Tourism and Climate Change: Sustainable Solutions

Arjaan Pellis serves as Programme Director of BSc/MSc Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning and Lecturer in Cultural Geography at Wageningen University & Research, where he specializes in tourism conflicts and conservation practices. After completing his MA at the Erasmus School of Management and both his MSc and PhD at Wageningen University, he has developed significant expertise in analyzing social conflicts within tourism landscapes. His research portfolio spans multiple continents, examining conservation tourism practices across Africa and Europe, with particular focus on human-nature conflicts in places like Kenya, Namibia, Spain, and Portugal. His scholarly work investigates the complex dynamics of tourism conflicts, as evidenced in his publications on rewilding initiatives in Western Iberia, wolf conflicts in Redes Natural Park, and conservation challenges in Kenya's tourism landscapes. Through his teaching and research, he explores how conflicts shape tourism development and conservation practices, contributing to both academic understanding and practical applications in tourism governance. His recent work includes examining surf tourism dynamics in the Mentawai Islands and the persistent nature of conservation conflicts in various global contexts, demonstrating his commitment to understanding the complex relationships between tourism, conservation, and social conflict.

Edward H. Huijbens, born in 1976, serves as Professor and Chair of the Cultural Geography research group at Wageningen University & Research, where he has established himself as a prominent voice in tourism studies and environmental geography. After completing his BSc in Geography at the University of Iceland and both his MA and PhD in Cultural Geography at Durham University, he built an impressive academic career spanning multiple institutions. His professional journey includes directing the Icelandic Tourism Research Centre (2006-2015), where he developed comprehensive research initiatives during Iceland's tourism boom, and serving as a professor at the University of Akureyri (2015-2019). His research portfolio encompasses spatial theory, regional development, landscape perceptions, and polar tourism, with a particular focus on the intersection of tourism and climate change. He has authored numerous scholarly publications, including the influential books "Tourism and the Anthropocene" (2016) and "Developing Earthly Attachments in the Anthropocene" (2021). Beyond academia, he maintains an active role in Icelandic politics as vice chairman of the Left Green party and has contributed to global education through his involvement with the Semester at Sea program. His current work at Wageningen University includes leading the MOOC on Tourism and Climate Change, where he advocates for transformative approaches to sustainable tourism development

Dr. Bas Amelung serves as Assistant Professor in the Environmental Systems Analysis group at Wageningen University & Research, where he specializes in the complex relationships between global environmental change and tourism. His research focuses particularly on climate change impacts on tourism and tourism's environmental footprint. As coordinator of the SIMTWIST project, he leads research on tourism water consumption in Mediterranean regions experiencing water scarcity. His work has garnered significant attention with over 6,300 citations, establishing him as a prominent voice in tourism and climate change research. Through his role as instructor in the MOOC "Tourism and Climate Change," he helps students understand the mutual impacts between tourism and climate change, including topics such as emission trends, adaptation strategies, and future scenarios. His expertise spans environmental economics, tourism modeling, and climate change impact assessment, with particular emphasis on climate comfort and tourism flows. His current work examines how tourism can transition to more sustainable practices while addressing challenges of water scarcity and climate change adaptation. As a key researcher in the North Sea Region Climate Change Assessment and various tourism-related projects in Tanzania, he continues to advance understanding of how global environmental changes affect tourism patterns and how the sector can become more sustainable.

Dr. Machiel Lamers serves as Associate Professor at the Environmental Policy Group of Wageningen University & Research, where he specializes in sustainable tourism, environmental governance, and polar research. After completing his PhD from Maastricht University in 2009 on Antarctic tourism development, he has established himself as a prominent researcher with over 4,300 citations. His work spans multiple regions including the Arctic, Antarctic, Caribbean, and Indonesia, focusing on the governance of sustainable tourism and environmental change in coastal and marine destinations. As co-chair of the Societal and Economic Research Applications task team and steering group member of the Polar Coupled Analysis and Prediction for Services programme at the World Meteorological Organisation, he plays a crucial role in improving environmental prediction services for polar regions. His research combines theoretical approaches in environmental mobilities and practice theory with practical applications in tourism governance and conservation. Through his teaching of the MOOC "Tourism and Climate Change" and various research projects, he continues to advance understanding of sustainable tourism and environmental governance. His recent work emphasizes the importance of tailoring weather and environmental services to user needs in polar regions, while examining the complex relationships between tourism development, nature conservation, and climate adaptation. As a founding member of the International Polar Tourism Research Network and former chair for eight years, he has significantly influenced the field of polar tourism research while promoting transdisciplinary approaches to environmental governance.