LETTER: Is Thomas Cook a proverbial canary for tourism industry?
Cutting jet travel makes sense as studies put airborne emissions from aircraft at 8% of the global total
With the latest scientific studies putting airborne emissions from aircraft at 8% of the global total, a reduction in jet travel would seem sensible. Obviously, the powerful and politically well-connected aircraft companies like Boeing and Airbus don’t agree. Nor do governments like ours, which have spent a fortune on new airports to encourage tourism. To many African economies tourism is seen as a silver bullet to compensate for low or nonexistent economic growth.
The word “tourism” originates from a rite of passage for males of affluent northern European families. They were sent on a “grand tour” of France, Italy and Greece to learn about real culture and civilisation. Thomas Cook, who initially found a way of making money out of railroading teetotallers to temperance meetings in the 1850s, made such tours of Europe more affordable and convenient through block bookings, discount coupons and even a special currency called travellers cheques...
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