Mindfulness and Sustainability: Utilizing the Tourism Context

Attila Lengyel

doi:10.5539/jsd.v8n9p35

Abstract

<p>After several decades of sustainability efforts humanity is still on track to worst-case climate scenario. Other planetary boundaries have also been transgressed. The symptoms point to a root cause termed by many as a crisis of perception and value system. Our consumption-oriented world view is unsustainable. What can catalyze a perceptual paradigm shift needed to avoid global socio-ecological collapse in the long-run? Besides its manifold beneficial effects tested clinically, mindfulness has been found to be positively correlated with sustainable behavior. The article gives a theoretical grounding of mindfulness highlighting some new aspects and argues that the tourism context serves as an exceptionally suitable medium for learning mindfulness techniques. Expanding on earlier openness to new experience and Google Trends research of the author it is demonstrated that tourists have a markedly raised level of openness to new experience and also that there is a strong demand side business case for developing more mindfulness-based tourism products both globally and specifically for Hungary. The study provides further evidence of the short fade-out period of positive vacation effects and shows what type of destinations and accommodations potential wellness and ecotourists consider best for learning mindfulness. </p>

Highlights

1.1 The Ineffectiveness of Sustainability Efforts and Possible ReasonsOn the 289 pages of Hungary’s most comprehensive development plan, the National Development 2030 (Mirror translation of the original: Nemzeti Fejlesztés 2030), the Hungarian counterparts of the words „sustainable”, „unsustainable”, „sustainability” or their agglutinated forms occur 247 times
The present study argues that mindfulness is a universal and effective instrument to catalyze such a paradigm shift both at the individual and collective level and the tourism context is uniquely suited for learning mindfulness skills
The survey question was: „When you travel for pleasure, do you become more open to new experience than you are in your everyday life?” The endpoints and the middle point of the scale were: 1 - No, not at al; 3 - Yes, a bit; 5 - Yes, a lot

Summary

Introduction

1.1 The Ineffectiveness of Sustainability Efforts and Possible ReasonsOn the 289 pages of Hungary’s most comprehensive development plan, the National Development 2030 (Mirror translation of the original: Nemzeti Fejlesztés 2030), the Hungarian counterparts of the words „sustainable”, „unsustainable”, „sustainability” or their agglutinated forms occur 247 times. In spite of the seemingly growing awareness of sustainability challenges humanity is still on track to worst case (RCP8.5) climate change scenario as highlighted by Global Carbon Budget 2014 report (Le Quéré et al, 2014). The „false alarm effect” originally portrayed in Aesop’s fable here means that people might think if the ecosystem is still functioning in spite of the alarming voices of the recent decades, the problem cannot be that big These two reasons seem to be supported by Google Trends data and findings from literature. While over 80 % of tourists are aware and acknowledge that tourism-related aviation contributes to global warming (Gössling, Haglund, Kallgren,Revahl, & Hultman, 2009), people in general believe that action can be postponed (Sterman & Sweeney, 2007) Another possible explanation of hesitation might be technological optimism. What will persuade people in rich countries to give up some of their luxury and comfort and members of developing countries not to want to pursue the „American dream”? What can catalyze a paradigm shift in our perception of the world and value system?

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Conclusion