The VERY negative impact of tourism on the world
July 31st, 2007 by Barbara SoldiLast month I found myself in need of a ‘small airport book’ and decided to go for the ‘No-Nonsense Guides to Tourism’ by Pamela Nowicka, published by New Internationalist 
If you are a responsible traveller and already realise that lying on a beach with a margarita is not going to alleviate world poverty, this book will not tell you anything new, despite one of those ‘sensational one line reviews’ on the cover saying Find out how the world really works!
On the other hand, if you have never thought about the negative impact of tourism on the host countries and on the local people, like the exploitation of natural and human resources in the developing countries, after you have finished reading this book you will probably feel a miserable and guilty tourist (yes, you got it; you do not even deserve to be called a traveller).
But do not despair, this feeling will not last long, as eventually no one is willing to forgo a well deserved holiday. After all, travelling has been a privilege of the jet set for the past couple of centuries and only recently it has become affordable to the masses; why should we not consider it as one of our democratic rights?
The author is trying to open our eyes about the fact that the ‘positive impact of tourism on the world development’ is a myth, and that we should change our attitude in our role as vacationers and show more consideration towards our hosts, from whom we expect polite manners and smiling faces even when we behave like new colonialists giving them absolutely no reasons to smile. I absolutely agree with her on this and in more than one occasion she made me think about my own attitude as a traveller.
She goes on saying people should think about travelling less, and about being more discerning when they travel. Again, I agree 100%. This bad habit of flying from London to Paris for a proper croissant must really stop and low cost airlines do not help. But then she keeps on highlighting all the negative aspects of tourism, saying that even responsible travel in the end does not help much and concluding that the ultimate remedy is just taking as few holidays as possible and stop destroying the environment jetting off around the world.
At the end of the book, I felt really disappointed. Maybe because I am optimistic by nature, but I found this guide a total waste of an occasion to inform that there are many effective ways to change our travel behaviour, and that ethical travel is growing and can bring some fresh air to tourism. By not focusing on what can be changed and not presenting sound alternative options after having explored in depth the faults of the industry, the only response she can get from the reader is a shoulder shrug, either of indifference or resignation.
August 6th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
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?
August 14th, 2007 at 7:33 am
A quick question - Does Pamela have an author website? It would be good to see how she tracks these issues online.
August 15th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
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.
November 1st, 2007 at 7:58 am
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.
June 2nd, 2008 at 7:26 pm
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