The global consciousness path to sustainable tourism: a perspective paper

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. 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.