Academic/General Training Module by Adam Smith First Published in 2015

 
Exercise 31: True, False, Not Given 
Read the following passage from a newspaper article about ‘green tourism’. 
 
A) Interested in making your holiday greener and more sustainable, ensuring that local 
people get a fair cut of the money you've handed over, and that no rivers are being 
dried up or forests felled to accommodate your trip? Congratulations – for being in a 
well-meaning minority. 
B) A recent survey by the travel trade body, Abta, found that just 20 per cent of travel 
agents have ever been asked for such holidays or asked questions about sustainability, 
though they did report a "feeling" that interest in sustainability was growing. Despite 
apocalyptic warnings about climate change, water scarcity, pollution, and peak oil, 
there isn't exactly a stampede to the travel industry's door demanding it play its part. 

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 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
94 
C) "The industry feels there isn't a huge demand out there," says Sue Hurdle, chief 
executive of the independent charity The Travel Foundation. "They don't have a lot of 
people banging on the door asking for greener holidays." 
D) Others are more specific, such as Professor Harold Goodwin, of the International 
Centre for 
Responsible Tourism (ICRT), an independent academic research centre. "There is a big 
shift in values and approach – it's not just travel, it's a general consumer trend," he 
says. "If you're worried about where your pork comes from at home, why wouldn't you 
worry about that when on holiday?" 
E) For those of us who are bothered, working out when the travel industry is doing its 
bit, and when it isn't, and separating good operators from charlatans peddling 
greenwash, is a bewildering and frustrating experience. England alone usually has 
around 20 certification schemes or logos on the go at any one time, split into two 
categories: awards, where hotels and operators are judged independently; and 
certification schemes, where they generally pay to be included. It also helps to know 
what the industry is aiming for. We're not talking about genuine eco-tourism – which 
remains a niche and narrow market – but on what the industry prefers to call 
"sustainable", or "responsible" tourism. 
F) "Many people make the mistake of thinking that when anyone describes a business 
or activity as being 'green' that they are environmentally friendly," says Jason Freezer, 
destinations manager for Visit England. "Being green, sustainable, or responsible is 
about ensuring economic viability, social inclusion and contributing to the natural 
environment. A sustainable business is doing its most to enhance its own success 
financially, while contributing to the local economy and minimising or negating the 
damage it might do to its environment or community." 
(from The Independent, 9th October 2011)