Climate change governance in Australian tourism: collaboration for low-carbon tourism

Abstract

The Australian tourism industry is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change on natural areas and the destination choices of long-haul travellers concerned about carbon emissions. Human impacts on biodiversity, natural resources and the atmosphere are also increasing, along with research interest in environmental, climate, and sustainability governance. Governance involves the development of new relationships between the state (i.e. politicians, bureaucracy), civil society and corporate interests, where citizens and diverse interest groups actively engage with government and business on key policy and planning issues (Marsh, 2002). Governance structures and processes are expressed in policy networks based on ‘strategic development of partnerships and alliances between public and private spheres’ (Dredge & Jenkins, 2007, pp. 54-55). Beaumont and Dredge (2010) examined the structure and operation of three different local tourism governance networks for their effectiveness and impact on sustainable tourism management. Collaborative governance for planning and policy-making ‘refers to cooperation, support and mutual assistance between actors and agencies in the pursuit of common interests’ (Dredge & Jenkins, 2007, p. 461). For example, collaboration between tourism organisations and land trusts in the USA is based on mutual conservation goals and preservation of scenic natural areas (Chancellor, Norman, Farmer & Coe, 2010). This paper assesses the collaborative governance of climate change in Australian tourism, focusing on the carbon reduction initiatives promoted by government tourism agencies.