The Low Carbon Tourism Paradox: Evidence from Koh Mak

Low carbon tourism management appears to be a contradictory concept. After all, tourism involves travel for purposes of leisure and recreation and that travel, under current technological conditions, inevitably produces carbon emissions. This is quite in addition to the environmental consequences of actions taken in the tourism resort destination or destinations. However, there are actions that can be taken to mitigate negative environmental consequences and some which can even aspire to have a negative overall effect on carbon emissions. Many of these activities take place on the supply side of the tourism industry, such as local sourcing of food and beverage items, locally-produced goods and services and minimally invasive architecture and development. This paper explores the nature of low carbon tourism destination management and highlights the more practical and valuable applications in the context of the low carbon campaign being organized by the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Association (DASTA) in Thailand, with a particular focus on the case study island of Koh Mak. Various recommendations are made in the light of the analysis and the implications of preparing low carbon tourism destination activities on a small island are considered.