Mekong River, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
DESPITE such buzzwords as sustainable travel and ecotourism being bandied about at this year’s Mekong Tourism Forum, the travel sector is urged to pay even more attention to climate change and seek greater collaboration between the public and private sectors to avoid climate catastrophe.
“Climate change is existential – if we don’t deal with it, we will not exist,” warned Geoffrey Lipman, director of Greenearth.travel. “We should be careful in believing our own propaganda. Green marketing and ecotourism projects don’t scratch the surface of what sustainable income means in the future.”
Increasing urbanisation, mass tourism and air traffic will inevitably have knock-on effects on the environment, with the aviation industry set to become a serious emissions problem in the future. “The sector needs to find an alternative to (petroleum-based fuels),” said Lipman.
Failure to address climate change will increase the probability of droughts, diseases, water shortages, flooding, saline intrusions, etc, Lipman cautioned. “We are already witnessing these within the Mekong region,” he added.
Cambodia had experienced severe droughts across the country, observed Jo Crisp, general manager of DMC Peak Cambodia. “It is our responsibility to ensure that we have a sustainable industry for the future,” she said.
Sotea Sith, manager of Mekong Travel, said: “We have to take responsibilty but the lead has to come from governments with policies put in place and enforced to address climate change.”
