They say that when you get older, time seems to move faster. In 2024 I have felt as if time has been hurtling forward almost with impatience although I don’t know where it is hoping to get to.
But yes, it seems impossible that we are now headed to the first quarter of the twenty-first century already. What a year 2024 has been! Firstly, it has felt like a very damp one because I don’t believe there was a single day when it has not rained. If there are still people who don’t believe in climate change, I’d like to know how they explain all the torrents, the almost hurricane-like winds and the terrible floods that have not only swept through our East Coast but also places like Spain, with many fatalities.
If it’s not rain, then it’s heat and fire, with temperatures rising to unbearable degrees. Climate remains an urgent issue for our planet but as we saw in the recent climate conference, COP29, nobody really is willing to put their money where their mouth is.
How does this affect travel? For one thing, travel and tourism is a major contributor to climate change and is also affected by it. According to the World Economic Forum, travellers and tourists are planning their trips based on climate. Few people want to go to certain countries during the summer or in the winter because the extreme weather conditions may make their holiday very unpleasant.
These decisions can affect the economies of popular tourist destinations. At the same time, air travel itself contributes some 2% of the global energy-related carbon emissions and 49% of the carbon footprint of global tourism. According to the UN Tourism/International Transport Forum report released in December 2016, “by 2030, transport-related carbon emissions from tourism will grow 25% from 2016 levels.”
How then do we mitigate this? For some people, it will mean less travel for leisure. It may mean deciding to have only one or two big trips in a year or every two years so as not to fly too much. For others, it means opting for different modes of travel, for example, by train, rather than by air where possible, although this also comes with climate change effects.
At the same time, we must remember that many communities around the world, especially in less developed countries, do depend on tourism. We eat at their restaurants, stay in their hotels and homes and buy their local handicrafts.
While local communities in the developed world are protesting over-tourism as happened in Barcelona recently, communities in the Global South are relying on foreign tourists for their income. So perhaps a re-direction in our travel destinations is needed, where our impact can be positive, rather than negative.
Travel has also been circumvented by situations of conflict in many parts of the world, especially the genocide in Gaza and the bombing of Lebanon that has caused the shutdown of Beirut airport. Visas to certain countries, for example Australia and the US, have become more difficult to get.
Even Malaysians cannot take for granted that our passport allows us long visa-free travel periods. It’s always best to check how many days we are allowed to visit any country without a visa, or be faced with a fine, deportation or worse, a total ban on ever visiting again.
It has also been a busy year at Zafigo. Although our primary focus has always been travel for women, successful trips also have the potential to contribute to personal development and wellbeing. Apart from the articles you can find on our website, we have also curated several events that take a more wholistic approach to travel. We have had two food and travel events featuring Sarawak and Kerala, India.
And we have revived our premier event ZafigoX. Held in October, this year’s featured several outstanding and inspirational women including Datuk Nicol David, Asma Khan, Sakia Haque and Dr Mona Minkara among others. We were so pleased with the feedback from attendees that we are already thinking about next year’s! Watch this space for updates.
In 2025, we are looking forward to more face-to-face interactions with our readers and followers. I believe that Zafigo is at the forefront of providing knowledge and experiences that are truly inspirational for many women. So do look out for our offerings next year where we hope you will find something unique and interesting to pique your interest!
Meanwhile, all of us here at Zafigo wish you the brightest of hopes, the clearest of goals and the warmest of friendships in 2025!
Happy New Year!
