Can space tourism be green?

Paul Miles

2nd April, 2009

As adventure tourism exhausts its possibilities, what next?… A look at why we travel, its environmental impact, and where our final destination might be

Imagine. You stand alone on the deck of a riverboat as the Amazon jungle awakes, no other humans in sight. Suddenly, two river dolphins appear. They arch through the sunlight’s reflection towards you, then jump and wiggle in the air, showing off pale bellies.

I have a confession to make. I am a travel writer and photographer. Communing with dolphins in the Amazon; spotting polar bears in the Arctic; snorkelling with humpbacks in Tonga; diving in Papua New Guinea; skydiving in New Zealand – these are just some of the experiences I have been privileged to enjoy as ‘work’. Nature and adventure tourism are two of the fastest growing sectors of the worldwide tourism industry. It seems we can’t get enough of the wonders of our planet, and if it comes with a burst of adrenaline, even better. We have visited every extremity of Earth, not as pioneering expeditioners, seeking to further world knowledge, but as tourists travelling, comfortably, for our own enjoyment.

Cruise ships with the capacity for 3,000 passengers visit Antarctica. There is bingo on board. An American woman I know, whose hobby is ‘collecting countries’, ‘walked around the world’ at the North Pole...

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