Holidays are a time to relax and set aside worldly cares... but when your destination is at risk of wildfires, flooding or heatwaves, the warming climate may bring those cares back to the fore. During the northern hemisphere's summer, Greece, Italy, Algeria and Tunisia combined lost more than 1,350 square kilometers to blazes that affected 120,000 people in late July. And here in Australia, we are no strangers to the dangers of a warming climate.
“It was a very hard situation. It’s very hard – we lost lots of money. Our business is down for two years, but we manage and we are just so grateful. As I’m speaking my heart is aching. Thank God, you can come this morning, ship come back again. So we can resume our business to get money for the food, school fees.”
But at the same time as acknowledging the importance of tourism to many Pacific nations - it is many of those same Pacific Nations that are bearing the brunt of climate change, with rising sea levels threatening the very existence of some countries. The cruise industry may be looking to make changes, but are sustainable choices a consideration when people put their everyday life behind to go on holiday?
Lucia Principe, a tourist from Tuscany in Italy, arriving at Rome's train station says vacations are a chance to relax and although she makes environmental choices at home, comfort comes first when travelling.