Potential for climate justice (CLIJ) tourism

Abstract

Climate change has become the most vicious phenomenon of the era. The tourism industry is an inseparable contributor to it despite its precautions such as those proposed by the Davos Declaration to reduce its Carbon Foot Print (CFP). The researcher has identified the recommended measures as a Direct Solution, which is defensive and entails a limited practicality and hence an incomplete effectiveness. The purpose of this research is to find a more practical and complementary solution for the Direct Solution. In achieving that, two objectives were conceptualised by the researcher: to develop a compensative new tourism model with a compatible strategy and to investigate the potentiality of any relevant actors at present to effectively and efficiently work out that model. Thus the researcher derived a model from the available literature to be called as Climate Justice (CliJ) Tourism bringing about an Indirect Solution fortified with a strategy of Climate Change Combating Initiatives (CCCIs). CCCIs were classified into three activity spectra of: eradication of roots of climate change, mitigation of its impacts upon nature and society as well as development of adaptation measures against the effects of climate change. Three types of actors were identified for a coordinated implementation of the CCCIs: Operating Actors or NGOs, Disseminating Actors or voluntourists and Sending Partners or international volunteer-sending organizations. Research design was with case study method, mix approach and content analysis, interview, as well as observation techniques. 15 cases were studied using the judgment sampling method from Sri Lanka and Pune of India together with 06 international volunteer-sending organisations during two and half months. The analysis of results has revealed that there is a potential to implement the model of CliJ Tourism in association with the subject organizations though there are a lot of hindrances.