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Carbon intensity of tourism in Austria : Estimates and policy implications

Neger, Christoph ; Prettenthaler, Franz ; Gössling, Stefan LU and Damm, Andrea (2021) In Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism 33.
Abstract

In relation to international obligations, under the Paris Climate Agreement and as a member state of the EU, Austria is expected to drastically cut carbon emissions over the coming years. In order to achieve this goal, measures to reduce emissions have to be taken in all sectors of the national economy. In this context it is interesting to note that to date it is widely unknown how much emissions are caused by the Austrian tourism sector, despite its great importance in the country's economy, making up for 6.4% of the gross domestic product. The main reason for this situation is that most products and services consumed by tourists are not exclusive to tourism alone. Transport emissions, for instance, are caused by tourists, but also by... (More)

In relation to international obligations, under the Paris Climate Agreement and as a member state of the EU, Austria is expected to drastically cut carbon emissions over the coming years. In order to achieve this goal, measures to reduce emissions have to be taken in all sectors of the national economy. In this context it is interesting to note that to date it is widely unknown how much emissions are caused by the Austrian tourism sector, despite its great importance in the country's economy, making up for 6.4% of the gross domestic product. The main reason for this situation is that most products and services consumed by tourists are not exclusive to tourism alone. Transport emissions, for instance, are caused by tourists, but also by commuters, transport of goods, and other reasons. The present paper explores how the complete emissions of tourism in Austria might be calculated for a given year, or even integrated into a regular monitoring scheme. In addition, first estimates are made, based on currently available data, following a destination-based accounting which takes into consideration not only emissions caused within Austria but also those generated abroad by travel of international tourists visiting the country. The results demonstrate the crucial importance of tourism as a contributor to the nation-wide carbon emissions, especially tourist transport by car and aircraft. In line with these findings, the paper indicates what measures should be taken to reduce the carbon footprint of the Austrian tourism sector.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Air travel, Climate change mitigation, CO2 emissions, Tourism, Transport sector
in
Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
volume
33
article number
100331
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85092270648
ISSN
2213-0780
DOI
10.1016/j.jort.2020.100331
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0920e801-465e-4daf-87d0-c884f732d4d3
date added to LUP
2020-10-23 15:08:32
date last changed
2023-05-02 11:21:20
@article{0920e801-465e-4daf-87d0-c884f732d4d3,
  abstract     = {{<p>In relation to international obligations, under the Paris Climate Agreement and as a member state of the EU, Austria is expected to drastically cut carbon emissions over the coming years. In order to achieve this goal, measures to reduce emissions have to be taken in all sectors of the national economy. In this context it is interesting to note that to date it is widely unknown how much emissions are caused by the Austrian tourism sector, despite its great importance in the country's economy, making up for 6.4% of the gross domestic product. The main reason for this situation is that most products and services consumed by tourists are not exclusive to tourism alone. Transport emissions, for instance, are caused by tourists, but also by commuters, transport of goods, and other reasons. The present paper explores how the complete emissions of tourism in Austria might be calculated for a given year, or even integrated into a regular monitoring scheme. In addition, first estimates are made, based on currently available data, following a destination-based accounting which takes into consideration not only emissions caused within Austria but also those generated abroad by travel of international tourists visiting the country. The results demonstrate the crucial importance of tourism as a contributor to the nation-wide carbon emissions, especially tourist transport by car and aircraft. In line with these findings, the paper indicates what measures should be taken to reduce the carbon footprint of the Austrian tourism sector.</p>}},
  author       = {{Neger, Christoph and Prettenthaler, Franz and Gössling, Stefan and Damm, Andrea}},
  issn         = {{2213-0780}},
  keywords     = {{Air travel; Climate change mitigation; CO2 emissions; Tourism; Transport sector}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism}},
  title        = {{Carbon intensity of tourism in Austria : Estimates and policy implications}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2020.100331}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jort.2020.100331}},
  volume       = {{33}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}