tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/business-travelers-38757/articlesBusiness travelers – The Conversation2018-02-26T22:55:35Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/922462018-02-26T22:55:35Z2018-02-26T22:55:35ZEnsuring equity for LGBTQ Canadians on the road<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207922/original/file-20180226-140217-12rb969.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4896%2C2741&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Some LGBTQ Canadians who travel for work may purchase an extra laptop or cell phone to ensure no personal photos or contacts are on their devices. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bambi Corro/Unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Within the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics, there have been obvious advances for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) people and their allies. LGBTQ Olympians from several countries, including <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/feb/14/lgbt-athletes-history-winter-olympics-pyeongchang">Canadian gold medal-winner Eric Radford</a>, competed openly. <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-february-9-2018-1.4527912/gay-at-the-games-how-canada-is-hosting-pride-house-a-safe-space-for-lgbt-athletes-at-the-olympics-1.4528002">Canada House served as Pride House</a>, a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQ athletes. Out U.S. gay athletes were blunt about their view that Mike Pence was an inappropriate representative for their country at the games. </p>
<p>But only four years prior, the Sochi Olympics of 2014 were preceded by the introduction of a <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/06/23/russia-reject-discriminatory-bill">new law in Russia</a>, the host country, that stepped up discrimination against gay people. </p>
<p>LGBTQ athletes and their allies were confronted with a problem. On the one hand, the games are governed <a href="https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Olympic%20Charter/Olympic_Charter_through_time/2013-Olympic_Charter.pdf">by a charter that deems any form of discrimination incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.</a> On the other hand, the Sochi games would be held in a country where LGBTQ people were not welcome. </p>
<p>The assurance of non-discrimination is part of an <em>equity</em> discourse. The idea that there is an inherent goodness to international engagement relates to a second discourse: <em>Internationalization</em>. </p>
<p>For me, as a lesbian in an academic environment, those two discourses led to a question about my daily life. For the past four years, I have investigated how equity and internationalization come together for LGBTQ people. I turned to my own work setting to explore how LGBTQ people navigate the expectations and complications that come with internationalization in the post-secondary sector.</p>
<h2>The business of equity</h2>
<p>In Canada, equity regularly appears as a concept in company policies and plans. Typically, discrimination or harassment based on race, gender or sexual orientation is prohibited. These standards are in line with <a href="http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Acts/A25P5.pdf">provincial and federal human rights codes</a> and expected in most Canadian organizations. </p>
<p>At the University of Calgary, where I work, there is an <a href="http://www.ucalgary.ca/policies/files/policies/employment%20equity%20policy%20.pdf">Employment Equity Policy</a> and a <a href="http://www.ucalgary.ca/hr/diversity_equity_strategy">related strategy</a>, among other statements and offices meant to support LGBTQ people.</p>
<p>That expectation is not shared globally, though. There are many countries where being gay is a punishable offence, sometimes even a capital offence. </p>
<p>Certainly, discrimination against LGBTQ people has not vanished in Western societies and post-secondary institutions. In fact, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X10362579">the few studies that exist on LGBTQ academics</a> show that despite institutional efforts and advances, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2011.605744">LGBTQ people continue to experience barriers on campus.</a></p>
<p>Like other organizations, post-secondary institutions are extending their reach globally. This happens through recruitment of students outside Canada, study exchanges, study abroad programs, field research and satellite campuses. On an even more basic level, there are international conferences to attend and international publications to include in courses. </p>
<p>While internationalization is <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-6091-906-0_2">portrayed as crucial in helping students develop intercultural skills</a>, some are concerned that it is about business more than education. What happens when business priorities clash with equity priorities? Equity is too easily sacrificed.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207715/original/file-20180223-108119-38efg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207715/original/file-20180223-108119-38efg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207715/original/file-20180223-108119-38efg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207715/original/file-20180223-108119-38efg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207715/original/file-20180223-108119-38efg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=575&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207715/original/file-20180223-108119-38efg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=575&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207715/original/file-20180223-108119-38efg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=575&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">LGBTQ Olympians from several countries, including Canadian gold medal-winner Eric Radford competed openly in 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">PAUL CHIASSON / The Canadian Press</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The borders of inclusion and safety</h2>
<p>I interviewed 34 faculty members, students and staff based at post-secondary institutions in British Columbia and Alberta. When I asked participants to discuss the intersection of equity and internationalization for LGBTQ people, they talked about different types of tensions.</p>
<p>First, they identified a tension between inclusion and exclusion. A second tension they spoke about was between safety and risk. A third was between the freedom to come out and the expectation to pass. </p>
<p>Many programs, centres and policies have fostered inclusive campus cultures and communities: Hiring policies, women’s, gender and queer studies programs, centres for LGBTQ students, participation in pride parades. These activities do not mean that exclusion has disappeared, though. Trans people’s battles for gender-neutral bathrooms or processes to change name and gender on student records illustrate the persistence of exclusion.</p>
<p>Internationalization can heighten exclusion and risk. For example, participants often thought twice about participating, or decided not to participate, in a conference if it meant travelling to a country where it was illegal to be gay. While embraced by senior administrators and some faculty members, activities located in such countries seemed off-limits to some LGBTQ participants. </p>
<p>The impacts of exclusion and risk can surface in institutional communities, as well as in opportunities to build networks and projects with colleagues elsewhere. For students and junior scholars, the decision to forego international activities can create a risk to career development.</p>
<p>When participants did decide to travel to countries that were cracking down against LGBTQ people, they had to consider how to present themselves. Border crossings, where officials question travellers about their plans and their relationships with companions, were noted as particularly nerve wracking. </p>
<p>Even if they were out at work or in their classes, many participants accepted that travel to certain places entails stepping back into the closet. Doing so can create stress: A denial of their identity means a compromise of their values. It may also generate tension at home, as deciding to travel without a partner or to remove a wedding band can signal a diminishing of important relationships.</p>
<p>Some participants who travel regularly in their jobs take protective measures. They may purchase an extra laptop or cell phone to ensure no personal photos or contacts are on their devices in the event of a border inspection. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207901/original/file-20180226-120971-rufzr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207901/original/file-20180226-120971-rufzr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207901/original/file-20180226-120971-rufzr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207901/original/file-20180226-120971-rufzr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207901/original/file-20180226-120971-rufzr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207901/original/file-20180226-120971-rufzr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207901/original/file-20180226-120971-rufzr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some participants who travel regularly in their jobs take protective measures: deciding to travel without a partner can signal a diminishing of important relationships.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Opening opportunities</h2>
<p>Despite these exclusions, risks and barriers, participants recognized that equity and internationalization discourses can converge. </p>
<p>Faculty members or staff in internationalization offices noted that, for international students who identity as LGBTQ, being able to study in Canada can help them figure out who they are and how they might live. </p>
<p>One participant talked about Canadian and international LGBTQ and ally students working together for a class activity on social justice and globalization. That activity became a way to deepen their learning about “<a href="https://www.routledge.com/Intersectionality-and-Beyond-Law-Power-and-the-Politics-of-Location/Grabham-Cooper-Krishnadas-Herman/p/book/9780203890882">intersectionality</a>:” the idea that people’s multiple, interacting identities inform experiences of privilege and marginalization. </p>
<h2>A path forward</h2>
<p>As I write up my findings for a book, some advances seem to have been made. </p>
<p>At the Pyeongchang Olympics, the LGBTQ atmosphere was much improved over the games in Russia when the Pride House was banned. “I could have never imagined that this whole LGBTQ aspect would have happened [at these games,]” <a href="https://www.thestar.com/sports/olympics/2018/02/20/at-pyeongchang-olympics-canadas-pride-house-provides-a-place-to-belong.html">Eric Radford told the Toronto Star</a>. “I just feel lucky that I get to be a part of that.”</p>
<p>In terms of advances in academia, some participants mentioned their institutions’ support to establish networks where LGBTQ people and allies can socialize, learn and generate ideas. Although still uncommon, gender-neutral bathrooms are available. Policies are being updated, with gender identity increasingly added as a prohibited ground for discrimination.</p>
<p>Still, in many institutions, internationalization work and equity work are based in different offices, each with its own staff and priorities. At times, those priorities can converge but, at other times, they diverge.</p>
<p>Internationalization holds opportunities, but opportunities come at a cost. On the whole, the opportunities of Canadian post-secondary internationalization seem to carry different, likely higher, costs for LGBTQ people than for straight people.</p>
<p>The solutions to these challenges are not easy. One obvious step is for equity and internationalization offices to work more closely together. </p>
<p>Several participants suggested developing a protocol — a sort of checklist — to ensure that equity concerns about proposals are flagged. </p>
<p>In the work of internationalization, exclusion and risk should not be apportioned unfairly to LGBTQ people. The aim should be to make equity assurances — whether in athletics or in scholarship — a gold standard rather than gold-plated.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92246/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kaela Jubas received funding for the project discussed in this article from University of Calgary Research Grants Committee. </span></em></p>How do LGBTQ people navigate international business, scholarship or sports competition when traveling to countries hostile to LGBTQ people?Kaela Jubas, Associate Professor in Adult Learning, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/791322017-06-23T09:40:26Z2017-06-23T09:40:26ZHow to stop city breaks killing our cities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/174698/original/file-20170620-24880-1isnijr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=324%2C396%2C4285%2C2600&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sagrada-familia-panorama-view-barcelona-city-567594073?src=fJf_eFqq9K89jGhRVd8iwQ-1-12">basiczto/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Can’t wait to pack your bags and head off on holiday again? It used to be that people would look forward to a long break in summer, but now tourists have got <a href="http://www.europeancitiesmarketing.com/ecm-benchmarking-report/">used to regular short breaks</a> through the year. We love to jet off to the world’s glittering cities, even if only for a day or two. The trouble is, binge travelling may be killing the places we visit. </p>
<p>You may even have seen some “tourists go home” graffiti on your last trip, and it’s not hard to see why. Barcelona is a good example of how a city can groan under the weight of its popularity. It now has the <a href="http://www.xreap.cat/RePEc/xrp/pdf/XREAP2016-07.pdf">busiest cruise port</a>, and the <a href="https://www.aci-europe.org/policy/position-papers.html?view=group&group=1&id=11">second fastest growing airport</a> in Europe. Walking through the Barcelona streets at peak season (which now never seems to end) flings you into a relentless stream of tourists. They fill the city’s hot spots in search of “authentic” tapas and sangria, and a bit of culture under the sun. The mayor has echoed residents’ concerns over the impact of tourism; a <a href="https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/turisme/sites/default/files/pla_estrategic_turisme_2020_programes_actuacio_1.pdf">strategic plan</a> has been put in place. </p>
<p>It is true though, that cities tend to start managing the impact of tourism only when it is already too late. It creeps up on them. Unlike visitors to purpose-built beach destinations and national parks, city-break tourists use the same infrastructure as the locals: existing systems start slowly to stretch at the seams. Business travellers, stag parties and museum visitors will all use existing leisure facilities. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/174686/original/file-20170620-24907-s0ciln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/174686/original/file-20170620-24907-s0ciln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/174686/original/file-20170620-24907-s0ciln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/174686/original/file-20170620-24907-s0ciln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/174686/original/file-20170620-24907-s0ciln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/174686/original/file-20170620-24907-s0ciln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/174686/original/file-20170620-24907-s0ciln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/174686/original/file-20170620-24907-s0ciln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Meet the friendly locals’, they said.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/sterlingely/2360468/in/photolist-d6FJ-damCbo-3k2BUP-aKd8U4-KpdxD-oVbFa-htQtq-c8acx-9Quskf-6PgBY6-6rbbpX-okxRd-qKcnvs-ejiw1Q-7ZkpSt-Kaw1W-obsvwr-5VZzt1-Vf7kFt-4uwQqn-oVuCK-92T2Zj-4VtCPB-cbFyV-84cFBc-CJQaP5-4ep4YP-cbGLVE-cjgwe3-UgPyxQ-fChpYL-83CPHC-AvSkq-deqt-eD7yb-bUkufZ-bUkMBX-6x7er9-5V1Abh-VuWLfE-7ZP7vv-4Dw7vw-4DCB2p-VysYJP-56mYnm-UnHDxo-6zmaMB-VmVqtk-hiWTZN-7ZQuud">Sterling Ely/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
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<p>Barcelona may only be the <a href="http://www.citymayors.com/statistics/largest-cities-population-125.html">59th largest city</a> in the world, but it is the <a href="https://newsroom.mastercard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/FINAL-Global-Destination-Cities-Index-Report.pdf">12th most popular</a> with international visitors. Compared to London or Paris, it is small, and tourism has spiked sharply since the <a href="https://www.olympic.org/barcelona-1992">1992 Olympics</a> rather than grown steadily as in other European favourites like Rome.</p>
<p>Growth is relentless. The UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) even speaks about tourism as <a href="http://ethics.unwto.org/content/global-code-ethics-tourism">a right for all citizens</a>, and citizens are increasingly exercising that right: from 1 billion international travellers today, we will grow to 1.8 billion by 2030, according to <a href="http://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284414024">UNWTO forecasts</a>. </p>
<p>Faced with this gathering storm, just who is tourism supposed to benefit? Travellers, cities, residents or the tourism industry?</p>
<h2>Market forces</h2>
<p>Managing the impact of tourism starts by changing the way destinations market themselves: once the tourists arrive, it’s too late. Tourism authorities <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212571X16300981">need to understand</a> that they are accountable to the city, not to the tourism industry. When the city of Barcelona <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09669582.2017.1301721">commissioned the University of Surrey</a> to look into how it might best promote sustainable development, we found a series of techniques which have been incorporated, at least in part, into the city’s <a href="https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/turisme/sites/default/files/pla_estrategic_turisme_2020_programes_actuacio_1.pdf">2020 Tourism Strategy</a>.</p>
<p>In the simplest terms, the trick is to cajole tourists into city breaks which are far less of a burden on the urban infrastructure. In other words, normalising the consumption of sustainable tourism products and services. In <a href="http://www.copenhagencvb.com/copenhagen/capital-sustainable-meetings">Copenhagen</a>, 70% of the hotels are certified as sustainable and the municipal authority demands sustainability from its suppliers. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/174703/original/file-20170620-4975-1t3807o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/174703/original/file-20170620-4975-1t3807o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/174703/original/file-20170620-4975-1t3807o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/174703/original/file-20170620-4975-1t3807o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/174703/original/file-20170620-4975-1t3807o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/174703/original/file-20170620-4975-1t3807o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/174703/original/file-20170620-4975-1t3807o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/174703/original/file-20170620-4975-1t3807o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Higher than the sun. A primal scream from the world’s cities?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thundershead/119334410/in/photolist-5NqALU-5NmjTk-4ZEWcv-2cMfS7-5NmnrB-3dNW79-6euFS8-6yYQRS-9W4CB3-QDTdSA-HJdvGJ-5Nmna8-5NqB35-bxBXQ-4ErKAf-4EnwE2-NZ9TSr-2fGABT-7HDmpE-7HDnUq-PZxcLD-RecfvM-KtD9EW-riuULi-7Hzo2F-5NqBX5">Josep Tomàs/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Destinations must also be accountable for the transport impact of their visitors. The marketing department might prefer a Japanese tourist to Barcelona because on average they will spend €40 more than a French tourist – according to unpublished data from the Barcelona Tourist Board – but the carbon footprint we collectively pay for is not taken into account. </p>
<p>Crucially, for the kind of city breaks we might enjoy in Barcelona, most of the carbon footprint from your holiday is <a href="http://sdt.unwto.org/sites/all/files/docpdf/climate2008.pdf">from your transport</a>. Short breaks therefore, pollute more per night and so destinations ought to be fighting tooth and nail to get you to stay longer. It seems like a win for tourists too: a few extra days in the Spanish sun, a more relaxing break, and all accompanied by the warm glow of self-satisfaction and a gold star for sustainability.</p>
<p>Destinations can also target customers that behave the most like locals. Japanese first-time visitors to Barcelona will crowd the Sagrada Familia cathedral, while most French tourists are repeat visitors that will spread out to lesser-known parts of the city. Reducing seasonality by emphasising activities that can be done in winter or at less crowded times, and geographically spreading tourism by improving less popular areas and communicating their particular charms can also help reduce pressure on hot spots, much like <a href="http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting/areas/amsterdam-neighbourhoods">Amsterdam is doing</a>. </p>
<p>Turnover is vanity, and profit margins are sanity. No city should smugly crow about the sheer volume of visitors through its gates. If tourism is here to stay, then the least cities can do is to sell products that will have the greatest benefit for society. Whether it’s Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna <a href="http://www.sussexbythesea.com/bognor-regis">or Bognor</a>, there should be a focus on locally and ethically produced products and services which residents are proud to sell. Tourist boards should work with small businesses that offer creative and original things to do and places to stay, adding breadth to the city’s offering. </p>
<p>Whether Barcelona will introduce these ideas will depend on the bravery of politicians and buy-in from the powerful businesses which are happily making short-term profits at the expense of residents and the planet. It is possible to do things differently, and for everyone to benefit more. It may be that the tipping point lies in the age-old mechanics of supply and demand: bear that in mind next time you’re booking a quick city break that looks like it’s only adding to the problem.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/79132/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Xavier Font has consulted for Barcelona Activa, the arm of the Municipality of Barcelona in charge of developing the city's Tourism Strategy. He is the principal investigator in numerous reports for Barcelona Activa on how can marketing contribute to sustainable tourism development for the city of Barcelona. </span></em></p>Barcelona is under huge strain from tourism growth, but at least it is trying to do something about it. You could help as well…Xavier Font, Professor of Sustainability Marketing, University of SurreyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/776602017-05-17T00:03:09Z2017-05-17T00:03:09ZWhy banning laptops from airplane cabins doesn’t make sense<p>Recent reports suggest that terrorists can now create bombs so thin that they cannot be detected by the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-16/race-to-prevent-airline-terror-turns-to-laptops-thin-bombs">current X-ray screening</a> that our carry-on bags undergo. </p>
<p>In an effort to protect against such threats, the U.S is <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-europe-flight-laptop-ban-20170512-story.html">considering banning laptops and other large electronic devices</a> in the passenger cabins of airplanes flying between Europe and the United States. This would extend a ban already in place on flights from eight Middle Eastern countries. </p>
<p>Given the significant disruption such a policy would cause tens of thousands of passengers a day, a logical question any economist might ask is: Is it worth it? </p>
<p>It is tempting to think that any level of cost and inconvenience is sensible if it reduces the risk of an attack even a little. But risks, inherent in flying and <a href="http://traveltips.usatoday.com/air-travel-safer-car-travel-1581.html">even driving</a>, can never be avoided entirely. </p>
<p>So when weighing policies that are designed to make us safer, it is important to consider both their costs and potential effectiveness.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, whether the benefits justify the costs is <a href="https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2011/04/counterterroris.html">too often not the yardstick used</a> by officials determining whether to pursue these types of policies. Instead, as law professors who have researched how the government’s travel policies affect civil liberties, we have found that it is more likely that political considerations motivate the adoption of restrictive policies, which in the end <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2647779">actually do little to protect citizens’ security</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169622/original/file-20170516-11941-l4ex1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169622/original/file-20170516-11941-l4ex1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169622/original/file-20170516-11941-l4ex1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169622/original/file-20170516-11941-l4ex1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169622/original/file-20170516-11941-l4ex1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169622/original/file-20170516-11941-l4ex1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169622/original/file-20170516-11941-l4ex1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Placards at Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport inform passengers that laptops and other electronic devices must be checked on flights to the U.S. and the U.K.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Abdeljalil Bounhar/AP Photo</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Expanding a ban</h2>
<p>The current laptop policy regarding some flights from the Middle East was put in place in March apparently as a result of <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/15/politics/trump-russia-classified-information/">intelligence</a> that ISIS militants were <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-revealed-highly-classified-information-to-russian-foreign-minister-and-ambassador/2017/05/15/530c172a-3960-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html">training</a> to get laptop bombs past security screeners and onto planes. The U.K. adopted a similar rule.</p>
<p>The Department of Homeland Security <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-15/brace-for-chaos-if-u-s-expands-airline-laptop-ban">wants to extend</a> that ban to transatlantic flights. This would cause major disruption and “<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-europe-flight-laptop-ban-20170512-story.html">logistical chaos</a>.” Approximately 65 million people a year fly between Europe and the United States. </p>
<p>Business travelers are concerned about the loss of productivity and the risk that a checked laptop with sensitive information could be damaged, stolen or subjected to intrusive search. Families worry about traveling without electronic distractions to soothe tired and uncomfortable children. Airlines <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/05/15/trumps-expected-widening-laptop-ban-has-european-airlines-worried.html">expect a loss of business</a> as people opt out of transatlantic travel altogether. </p>
<p>Past policies such as limiting the liquids that can be carried on and requiring passengers to remove shoes are a case in point. They have increased burdens on both travelers – who must pay to check baggage and face added inconvenience – and taxpayers – who bear the costs of every policy change – <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/01/tsa-business-security-theater-not-security/357599/">while likely doing little to nothing</a> to improve security.</p>
<h2>Benefits and costs</h2>
<p>Regulators throughout the government typically must rely on <a href="http://www.foreffectivegov.org/node/3470">a cost-benefit analysis</a> to determine levels of acceptable risk, weighing the potential safety gain of a new policy against its costs and added risks.</p>
<p>But when dealing with a fear of terrorism, it is common to find policies that are <a href="http://politicalscience.osu.edu/faculty/jmueller/JATMfin.pdf">not cost effective</a>. And if we subjected the laptop bans (the original and expansion) to a cost-benefit analysis, they would likely fail. The costs are high, the potential security gains are small, and the policy adds hazards of its own. </p>
<p>To make its case, the government seems to be relying on several purported benefits of stowing laptops in the luggage hold. First, checked bags undergo <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-16/race-to-prevent-airline-terror-turns-to-laptops-thin-bombs">additional screening for the presence of explosives</a>. Second, it is possible that luggage in the cargo area could provide <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-16/race-to-prevent-airline-terror-turns-to-laptops-thin-bombs">some insulation</a> from an explosion. Finally, bombs placed in the cargo area require a <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/03/21/airplane-bombs-carryon-cargo-electronics-ban/99447258/">sophisticated timing device</a>, unlike simpler explosives that could be set off manually. </p>
<p>But these benefits appear dubious as support for a laptop ban. Carry-on luggage could go through expanded screening, for example, while the notion that checked luggage might make an explosion more survivable is speculative – and such gains might in any case be offset by the dangerous <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/chemistry/airline-laptop-ban-good-policy-or-poor-science">greater vibration found in cargo</a> cabin. Lithium batteries have, after all, been forbidden from the cargo compartment for a reason – and <a href="https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/hazmat_safety/more_info/?hazmat=7">must instead be carried on</a> – to avoid the risk of fire.</p>
<p>And of course, this does little to protect against the risk of an explosive device in the cargo cabin. It just moves the risk to an isolated area of the plane.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169625/original/file-20170516-11937-1791yxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169625/original/file-20170516-11937-1791yxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169625/original/file-20170516-11937-1791yxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169625/original/file-20170516-11937-1791yxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169625/original/file-20170516-11937-1791yxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169625/original/file-20170516-11937-1791yxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169625/original/file-20170516-11937-1791yxm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lithium batteries were considered the likely cause of a UPS cargo plane crash in 2010 near Dubai that killed both crew members.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kamran Jebreili/AP Photo</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Moving the devices to the hold could actually make such devices harder to detect if they slip past airport screening. The exploding lithium batteries in Samsung devices, for example, show how even ordinary fire risks can be greater when passengers are not there to <a href="http://gizmodo.com/samsung-galaxy-2-spews-smoke-and-sparks-on-flight-to-si-1786998437">notice a smoking battery</a> in a bag in the overhead compartment.</p>
<p>Similarly, the presence of observant passengers can help thwart terrorist activity when it does occur, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/16/justice/michigan-underwear-bomber-sentencing/">as happened with the underwear bomber</a>. One should keep in mind that one of the greatest airline tragedies of all times, the attack on Pan Am flight 103 that exploded over Lockerbie and claimed 270 lives, was caused by a bomb that went off in a suitcase in the <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-lockerbie-bombing-pictures-photogallery.html">cargo hold</a>.</p>
<p>On the economic side, the financial costs of the policy change would likely be very high. Based on statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce, travel industry professionals estimate that the cost of lost productivity alone for business travelers unable to work on flights between the U.S. and Europe is estimated to be <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/u-s-laptop-ban-cost-economy-500000000-year-173629493.html">as great as $500 million</a> a year.</p>
<p>The potential <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/03/29/trumps-travel-ban-could-cost-18b-us-tourism-travel-analysts-say/99708758/">loss of tourism revenue</a> may be even greater, as families avoid vacationing in the United States and business travelers <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-15/brace-for-chaos-if-u-s-expands-airline-laptop-ban">choose to meet by teleconference instead of in person</a>. </p>
<h2>Questionable politics</h2>
<p>So if the laptop ban would be ineffective – or worse yet, even make airline travel <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinenegroni/2017/05/10/in-airplane-laptop-ban-us-discounts-faa-concerns-about-in-flight-fires/#78432a794ace">less safe</a> – and be very costly, why would the government consider it? </p>
<p>The answer is likely politics. And that is because people <a href="https://www.hks.harvard.edu/fs/rzeckhau/overreaction_risks.pdf">overestimate the likelihood</a> of being harmed by a terrorist attack, which lends extreme actions like the laptop ban public support, while they underestimate the risks of more ordinary occurrences like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/death-risk-statistics-terrorism-disease-accidents-2017-1">car accidents</a> or <a href="http://www.pennlive.com/news/2017/03/harrisburg_fire_write-through.html">defective batteries</a>. </p>
<p>From 1975 to 2015, <a href="https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/terrorism-immigration-risk-analysis">fewer than 84 Americans a year</a> died due to terrorism, and that includes the attacks on 9/11. Meanwhile, in 2015 alone a total of <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2015-brought-biggest-us-traffic-death-increase-50-years-427759">38,300 people died</a> in traffic-related accidents in the U.S. And lithium batteries have been blamed for <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lithium-battery-fire-risk-samsung-galaxy-note-7/">dozens of aircraft fires</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/exploding-batteries-in-mh370-cargo-hold-2015-10">may have been what brought down</a> Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/malaysia-airlines-flight-370-likely-crash-location-reaffirmed-with-new-analysis/">disappeared</a> in 2014 with more than 200 passengers and crew. </p>
<p>At the same time, officials on whose watch an attack or other disaster occurs <a href="http://sobelrs.people.cofc.edu/All%20Pubs%20PDF/Hurricane%20Katrina%20Public%20Choice%20Analysis.pdf">receive disproportionate blame</a>, something that does not carry over to more ordinary risks. People fear terror attacks <a href="https://qz.com/898207/the-psychology-of-why-americans-are-more-scared-of-terrorism-than-guns-though-guns-are-3210-times-likelier-to-kill-them/">more than the common threats</a> that are actually more likely to cause them harm. Politicians may respond to their voters’ concerns, and may even share the same <a href="http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2017/01/why-americans-are-so-scared-of-terrorism.html">cognitive biases</a>. </p>
<p>As a result, government decision makers have an incentive to overvalue measures taken to prevent terror attacks, even at the expense of increasing more ordinary – <a href="https://www.wired.com/2016/10/samsung-isnt-one-lithium-ion-problems-just-ask-nasa/">yet more likely</a> – safety risks. </p>
<p>While there may not be much we can do about Americans’ misconceptions about the risk of terrorism, public policy on an issue as important as airline safety should not blindly follow them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/77660/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cassandra Burke Robertson is a board member of the 11/9 Coalition, a nationwide, non-partisan, grassroots organization working for the protection of civil liberties and the rule of law.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Irina D. Manta is the founding president of the 11/9 Coalition, a nationwide, non-partisan, grassroots organization working for the protection of civil liberties and the rule of law.</span></em></p>The U.S. is considering expanding a ban it imposed in March on several Middle Eastern countries to all flights from Europe. A close look suggests the meager benefits just aren’t worth the high costs.Cassandra Burke Robertson, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Professional Ethics, Case Western Reserve UniversityIrina D. Manta, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Intellectual Property Law, Hofstra UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.