Is tourism with a low impact on climate possible?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of a range of different travel and tourism options, and quantifies the carbon‐dioxide emissions resulting from international vacations, breaking down emissions categories into those resulting from transport, accommodation and recreation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses summary data to review a range of possible vacation scenarios and examines their relative carbon‐dioxide emissions in order to compare the relative climatic impact of different forms of tourism and vacation options. Findings – The paper concludes that intercontinental flights and cruise ship travel are particularly carbon‐intensive, which suggests that these two forms of tourism will be particularly vulnerable to any policy initiative to curb or price carbon emissions. Ends by considering whether climatically responsible international tourism is possible, and outlines some low‐carbon options. Originality/value – The paper relates data on carbon emissions to the implications for tourism arising from climate change.