Ecotourism may be a solution to the tourism industry’s climate threat

Tourism is considered to be a highly climate-sensitive economic sector similar to agriculture. This has encouraged industry players to look at new ways to respond effectively to these problems.

Tourism is one of the world’s most important and fastest growing industries, contributing to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions, but at the same time very dependent on nature which is threatened by climate change.

"We cannot continue how we use to, we need to adopt new measures for our businesses to meet the challenges we are facing," said Ms Edith Alusa-Bosire, chief executive of Ecotourism Kenya, speaking at the three-day conference ”Tourism Business in a Changing Climate” in Nairobi, Kenya.

According to AllAfrica.com, Alusa-Bosire noted in her speech that the sector has a lot to lose from pollution because it relies on the surrounding environment for its sustainability.

The destruction of the environment has already had a major impact on the sector. In Kenya, the destruction of the Mau forest water tower is posing a major threat to the Maasai Mara, one of the country's major attractions, AllAfrica.com reports. The country has been positioning itself as a major eco-tourism destination in a bid to attract tourists.

"We need to clearly identify the effects of climate change on tourism. Get insights into the current status and what the future opportunities are," said Adam Jillo, acting chair of Kenya Tourism Federation.

Among other things, the conference aimed to illustrate how tourism operators can manage their operations in an environmentally and socially sustainable way through the use of environmental management tools.