments. This paper presents a framework for assessing local sustainability and resilience of tourism in fjord systems in Svalbard and Greenland. By co-production of salient impact categories of environmental and climate change in collaborations with marine biologists, oceanographers, social scientists and industry stakeholders, projections for these changes will be developed and subsequently used for co-development of sustainability indicators for tourism. The environmental change projections will also be used as input to participatory scenario workshops, which again enables social learning across different stakeholder groups, promoting community-owned solutions, and facilitating the sharing of experiences in a creative and collaborative way. Finally, we will co-develop adaptive co-management strategies for a sustainable and resilient tourism system in the Arctic