Consuming Tourism : Future Implications and Possibilities

The purpose of the thesis at hand is to shed light on factors that will have impact on the future development of the tourism industry and the importance of preparing for them. The main issue is the future availability of oil and the subsequent behaviour of consumers. In order to answer the questions posed for the purpose of the thesis at hand a number of interviews were carried out with people working in the tourism industry as well as people working within administrative authorities focused on environmental issues. In order to deepen the understanding for the topic of the thesis at hand extensive literary reviews were made and out of that material a state of the art was composed. In addition to this a number of theories on consumption and consumerism were used. The empirical material showed that there were a number of factors that need to be dealt with in order for the tourism industry to be prepared for what might happen in the future. The future of the tourism industry is bright at least when considering the predictions of increasing arrival numbers and the revenue it will bring. On the other hand the tourism industry is facing many challenges in the future some of which cause more concern than others. For example tourism is greatly dependent on various forms of transportation in order to function. And transportation, especially aviation, is dependent on fuel to function. This means that when tourism increases so does transportation and with it oil consumption. Researchers are now predicting that the oil reserves are running out and that the risk of reaching a peak in oil production is drawing closer. At the moment the solutions to this problem are few and the fact that tourism is increasing steadily is not helping. The suggestion put forth in the thesis at hand is that consumption behaviours of tourists need to change in order to secure a sustainable future. Tourism is a form of consumption and consumption is a natural part of human life and a function that is continuous. The way we consume naturally has consequences on many different levels in society. However the negative consequences related to consumption of tourism are shaping what our future will look like. Thus it is time for change.