The global consciousness path to sustainable tourism: a perspective paper

Alan A. Lew

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: Tourism and travel experiences are a major contributor to expanding global awareness and consciousness, which is necessary to achieve sustainable development in an integrated and rapidly shrinking world. Design/methodology/approach: Consciousness is a major area of theoretical speculation and debate in neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, biology, quantum physics and spirituality disciplines. These fields offer insights into how tourism contributes to an evolving global consciousness. Findings: Global consciousness is needed to give a context and vision for addressing the pressing needs of the world today. It is a platform to integrate sustainability at the individual level, and it justifies the human desire to travel as a consciousness expanding experience. In this way, tourism can serve as a positive force for creating a truly sustainable future world. Practical implications: Global consciousness could be adopted as an 18th UN Sustainable Development Goal to give a holistic, spiritual and personal vision to sustainable development, which is currently lacking. Travel and tourism would be a major participant in achieving this goal. Originality/value: Global consciousness is a non-dualist visionary goal for humankind, and for travel and tourism, which could move both toward more sustainable outcomes than have the reductionist sustainable development practices of the past.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)69-75
Number of pages7
JournalTourism Review
Volume75
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 20 2020

Keywords

  • Consciousness
  • Deep sustainability
  • Global understanding
  • Holism
  • Non-duality
  • Panpsychism
  • Sustainable development
  • Sustainable tourism
  • UN SDGs

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management

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