Energy use associated with different travel choices

Abstract

Despite growing awareness of environmental issues related to tourism, the interface of tourism and energy use or climate change remains unexplored. However, tourism demands energy at various functions ranging from travel to catering, and the management of tourist attractions. Since a tourist's holiday is composed of a broad selection of travel choices the associated energy use differs substantially. This paper shows how different travel choices within the transport, accommodation, and attraction and activity sub-sectors demand different amounts of energy, and how this adds up to the total 'energy bill' of international and domestic tourists in New Zealand. While the total energy use of international tourists (7318 MJ/trip within New Zealand) is four times that of domestic tourists, the energy use per day does not differ between these two types. Transportation clearly dominates the bill, with a contribution of 65–73% for international and domestic tourists, respectively, and is at the centre of energy saving measures. By altering ones' travel style tourists can substantially influence their energy demand.