'Make haste slowly': environmental sustainability and willing workers on organic farms

Abstract

[Extract] The tourism industry is quickly recovering from the Global Financial Crisis. For example, from January to June 2010 worldwide international tourist arrivals grew by an impressive 7% (UNWTO, 2010). Growth is expected to continue, as from 2009 to 2020 international arrival figures are projected to nearly double to 1.6 billion travellers (UNWTO, 2010). Domestic tourism volumes are also expected to increase, with particularly rapid growth in countries such as China and India (Scott et al., 2008). The proportion of trips that are long-haul, as well as overall average trip distance, are also likely to increase significantly in the coming years (Scott et al., 2008). Furthermore, the proportion of travellers arriving at their destination by air has been steadily growing (53% in 2009) (UNWTO, 2010).

In the following chapter we argue that current and future (projected) patterns of tourism are environmentally unsustainable. One way in which this situation can be ameliorated is through a change in consumer behaviour. The suggestions outlined below are largely related to transport emissions and coincide with the tenets of slow tourism. Slow tourism, however, may be challenging in some contexts. Work exchange programmes, such as Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF), may help travellers to overcome some of the obstacles to slow tourism, which include accessing rural areas using shared surface transport (coach, trains) and engaging with locals beyond those who work in the tourism industry, as well as facilitate a more sustainable approach to tourism among those not explicitly interested in 'slowness'. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of research on both Willing Workers on Organic Farms and work exchange programmes in general. The research presented in the following chapter aims to help address this gap in knowledge and understanding, with a focus on the connections between slow tourism and the WWOOF programme.