Comments on: The VERY negative impact of tourism on the world http://www.blog.glocaltravel.net/2007/07/31/the-very-negative-impact-of-tourism-on-the-world/ Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:25:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Changemakers http://www.blog.glocaltravel.net/2007/07/31/the-very-negative-impact-of-tourism-on-the-world/#comment-4877 Changemakers Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:26:16 +0000 http://www.blog.glocaltravel.net/2007/07/31/the-very-negative-impact-of-tourism-on-the-world/#comment-4877 Ashoka's Changemakers and National Geographic Need Your Vote: Select the World's Most Innovative Uses of Geotourism Join Ashoka’s Changemakers and National Geographic in the Geotourism Challenge, a worldwide search for leading innovations that help destinations benefit from tourism while protecting the assets that make these places special. Transformative ideas have poured in from 84 countries that demonstrate ways for tourism to do the most good and the least harm. Now it's your turn: Log onto www.changemakers.net and select your three favorites from the 15 finalists by June 11. All finalists are invited to attend the National Geographic and Ashoka's Changemakers Change Summit in Fall 2008, and the three winners will receive $5,000 each. Your voice is vital. Vote today! Ashoka’s Changemakers and National Geographic Need Your Vote: Select the World’s Most Innovative Uses of Geotourism

Join Ashoka’s Changemakers and National Geographic in the Geotourism Challenge, a worldwide search for leading innovations that help destinations benefit from tourism while protecting the assets that make these places special. Transformative ideas have poured in from 84 countries that demonstrate ways for tourism to do the most good and the least harm.

Now it’s your turn: Log onto http://www.changemakers.net and select your three favorites from the 15 finalists by June 11. All finalists are invited to attend the National Geographic and Ashoka’s Changemakers Change Summit in Fall 2008, and the three winners will receive $5,000 each.

Your voice is vital. Vote today!

]]> By: Tim Day http://www.blog.glocaltravel.net/2007/07/31/the-very-negative-impact-of-tourism-on-the-world/#comment-1036 Tim Day Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:58:57 +0000 http://www.blog.glocaltravel.net/2007/07/31/the-very-negative-impact-of-tourism-on-the-world/#comment-1036 I haven't read Pamela's book, probably won't either judging from the rhetoric in her posting. Not much middle ground or room for common sense there from the sounds of it. Excellent self control on your part Barbara. I suspect Pamela has never actually lived in a place that is thriving or maybe subsisting even on tourism. Probably lives pretty comfortably too I bet compared to the people that are at least eating meat and vegetables instead of only tortillas and beans like they did for generations in most of this region i.e. Mexico and Latin America. I, along with millions of other capitalists, live from the ill gotten proceeds of tourism. Like many, granted all too few, I try to make a difference in whatever way I can, like supporting turtle hatching programs, speaking out against overfishing etc. There are many ways to change the world but an open mind is perhaps the most powerful instrument of change and the hardest thing to find. Told you Barbara, I have a hard time biting my tongue and it's bleeding right now. I haven’t read Pamela’s book, probably won’t either judging from the rhetoric in her posting. Not much middle ground or room for common sense there from the sounds of it.
Excellent self control on your part Barbara.
I suspect Pamela has never actually lived in a place that is thriving or maybe subsisting even on tourism. Probably lives pretty comfortably too I bet compared to the people that are at least eating meat and vegetables instead of only tortillas and beans like they did for generations in most of this region i.e. Mexico and Latin America. I, along with millions of other capitalists, live from the ill gotten proceeds of tourism. Like many, granted all too few, I try to make a difference in whatever way I can, like supporting turtle hatching programs, speaking out against overfishing etc.
There are many ways to change the world but an open mind is perhaps the most powerful instrument of change and the hardest thing to find.
Told you Barbara, I have a hard time biting my tongue and it’s bleeding right now.

]]> By: Barbara Soldi http://www.blog.glocaltravel.net/2007/07/31/the-very-negative-impact-of-tourism-on-the-world/#comment-422 Barbara Soldi Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:48:11 +0000 http://www.blog.glocaltravel.net/2007/07/31/the-very-negative-impact-of-tourism-on-the-world/#comment-422 I would like to thank Pamela for her comment to my post, which gives me the chance to explain a couple of points. In the last chapter of the book she does indeed encourage people to challenge the travel press and campaign against tourism as neo-colonial exploitation, another point on which I strongly agree with her (maybe to her surprise, since she basically lined me on the side of those who look for solutions as an excuse not to bother). However, I do feel Pamela had a great chance to counter attack the millions of all inclusive holiday adverts we get bombarded with every day with something effective other than activism; by providing more information and consideration for the few sound alternative travel options which DO exist outside mass tourism, but which are unfortunately difficult to find in the ‘Western consumer culture in which I live’. Looking at Mexico - the country I work with and I know most about - the city of Oaxaca is still suffering from the collapse of tourism following the social uprising of the past year. Besides the exploited chambermaid in the luxury international resort there is the local artisan now experiencing difficulties in selling his craft to the local market and the local Spanish language teacher left without foreign students, who will not be renting the local families’ spare rooms. Through an ecotourism and regional development project (which involves no 'ethical slave owners') the <a href="http://www.sierranorte.org.mx/en/home.htm" rel="nofollow">Pueblos Mancomunados of the Sierra Norte</a> have created a network of walking and biking paths with local tourist services for hikers to use. The project is now an example of communal area protection and a model for other communities in the creation of an ecological conscience. Members of the indigenous community of the Lacandones in Chiapas – who have been exploited since the Hispanic colonization together with their environment - are now part of ecotourism projects allowing them to preserve small areas of their jungle while 90% is being destroyed by loggers and immigrant farmers. Certainly mass tourism can be considered a new-colonization we have to fight; however, I strongly believe the above alternatives (together with many others which involve little or no foreign influence) are worth promoting and there are people seriously involved in the development of sustainable tourism who are not just trying ‘to alter realities to feel better’. Pamela clearly does not share my vision; her comment leaves no room for any positives and the negativity I have felt in the book is quite evident throughout. I would like to thank Pamela for her comment to my post, which gives me the chance to explain a couple of points.

In the last chapter of the book she does indeed encourage people to challenge the travel press and campaign against tourism as neo-colonial exploitation, another point on which I strongly agree with her (maybe to her surprise, since she basically lined me on the side of those who look for solutions as an excuse not to bother).

However, I do feel Pamela had a great chance to counter attack the millions of all inclusive holiday adverts we get bombarded with every day with something effective other than activism; by providing more information and consideration for the few sound alternative travel options which DO exist outside mass tourism, but which are unfortunately difficult to find in the ‘Western consumer culture in which I live’.

Looking at Mexico - the country I work with and I know most about - the city of Oaxaca is still suffering from the collapse of tourism following the social uprising of the past year. Besides the exploited chambermaid in the luxury international resort there is the local artisan now experiencing difficulties in selling his craft to the local market and the local Spanish language teacher left without foreign students, who will not be renting the local families’ spare rooms.

Through an ecotourism and regional development project (which involves no ‘ethical slave owners’) the Pueblos Mancomunados of the Sierra Norte have created a network of walking and biking paths with local tourist services for hikers to use. The project is now an example of communal area protection and a model for other communities in the creation of an ecological conscience.

Members of the indigenous community of the Lacandones in Chiapas – who have been exploited since the Hispanic colonization together with their environment - are now part of ecotourism projects allowing them to preserve small areas of their jungle while 90% is being destroyed by loggers and immigrant farmers.

Certainly mass tourism can be considered a new-colonization we have to fight; however, I strongly believe the above alternatives (together with many others which involve little or no foreign influence) are worth promoting and there are people seriously involved in the development of sustainable tourism who are not just trying ‘to alter realities to feel better’.

Pamela clearly does not share my vision; her comment leaves no room for any positives and the negativity I have felt in the book is quite evident throughout.

]]> By: Ron Mader http://www.blog.glocaltravel.net/2007/07/31/the-very-negative-impact-of-tourism-on-the-world/#comment-412 Ron Mader Tue, 14 Aug 2007 07:33:59 +0000 http://www.blog.glocaltravel.net/2007/07/31/the-very-negative-impact-of-tourism-on-the-world/#comment-412 A quick question - Does Pamela have an author website? It would be good to see how she tracks these issues online. A quick question - Does Pamela have an author website? It would be good to see how she tracks these issues online.

]]> By: Pamela Nowicka http://www.blog.glocaltravel.net/2007/07/31/the-very-negative-impact-of-tourism-on-the-world/#comment-370 Pamela Nowicka Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:53:51 +0000 http://www.blog.glocaltravel.net/2007/07/31/the-very-negative-impact-of-tourism-on-the-world/#comment-370 Barbara's review of my book, 'The No-Nonsense Guide to Tourism', although generally positive, says that I did not present viable alternatives to the current model of travel and tourism which is empoverishing communities, destroying the environment and turning cultures into tourist photo-opportunities. Au contraire, the last chapter is stuffed full of alternative options : from challenging the travel press to stop being the poodles of the industry and write stories from the point of view of host communities, to campaigning for politicians and businesses to actually (radical concept) CONSULT with local communities about whether they want tourist developments foisted on them. These are not my suggestions and opinions, but those of tourism activists from around the globe. Like many other 'concerned' travellers, Barbara remains seduced by the notion that there is a 'solution' to this problem of neo-colonial exploitation which basically allows the exploitation to continue on the grounds that 'well, we like doing it and we've got the cash so we ain't gonna stop and we can't be bothered to campaign.' It's a bit like say, an 'ethical' slave owner saying that he feeds his slaves three times a day and doesn't beat them, so what have they got to complain about...and why on earth would they need freedom? Western Consumer Culture in which people like Barbara live, is predicated on exploiting natural, leisure, labour, cultural ...and most of all HUMAN resources from around the Planet. If travel is about learning and opening one's eyes, please learn about the real impacts of your travelling, and do not try to alter that reality in order you to feel good about an activity which is unsustainable, destructive and unfair. People starve, remain uneducated, have livelihoods destroyed; and are forced into servicing a fickle and hedonistic activity so that predominantly western tourists can feel better about exploiting the Planet's finite resources. What is fair or enjoyable about that? Barbara’s review of my book, ‘The No-Nonsense Guide to Tourism’, although generally positive, says that I did not present viable alternatives to the current model of travel and tourism which is empoverishing communities, destroying the environment and turning cultures into tourist photo-opportunities. Au contraire, the last chapter is stuffed full of alternative options : from challenging the travel press to stop being the poodles of the industry and write stories from the point of view of host communities, to campaigning for politicians and businesses to actually (radical concept) CONSULT with local communities about whether they want tourist developments foisted on them.
These are not my suggestions and opinions, but those of tourism activists from around the globe.
Like many other ‘concerned’ travellers, Barbara remains seduced by the notion that there is a ’solution’ to this problem of neo-colonial exploitation which basically allows the exploitation to continue on the grounds that ‘well, we like doing it and we’ve got the cash so we ain’t gonna stop and we can’t be bothered to campaign.’
It’s a bit like say, an ‘ethical’ slave owner saying that he feeds his slaves three times a day and doesn’t beat them, so what have they got to complain about…and why on earth would they need freedom?
Western Consumer Culture in which people like Barbara live, is predicated on exploiting natural, leisure, labour, cultural …and most of all HUMAN resources from around the Planet.
If travel is about learning and opening one’s eyes, please learn about the real impacts of your travelling, and do not try to alter that reality in order you to feel good about an activity which is unsustainable, destructive and unfair. People starve, remain uneducated, have livelihoods destroyed; and are forced into servicing a fickle and hedonistic activity so that predominantly western tourists can feel better about exploiting the Planet’s finite resources.
What is fair or enjoyable about that?

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