“Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism” will be screened at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, accompanied by short films and a panel discussion on sustainable travel.

Experts emphasize traveling in ways that do not harm destinations, such as supporting local economies while avoiding situations where residents are priced out of their homes.

Recommendations for responsible travel include considering the environmental impact of the destination, choosing fewer and longer stays, and selecting more sustainable modes of transportation.

Travelers are encouraged to evaluate distance, opt for nonstop economy flights if flying is necessary, pack lighter to reduce emissions, and prioritize local, sustainable food choices.

Relying on local advice enhances both the sustainability and experience of the trip.

Europe’s popular destinations have struggled with overwhelming visitor numbers, highlighting the need for tourists to avoid overcrowded sites and choose locally owned accommodation.

Protests in the Canary Islands reflect frustration with economic dependence on tourism and the mounting pressure on local resources, epitomized by the slogan “The Canary Islands have a limit.”
Tourism can be both an economic boon and a social or environmental burden, with a significant impact on the climate given air and road travel’s carbon footprint.

Simple actions like using less water and energy during travel and visiting lesser-known locations can help spread economic benefits and reduce strain on major tourist sites.

A new global coalition, announced at COP26, aims to advance more sustainable practices worldwide, with some regions already beginning to implement changes.

Experts argue that making conscientious travel decisions empowers tourists to positively influence the world.

The innate desire to explore is a privilege that often carries costs for host communities, making thoughtful planning and ethical behavior essential.

Tourism acts as an agent for economic integration, bringing both challenges and opportunities for sustainable improvement, as evidenced in regions like the Caribbean and Commonwealth countries.

Mount Fuji has experienced crowding and problematic behaviors, prompting authorities to impose access restrictions and consider tolls, reflecting the broader need for society to balance access and conservation.

Managing overtourism demands clear public communication and comprehensive strategies that include community considerations and environmental protection.

An increasing number of people now want to travel the world, inspired by examples like Finnish writer Rauli Virtanen, who was the first to visit every country.

Modern travelers can work remotely or choose to discover the world after retirement, often documenting their experiences with selfies and social media.

Some travelers spend significant time in each country, while others briefly visit small nations solely for the achievement.

In the quest for memorable experiences and perfect photos, some tourists even risk their lives.

To counteract excessive tourist numbers, Venice is introducing an entry fee for day-trippers, following UNESCO’s warning about the city's status as a world heritage site.

Globally, resource consumption is rising, with the "Earth Overshoot Day"—when humanity exceeds nature’s budget—arriving earlier each year.

There are calls to restrict or even ban visits to sensitive natural areas as tourism booms even in remote destinations like the Maldives and Turkey.

While international travel grows, domestic tourism—such as in Russia—is also on the rise as people seek new experiences closer to home.

Some suggest shifting the focus to the quality rather than the quantity of tourism to minimize its negative impacts.

Ecotourism appeals to travelers who prioritize environmental criteria in choosing their destinations.

Historically, travelers were independent and self-sufficient, capable of navigating and surviving in unfamiliar places, but such personalized experiences are rare today.

Efforts to create unique, small-scale tourism options continue but have struggled to replace mass tourism models.

Increasing tourism has economic benefits, providing jobs, supporting small businesses, and serving as a tool for soft power to improve national influence.

Tourism operators are urged to act responsibly, educating clients about local expectations and the importance of minimizing their footprint, like leaving no trash behind.

Author-led tours can sometimes compromise tourist safety.

Mass tourism began in the 19th century, making destinations like Switzerland accessible to many, but limited time led travelers to rush through sights.

Some travelers seek a deeper connection with nature or culture, valuing soul-enriching experiences over simply checking off destinations.

The pressure to document every sight can lead to a superficial experience, leaving travelers feeling disconnected from what they saw.

Overtourism is thus a complex phenomenon driven by broader accessibility, economic incentives, social media, and shifting traveler motivations, with significant social, environmental, and economic consequences for popular destinations worldwide.

Overtourism refers to the phenomenon where an excessive number of tourists overwhelm a destination, causing congestion, pressure on resources, and negative social, environmental, and economic impacts.

In European cities like Barcelona, 60 percent of tourists arrive during July to September, resulting in severe congestion, while the remaining 40 percent is spread over the year.

Protests and community backlash in such cities highlight concerns about overtourism’s effect on local life.

Tourism policies increasingly emphasize “quality rather than quantity,” promoting visitors who contribute more economically and minimize local disruption, rather than encouraging mass budget travel.

Congestion in popular attractions like the Louvre Museum demonstrates how overtourism affects visitor experience, forcing people to rush through exhibits instead of meaningful engagement.

Alternatives to mainstream attractions include exploring local markets, engaging with handicrafts, and experiencing authentic cuisine, which can support communities and preserve cultural heritage.

Tourists are advised to avoid peak seasons to escape crowds, reduce costs, and lower their impact on overburdened destinations.

Travel fatigue, or returning home more stressed after a rushed vacation, is a common consequence of overtourism and overly scheduled travel.

The slow travel movement encourages tourists to adopt a more thoughtful approach, fostering appreciation for destinations and reducing stress and environmental footprints.

Carlo Petrini’s slow food and travel philosophy emphasize local authenticity and sustainability, offering strategies for less impactful tourism.

Climate change now affects major tourist destinations, particularly in the Middle East, influencing where and how overtourism occurs.

To counter these challenges, destinations are implementing customized products tailored to specific groups, balancing demand with local carrying capacity.

The World Travel and Tourism Council and national ministries, such as Saudi Arabia’s, are pushing for sustainability-focused policies to protect resources and empower local sectors.

UN Tourism leaders stress tourism’s power for economic and social benefit, dialogue, and post-crisis recovery, as international tourist arrivals reach 1.3 billion, up by a third from 2022.

Efforts to promote responsible tourism include reducing sector emissions, expanding global collaboration, and sharing best practices to address overtourism and ensure long-term sustainability.

Overtourism can occur due to the appeal of stories behind attractions or word of mouth on social media, turning any location into a potential tourist destination.

When scenic spots are located deep within communities or near residential areas, it becomes difficult to manage and control visiting crowds.

Tourism activities that focus only on sightseeing can risk turning positive developments into negative outcomes.

Although tourism boosts job creation in many regions, it does not always ensure that local residents earn a living wage.

Excessive numbers of tourists can lead to a reduction in quality of service, even in hospitality-driven places like Japan.

Concerns about overtourism sometimes receive insufficient attention in places more focused on increasing tourist arrivals than managing current impacts.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, parts of the tourism industry have lost their competitive edge and are facing market pressures and restructuring.

Destinations like Taitung hold advantages in abundant natural and ecological resources, attracting significant visitor interest.

Travel authorities and guides such as Fodor Tourism urge tourists to skip particularly fragile destinations in 2024, emphasizing the need to respect local environments and cultures.

Famous sites including Mount Fuji in Japan and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam are among those heavily impacted by tourism pressures.

Tourism professionals seek to reflect on how to keep destinations attractive, inclusive, and sustainable for all.

Identifying and understanding interconnected problems is necessary to uncover broader impacts of overtourism on communities.

One proposed solution to overcrowding at hotspots is to replace day trips with longer, multi-day stays, thereby spreading out visitor numbers.

Tourist cities can suffer from overreliance on peak routes and repetitive group travel, leaving them vulnerable to overtourism’s negative impacts.

Effective supervision and proactive prevention are essential components of tourism management.

There is criticism that some destinations lack sufficient outdoor or nature culture, which can undermine the depth and value of tourism activities.

A renewed approach to outdoor, mountain, and marine culture is seen as vital for sustainable tourism and environmental appreciation.

“Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism” will be screened at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, accompanied by short films and a panel discussion on sustainable travel.

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Content:
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Sedona Film Festival presents ‘Crowded Out’

“Crowded Out” is a powerful short documentary exploring over-tourism, featuring interviews with local residents and global experts. (Image provided by SIFF)

Originally Published: September 14, 2022 8:43 p.m.

The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the third film in its four-week Sustainable Tourism Film Series. “Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism” will show on Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre at 4 p.m. The event will also include a selection of “Sustainable Travel: Where Next?” short films along with a panel discussion.

“Crowded Out” is a powerful short documentary exploring overtourism, featuring interviews with local residents and global experts.

Overtourism occurs when there are too many visitors to a particular destination. When rent prices push out local tenants to make way for holiday rentals, when narrow roads become jammed with tourist vehicles, when tourists cannot view landmarks because of the crowds – these are all signs of overtourism.

And it is the backlash from local residents that has made overtourism news. Cities such as Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik, and places once thought of as remote such as Iceland and Skye have suffered firsthand, and the protests by local residents have spread.

There has been decades of virtually uncontrolled growth, and it has crossed a threshold: in many destinations, tourism now demonstrably creates more problems than benefits.

This special event will also include a selection of short films from “Sustainable Travel: Where Next?” This series includes short-form documentary films, featuring insightful stories from the global travel and tourism sector showing how they are driving sustainable travel and protecting these precious destinations.

Following the screenings, there will be a panel discussion with representatives the City of Sedona, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, Keep Sedona Beautiful and the tourism and hospitality industry here.

“Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.

The final film in the Sustainable Tourism Series is:

Thursday, Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. “Vendemmia”

Experts emphasize traveling in ways that do not harm destinations, such as supporting local economies while avoiding situations where residents are priced out of their homes.

Title:

Content: HOMEPAGE

From where you go to what you do, experts share how to travel the world without destroying it

  • Traveling sustainably is about making intentional choices to serve your destination and planet well.
  • We asked experts how to make these choices when planning a trip to be as sustainable as possible.
  • This article is part of "Better Me," a series about improving your lifestyle and helping society through sustainable efforts and eco-consciousness.

Sustainable travel can feel like an oxymoron — as Justin Francis, the cofounder and CEO of Responsible Travel, a UK-based travel company that evaluates trips and vacation providers, told Insider.

The travel industry can create jobs, or it can lead to over-tourism that lowers residents' quality of life. Flights emit harmful emissions, but transport travelers to destinations where they can support local economies and participate in positive, nature-based tourism. Lodging accommodations can boost the local economy, or price residents out of their homes.

But Francis believes people can travel "in a way that not only reduces harm but actively maximizes the benefits, for both planet and people."

Five other sustainable travel experts who spoke with Insider agree and say there are actions travelers can take to lower their negative impact, support the destinations they're visiting, and have an overall better trip. They suggest considering every aspect of your trip — from where you go to how you get there — as you plan to travel more sustainably.

Kelley Louise, the executive director and founder of Impact Travel Alliance, a nonprofit centered on informing travelers to help improve the world, told Insider that traveling sustainably takes practice and being an imperfect traveler is better than not trying.

As Louise said, "It's about asking, 'How can you make little decisions that add up over time and have a positive impact on the world?'"

If you're looking for a place to start, here's what the experts Insider spoke with recommend.

First, choose a destination with the planet in mind

Go off the beaten path

Some of the experts Insider spoke with suggest skipping top tourist destinations and opting for under-the-radar spots.

"By seeking out the less-visited destinations, you will be helping to spread the economic benefits of tourism more widely and helping to avoid the negative impacts that over-tourism has on local residents," Georgina Davies — the communications manager for The Travel Foundation, a group that advocates for sustainable tourism — told Insider.

Paloma Zapata agrees. The CEO of Sustainable Travel International — an organization that works with local governments, businesses, and nonprofits to provide sustainable travel opportunities — also recommends visiting a hidden gem. If you're going to Greece, for instance, you could skip Mykonos and head to an island like Anafi or Ios with fewer tourists.

Once you've picked your destination, Davies encourages travelers to visit the region's national parks and protected areas. Often these places have entrance fees, which support conservation efforts.

Choose a destination that embraces sustainability

Jessica Blotter, CEO and cofounder of public benefit corporation Kind Travel, told Insider she looks for destinations with tourism boards that have a dedicated sustainable travel section on their website.

She recommends avoiding areas where sustainable transportation and lodging are hard to find, and "where access to nature and the outdoors is limited."

Vacation during shoulder season

Tossing a coin in the Trevi Fountain without hordes of people around or exploring Niagara Falls in the winter isn't just beneficial to travelers; experts say it also supports sustainability.

Visiting destinations during shoulder seasons "spreads the benefits of tourism locally across the year and lightens the burden of over-tourism in popular destinations," Francis said. His company, Responsible Travel, has a guide that outlines the best time to visit certain destinations

Zapata added that you're also more likely to have a stress-free and special vacation if you're visiting when there are fewer crowds. "It could be even more enriching," she said. "When you're on a beach or on a sailboat and it's just surrounded by masses of people, maybe that's not the best experience."

Visit fewer places for longer

One way to travel more responsibly is to visit fewer places for longer periods of time. For example, instead of spending a week in four European countries, plan a 10-day trip to one or two.

"Fewer but longer trips mean fewer air miles, more money in local hands, and you'll have a more relaxing trip, too," Francis said. "If you can, keep shorter trips close to home or travel by land or sea." He added that these modes of travel can be an adventure in themselves, and allow you to "see so much more of a destination."

If you must travel a long distance, Blotter recommends stretching the trip as much as possible to maximize your experience. "Booking multiple, long-haul trips per year is not sustainable or carbon-friendly," she said.

Consider how you get there

Evaluate the distance for the most sustainable way to get there

The first step in deciding how to responsibly get to your destination is considering the number of people traveling and the distance you're going.

Besides biking and walking, trains are typically one of the most sustainable ways to travel, Zapata said. If your destination is accessible by train, consider that.

If you're debating whether it's more sustainable to fly or drive, Zapata said it comes down to the distance.

"A lot of times trains are going to be more energy and carbon efficient," she said. "But when it comes to a car, there comes a moment when flying is actually more carbon efficient than driving when you're talking about very long distances."

Calculators like the ones offered by the International Civil Aviation Organization and Environmental Defense Fund can help travelers map out the least carbon-intensive way to get from A to B.

If you need to fly, opt for nonstop routes and travel in economy

Flying will likely be the most unsustainable aspect of your trip. Aviation makes up about 2% of global carbon emissions and 80% of a vacation's carbon footprint comes from the flight, according to National Geographic.

Experts suggest thinking about how much you should fly in a year. For example, maybe you take one international flight a year and prioritize having the rest of your trips close to home, Louise said.

But no matter where you jet off to, experts recommend flying nonstop in economy.

"When booking long-distance plane travel, always choose a direct flight with no layovers," Blotter said. "Direct flights use less carbon dioxide than connecting flights."

Additionally, by flying in economy, as some of the experts Insider spoke with pointed out, you maximize the number of people a flight can carry by taking up less space.

Ultimately, though, the best thing you can do is reduce your carbon footprint during your trip.

Experts like Louise and Gregory Miller, the executive director of the international nonprofit Center for Responsible Travel, agree that carbon offsets act more like a Band-Aid than a solution to sustainable travel. But if they do decide to purchase carbon offsets, which reduce or remove emissions to compensate for those made during a trip, Miller suggests purchasing through a reliable, vetted program. Groups like Zapata's Sustainable Travel say they invest people's money into carbon-reducing projects centered on clean energy and biodiversity.

Think about how you pack

Pack light

The simplest advice when it comes to being a sustainable packer is to pack less, Zapata said. "Travel light," she said.
"You don't need 20 shoes to travel."

Blotter agrees and says that by packing lighter, you'll reduce carbon emissions. That's because the lighter the aircraft, train, car, or boat, the less energy is needed.

Louise added that by packing fewer items and using a carry-on, you'll get through security faster and avoid the hassle of checking a bag.

Pack reusable items

Francis suggests adding the items you use at home to your packing list. That might include a reusable water bottle, a bag for shopping, and utensils to avoid plastic cutlery.

Louise acknowledges that it might not be feasible for every traveler to carry a reusable water bottle, so she urges travelers to consider what other meaningful swaps they could make. For example, Louise said she swapped liquid shampoo and conditioner for shampoo and conditioner bars a few vacations back. The bars are lighter than liquid soaps, which means they save carbon emissions during transportation. Plus, many are packaged in recyclable paper instead of plastic.

The switch became permanent in Louise's daily life, she said, adding that it made traveling easier since she didn't have to worry about leaks or liquids at airport security. "It's a cool example of how we can look for more sustainable experiences that are also better travel experiences," she said. "Plus it opens our eyes to new habits that can help us become more conscious consumers as well."

Pack brands you support

If you're doing some pre-vacation shopping, Louise recommends buying from brands that place sustainability at the forefront of their business.

"If you're supporting corporations and brands that are working on sustainability as well, then that's going to move the needle and create change a lot quicker than we could as individuals," she said.

For tropical getaways, pack reef-safe sunscreen

If you're heading to Aruba or planning a diving trip in Belize, experts say travelers should ensure reef-safe sunscreen is on their packing lists.

"Sunscreen can be very damaging to the environment and not everybody knows," Zapata said.

Ingredients in everyday sunscreen can harm both coral reefs and local wildlife, according to the National Ocean Service. Look for a reef-safe sunscreen that lacks harmful ingredients like oxybenzone, octinoxate, nano titanium dioxide, and nano zinc oxide.

Where you stay matters, too

Look into a hotel's claims about sustainability

Between countless certification programs and eco-friendly branding, experts agree that it can be tricky trying to evaluate whether or not a hotel is actually contributing to a destination.

When researching different accommodations, look for specifics beyond being "eco-friendly" and giving up plastic straws, Miller says. He suggests looking for hotels with written policies about how they work with local communities, prevent food waste, and help environmental initiatives like reforestation and supporting local dive sites.

If they don't have that information, Louise urges travelers to ask questions: "If they are authentically sustainable, they'll be excited to answer them."

Blotter encourages travelers to choose accommodation options that are upfront about their environmental efforts.

"Hotels that are truly eco-friendly should have a sustainability statement and clearly stated initiatives visible on their website," Blotter said. "While sustainability certifications are great and make it easier for travelers to identify sustainable lodging, not all hotels embracing eco-friendly practices will boast such certifications."

Blotter said to look for certifications from organizations that look into the foundation and practices of locations, businesses, and facilities to see if they meet their standards for sustainability and environmentalism. Some of these include the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, Certified B Corporation, and Green Globe, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and WELL Building Standard.

Although some certifications indicate a hotel is sustainable, Zapata and Miller said guests shouldn't book solely based on certifications since they can be costly for smaller resorts and hotels to acquire. "If they've made a commitment to the communities, to the destination, and they understand that they're part of the community that is what's important," Miller said.

Once you arrive, Zapata said guests should look for evidence that their accommodation is following the claims it makes. Speak to housekeeping staff, check in with chefs about the food they're serving, and see if you get new towels each morning — if you do, you could help save water by skipping this service.

Stay at mom-and-pop hotels and inns

Picking a locally owned bed-and-breakfast over an Airbnb or big hotel is going to have a more positive impact on the local community, some of the experts Insider spoke with said.

"Short-term Airbnb-type holiday rentals might feel convenient, but they're having a devastating impact on some popular destinations — pricing people out of their homes and wiping out whole communities," Francis said. "Consider opting instead for a local homestay, B&B or local-owned hotel."

Make smart decisions throughout your stay

Use public transportation

If possible, experts suggest skipping a rental car. Instead, turn to the destination's public transportation.

"Don't discount your travel in the destination," Francis said. "Try and avoid internal flights, and consider ditching the private car or tour bus. There are loads of great human-powered, local-guided tours around — by foot, bike, or even kayak."

Eat local foods

Besides the flight to your destination, food waste will likely be the second-largest contributor to your vacation's carbon footprint, according to National Geographic.

"We traditionally don't think of sustainable tourism as something like, 'Oh, I can lay on the beach and have a cocktail, and that could have a positive impact on the world,'" Louise said. But if you think about where your food comes from and the story behind that, it can have a positive impact, she added.

That means seeking ingredients that are grown nearby instead of shipped across the country and checking to make sure restaurants are hiring locals and paying them fair wages. By evaluating restaurants on these items, you'll likely get "fresher and better foods that are unique to that destination," Louise said.

Seek off-the-beaten-path activities

Most experts agree that when it comes to exploring a destination, it's worth turning to locals for advice. That might mean joining a local Facebook group, sparking a conversation on a public bus, or finding a community-based tourism program.

"Look for ways to seek out local voices and to understand how they want their destination seen," Louise said. By talking to locals, you're likely to avoid contributing to over-tourism and have a more unique experience, she added.

Another way you can approach activities is by centering your plans around a cause you and your group care about, such as ocean conservation or LGBTQ rights, Louise said.

Once you've settled on a topic, look at how your actions and the activities you choose can support that cause. For example, you might eat at restaurants owned by diverse staff or seek voluntourism opportunities to protect a nearby beach.

Blotter recommends avoiding experiences that use animals as entertainment like elephant rides, and looking for charity-run activities instead.

When you're back from the activity, whether it was a volunteer job or a locally-recommended hike, Miller said travelers should "brag about it." He encourages people who are traveling responsibly to post about their experience and use word-of-mouth to inspire others.

Buy local

Pass on the manufactured magnets, mass-produced T-shirts, and generic keychains. Instead, Zapata said travelers should search for items that are unique and crafted by locals.

"If you're going to buy a memento, buy something that's actually made there," she said. That way you ensure the money spent on the souvenir is directly supporting the community.

While all of these decisions you make as an individual matter, Miller says that ultimately "the solution to everything is to get governments and major corporations to change and reduce their emissions period."

According to Miller, that's something travelers can do in the voting booth that can go a long way.

Better Me tips for sustainable living

Slide through the following cards to read more expert advice on sustainable living. Then check out the rest of the stories from Insider's Better Me series.

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Recommendations for responsible travel include considering the environmental impact of the destination, choosing fewer and longer stays, and selecting more sustainable modes of transportation.

Title:

Content: 7 simple ways to make your next trip more eco-friendly

PHOTO: Unsplash

AsiaOne has launched EarthOne, a new section dedicated to environmental issues — because we love the planet and we believe science. Find articles like this there.

Travel is finally open again and everyone is trying to make the most of it. But while you're at it, think about how you can make your travel more eco-friendly by leaving a smaller carbon footprint behind.

Sustainable tourism is all about reducing tourism's negative impacts and maximising its positive benefits for communities, cultures, ecosystems, and the planet, both for immediate impact and for future generations to come.

Here's how to be a more sustainable traveller:

Choose a destination that values sustainability

Did you know that choosing to travel to a conservation-minded destination is one of the most important things travellers can do? As a general rule, the shorter the distance you travel from home, the lower your carbon footprint.

Likewise, destinations that value their natural and cultural heritage not only elevate the quality of the travel experience, but also greatly support the livelihoods of those who work in the travel industry.

According to the 2022 Environmental Performance Index (a measure of the country's performance on high-priority environmental issues), Denmark, UK and Finland, take the top slots respectively as the world's most sustainable countries.

Get off the beaten path

Avoid over-crowded tourist trips and look beyond the trending top 10 bucket list destinations of the moment by getting off the beaten path.

While it may be tempting to go to the more popular places that everyone else is visiting, it is usually more rewarding to go somewhere that's still less traversed and off most people's radars.

Instead of going big and expected, visit smaller cities and help spread (economic) tourism benefits to other local communities.

If you do choose to visit crowded and popular cities, consider doing so outside peak (tourist) period times.

Tip: If you're planning a cruise, opt for a small ship cruise line because they can visit smaller ports and can help alleviate tourism pressure on common cruise destinations.

Visit parks and protected areas – but be responsible

National parks, marine sanctuaries, and other protected areas play an important role in protecting the planet's natural resources and biodiversity.

Many countries rely on tourism fees such as entrance fees and operator permits to preserve these special places and help fund the conservation activities necessary to protect these areas, while also providing income to local communities.

Just remember not to litter, to stay on clearly marked trails, and to leave the wildlife alone!

Support local economies

According to The World Tourism Organisation, out of every $100 spent during a trip, sometimes as little as only $5 actually benefits the destination! This means a huge missed opportunity for travel to support local economies.

Choose to book your trip from travel and environmentally-conscious activity providers that ensure tourism dollars go directly to local communities instead of big-chain businesses.

If possible, consider visiting places that need (economical) support such as somewhere that needs rebuilding after a disaster (earthquakes, hurricane, tsunami, etc).

Travel and tourism are one of the fastest ways to recovery and travellers can help further by volunteering in environmental and social projects to help rebuild the devastated communities.

Use eco-friendly modes of transportation

It's no surprise that travel is a significant contributor to climate change, with air travel and driving making up the largest part of tourism's carbon footprint.

Though all modes of transportation require energy, some are more efficient and cleaner than others, how you get to and from and around your destination makes a difference.

Read Also
8 tips to become a more sustainable traveller in 2022

In addition to travelling slowly via trains or bicycles (the environmental impact of a bike is zero) for example, there are other ways that you can reduce travel carbon emissions.

An extra bonus: slow travel is also better for the environment since it reduces the amount of carbon emissions generated by flying or driving between destinations.

However, remember that there's no one-size-fits-all guideline for which method of transportation is best, since carbon footprint also depends on the type of energy being used. Hence the most sustainable option will vary from one destination to the next.

For instance, electric trains in the Netherlands are powered by wind energy and public transport in Luxembourg is free, meaning you can save money and help the environment by hopping on a train, a tram, or a bus instead of renting a car.

Book eco-friendly accommodations

Before booking your next trip, consider how your choice of accommodation affects the local ecosystem.

A zero-plastic policy, using renewable energy from solar panels, a rainwater filtration system, planting trees and serving local produce for meals are all good examples of a hotel being eco-friendly.

ALSO READ: Travel eco-friendly by visiting these green resorts

Limit energy use and conserve water

Everyone loves a long, hot shower after a whole day of sightseeing but give a thought to how much energy and water is being wasted like this.

Make your stay as eco-friendly as possible by conserving local water and energy resources, turning off electronics not in use, and avoiding unnecessary laundering of bedsheets and towels.

This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg.

Travelers are encouraged to evaluate distance, opt for nonstop economy flights if flying is necessary, pack lighter to reduce emissions, and prioritize local, sustainable food choices.

Relying on local advice enhances both the sustainability and experience of the trip.

Europe’s popular destinations have struggled with overwhelming visitor numbers, highlighting the need for tourists to avoid overcrowded sites and choose locally owned accommodation.

Title:

Content: Travel expert explains how to find ‘room to breathe’ in overcrowded destinations

Some of Europe's most popular destinations have struggled to cope with surging numbers of tourists this summer. Express.co.uk spoke to an expert to find out how British tourists can avoid the crowds.

“There’s more to these places than the box office tourist sites" (Image: Getty)

Whether or , some top destinations have struggled with overcrowding this summer.

As travel restrictions fade into the past, more tourists than ever seem to be heading out to explore. Unfortunately, this means some destinations have become overcrowded.

Express.co.uk spoke to Sarah Faith, senior values writer at Responsible Travel, to find out how British tourists can escape the crowds.

Sarah told Express.co.uk : “Travelling outside of peak times is one of the best ways to avoid the crowds in popular destinations. But you could also get off the beaten track a bit.

“There’s more to these places than the box office tourist sites. Find out what the locals love, explore the surrounding villages or spend time browsing local farmer, artisan and flea markets.”

Tourists have complained of crowds in Rome (Image: Getty)

Although tourists often feel pressure to tick off a destination’s top sites, they could have a more rewarding experience heading to quieter spots.

Sarah added: “You’ll have more room to breathe, and have a more authentic experience too. Plus, you’ll help spread out the weight and benefits of tourism more. A win for everyone.”

However, when it comes to getting off the beaten track, Sarah says there are a few factors tourists should consider before booking a holiday.

She told Express.co.uk: “There are plenty of quieter destinations that offer exceptional culture and landscapes.

"You can make sure your holiday supports local people by choosing locally owned guesthouses" (Image: Getty)

“It’s important though that we don’t just transfer the problems of overtourism to another place. You can make sure your holiday supports local people by choosing locally owned guesthouses rather than Airbnbs run by out of town professional hosts, eating in restaurants that serve locally sourced produce and hiring a local guide to show you around.”

While Airbnbs can be a convenient option, locals in some top destinations have complained the properties price them out of the housing market .

Sarah said: “Places like Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik are great to visit, but they’re people’s homes too.

“When tourism takes over, it prices local people out of the housing market, closes local amenities and erodes the local culture and social identity that made us want to visit in the first place.

“Locals might be the first to lose out from overtourism but left unchecked, it kills off the tourist experience too. It’s in everyone’s interest to tackle the problem.”

France recently launched a campaign to encourage tourists to visit some of the country’s hidden gems. Leading attractions such as .

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Protests in the Canary Islands reflect frustration with economic dependence on tourism and the mounting pressure on local resources, epitomized by the slogan “The Canary Islands have a limit.”
Tourism can be both an economic boon and a social or environmental burden, with a significant impact on the climate given air and road travel’s carbon footprint.

Title:

Content: Today, on April 20, 2024, the Canary Islands are witnessing a widespread protest aimed at challenging the current development model heavily reliant on tourism. This significant event is set to occur simultaneously across all eight islands of the archipelago, as well as in various cities internationally including Málaga, Granada, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, London, and Berlin. The protests are unified under the slogan “The Canary Islands have a limit.”

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The protest aims to reshape the development strategy on the islands, highlighting concerns about the tourism sector’s role in economic disparity and resource consumption. Despite tourism supporting approximately 40% of employment and being a primary contributor to the GDP, it’s also associated with creating inequalities and not distributing wealth effectively among the local population. This is exemplified by the Canary Islands recording their highest tourist numbers alongside their highest poverty rates in both 2017 and 2023.

Organizers clarify that the intent is not to expel tourists or eliminate the industry but to implement limits and conditions, and address governance that prioritizes economic gains over broader interests. Key issues fueling the protests include:

  1. Low Wages and High Poverty Rates: The Canary Islands have some of Spain’s lowest salaries and a significant poverty rate, affecting over 33% of the population. The islands have experienced rapid population growth, particularly in Tenerife and Fuerteventura, exacerbating these issues.
  2. Environmental and Infrastructure Concerns: Despite having numerous protected spaces, the islands face challenges such as insufficient protection agents and underdeveloped infrastructure in health, education, and sanitation. Notably, several islands struggle with untreated wastewater being discharged into the sea.
  3. Housing and Over-Tourism: The spread of holiday homes has dispersed tourists across the islands, impacting local communities by driving up rental prices and displacing residents. This issue is compounded by the government’s initiatives to attract digital nomads, further straining the housing market.
  4. Legal and Regulatory Challenges: Recent government stances on controversial tourism projects, like those on La Tejita beach and Cuna del Alma in Tenerife, have sparked outrage for perceived favoritism towards developers despite legal infractions.

The protest is seen as a venting mechanism for accumulated frustrations with the aim to initiate significant changes in how the islands develop and manage tourism. Proposals include imposing a tourist tax to fund environmental conservation, enacting a moratorium on new tourist accommodations, and establishing residence laws to curb speculative real estate purchases by non-residents.

This protest is part of a broader call to reconsider the islands’ economic models, prioritizing sustainability and equitable growth over mere economic output. This event might mark the beginning of a significant shift in policy and public discourse around tourism and development in the Canary Islands.

The Canary Islands are on track to set a new historical record for tourist arrivals in 2024, continuing a trend of increasing numbers which began in earnest following the pandemic. With official estimates indicating a potential total of around 17 million visitors for the year, this surpasses the previous high of 16.2 million in 2023. These figures are bolstered by a significant recovery in tourism since the slowdown during the COVID-19 years of 2020 and 2021.

This surge in tourism is seen as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it signifies a robust recovery and a boon for the local economy, driven by both foreign and domestic visitors. On the other, it underscores the challenges and pressures faced by the islands, particularly in terms of infrastructure, local community impact, and environmental sustainability. This has led to today’s widespread protests across the Canary Islands under the campaign “Canarias tiene un límite” (The Canary Islands have a limit), highlighting concerns over the sustainability of this growth model.

The protests reflect broader anxieties about the direction of tourism development, which, despite its economic benefits, is perceived to exacerbate local issues such as high poverty rates, environmental degradation, and the displacement of local communities due to rising housing costs. These concerns are amplified by predictions that the influx of tourists may continue to grow, particularly with the diversion of tourists from Eastern Mediterranean destinations affected by geopolitical tensions, such as the conflict in Gaza.

In response to these pressures, there is a growing call for more responsible tourism practices. Organizations like Exceltur advocate for strategies that alleviate the saturation of local spaces and services, promote more sustainable transportation options, and address the social impacts of tourism. This includes managing the explosive growth of vacation rentals, which have significant negative externalities on local residents.

The protests and the ongoing discourse represent a critical juncture for the Canary Islands, as the community seeks to balance the economic advantages of tourism with the need for sustainable development and equitable growth. The outcome of these discussions and the ability of the islands to adapt to these challenges will likely shape the future of tourism and community life in the archipelago.

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Simple actions like using less water and energy during travel and visiting lesser-known locations can help spread economic benefits and reduce strain on major tourist sites.

A new global coalition, announced at COP26, aims to advance more sustainable practices worldwide, with some regions already beginning to implement changes.

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Content: US Markets Loading... H M S In the news

A new global tourism coalition, announced at COP26, aims to drive a more sustainable future for the industry

  • Ministers and organizations came together at COP26 to discuss climate change and tourism.
  • The discussion was aligned with the launch of a new global travel and tourism coalition.
  • The tourism industry is notoriously known as a major polluter, but it also provides millions of jobs in developing countries.

The global tourism industry, responsible for 8% of the world's carbon footprint, could be getting a rebranding. At COP26, speakers from around the world came together to celebrate the launch of a new coalition through the Sustainable Tourism Center (STGC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At the summit, they discussed how to transform the travel sector into an industry spearheading the way for a more sustainable future.

From depleting local resources to creating pollution and waste problems, there are plenty of reasons the travel industry has, in the past, been identified as a major obstacle to mitigating the effects of climate change. But today, that could be set to change.

As Felipe Calderón, former president of Mexico, put it in a COP26 panel discussion, announcing the coalition: "Tourism represents a real challenge for climate change." But it also "represents one of the greatest opportunities for human development." Before the pandemic, one in ten families were dependent upon tourism for their income; women and those in middle and low-income countries more than others. Transforming the industry, he, and other attendees agreed, could prove essential to ensuring not just environmental sustainability, but also the sustainability of local economies in a modernizing world.

"Tourism is a vital driver for the economy," said Saudi Arabia's Tourism Minister, Ahmed Al Khateeb. "We want to protect nature and support communities." Launched off the backend of the kingdom's Green Initiative, the Saudi Arabian government hopes the center will be a global hub, supporting international governments, travelers, and the private sector in adapting to challenges posed by climate change.

Saudi Arabia is set to be amongst the worst hit by climate change, with conditions in some areas likely becoming unlivable for humans within 80 years. However, the kingdom is reliant on fossil fuels and remains the largest oil exporter in the world. To adapt, foreign investment is needed, and the STGC hopes to attract just that.

Currently, other countries involved in the first phase of the coalition include the United Kingdom, United States, France, Japan, Germany, Kenya, Jamaica, Morocco, and Spain. Organizations such as SYSTEMIQ, The World Bank, the International Chamber of Commerce, and Harvard University are also involved in the process.

It's early days. But as Jeremy Oppenheim, Senior Partner at SYSTEMIQ said, "My hope is that this center transforms travel brands and industry and acts as a flywheel for solutions and practical actions — but we need to make this something everyone can join in on." Dubbing the tourism sector the "perfect industry for showing how we need to decarbonize and grow at the same time," he nonetheless highlighted a real concern at the summit: Action, not only agendas, are needed to enact real change.

In some places, that change is already in action. "In Kenya, 90% of our energy is green energy and by 2030 we want to be net-zero," said Secretary of Tourism for Kenya Najib Balala, another panelist. "Today, I'd also like to announce publicly that by 2030 all of our [wildlife] parks will be green." Electric cars will be used to transport tourists around the parks, and "if they're not electric, they won't be allowed."

However, there are many hurdles yet to overcome. And change will largely rely on technological innovations, many of which still need funding. "From 2035, when sustainable aviation fuels are available at scale, our emissions will decline," said Virginia Messina, SVP of advocacy and communications for the World Travel & Tourism Council. It is when sustainable fuel practices and operations are developed, that this industry can make the greatest leaps toward net-zero.

Funding this, and other innovations, will be tough. Panelist John W.H. Denton, secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce, says that to be successful, we must think beyond national boundaries for investment. "It's a huge sector, but there are nodes like hotel brands and cruise ships; if you get a few of those to be the first movers to go green, especially if you drive a green premium, others will follow."

This green premium — making climate-friendly options cheaper — is essential for the sector.  Of the 40 million businesses in tourism, 80% are small and medium-sized companies, according to Oppenheim. They are travel agencies, restaurants or hotels, without the budget for research and development.

The sector must combine small and large-scale projects, cutting across industries, with affordable and attractive green alternatives. It must also appeal to consumers. As Oppenheim said: "I'd love a tourist to say, 'I know how to make good choices, and I can plan my holidays in ways that will enable me to build a better world.'"

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Experts argue that making conscientious travel decisions empowers tourists to positively influence the world.

The innate desire to explore is a privilege that often carries costs for host communities, making thoughtful planning and ethical behavior essential.

Title:

Content: Looking for transformative travel? Keep these six stages in mind

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Jaco J. Hamman, Vanderbilt University

(THE CONVERSATION) After a cooped-up year, Americans are hungry to travel. Passport offices are overwhelmed with applications. In July, airlines scheduled and operated the highest number of flights since the pandemic began, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Record numbers of travelers visited the U.S. national parks this summer, after a nearly 28% drop due to the pandemic.

But why do we travel in the first place? What is the allure of the open road?

As a professor of religion, psychology and culture, I study experiences that lie at the intersection of all three. And in my research on travel, I’m struck by its unsolvable paradoxes: Many of us seek to get away, in order to be present; we speed to destinations, in order to slow down; we may care about the environment, but still leave carbon footprints.

Ultimately, many people hope to return transformed. Travel is often viewed as what anthropologists call a “rite of passage”: structured rituals in which individuals separate themselves from their familiar surroundings, undergo change and return rejuvenated or “reborn.”

But travelers are not just concerned with themselves. The desire to explore may be a defining human trait, as I argue in my latest book, but the ability to do it is a privilege that can come at a cost to host communities. Increasingly, the tourism industry and scholars alike are interested in ethical travel, which minimizes visitors’ harm on the places and people they encounter.

The media inundate tourists with advice and enticements about where to travel and what to do there. But in order to meet the deeper goals of transformative, ethical travel, the “why” and “how” demand deeper discernment.

In writing “Just Traveling: God, Leaving Home, and a Spirituality for the Road,” I studied travel stories in sacred scriptures and researched findings from psychologists, sociologists, ethicists, economists and tourism scholars. I argue that meaningful travel is best understood not as a three-stage rite but as a six-phase practice, based on core human experiences. These phases can repeat and overlap within the same journey, just as adventures twist and turn.

1. Anticipating

Traveling begins long before departure, as we research and plan. But anticipation is more than logistics. The Dutch aptly call it “voorpret”: literally, the pleasure before.

How and what people anticipate in any given situation has the power to shape their experience, for better or worse – even when it comes to prejudice. Psychology experiments, for example, have shown that when children anticipate greater cooperation between groups, it can reduce their bias in favor of their own group.

But phenomenology, a branch of philosophy that studies human experience and consciousness, emphasizes that anticipation is also “empty”: our conscious intentions and expectations of what’s to come could be fulfilled or dashed by a future moment.

With that in mind, travelers should try to remain open to uncertainty and even disappointment.

2. Leaving

Leaving can awaken deep emotions that are tied to our earliest experiences of separation. The attachment styles psychologists study in infants, which shape how secure people feel in their relationships, continue to shape us as adults. These experiences can also affect how comfortable people feel exploring new experiences and leaving home, which can affect how they travel.

Some travelers leave with excitement, while others experience hesitation or guilt before the relief and excitement of departure. Mindfulness about the stages of travel can help people manage anxiety.

3. Surrendering

Travelers cannot control their journey: A flight is canceled, or a vehicle breaks down; the weather report predicts sunshine, but it rains for days on end. To some extent, they have to surrender to the unknown.

Modern Western cultures tend to see “surrendering” as something negative – as hoisting a white flag. But as a therapeutic concept, surrendering helps people let go of inhibiting habits, discover a sense of wholeness and experience togetherness with others. The perfectionist learns that a changed itinerary doesn’t mean a diminished travel experience and lets go of their fear of failure. The person with a strong sense of independence grows in vulnerability as they receive care from strangers.

In fact, some psychological theories hold that the self longs for surrender, in the sense of liberation: letting down its defensive barriers and finding freedom from attempts to control one’s surroundings. Embracing that view can help travelers cope with the reality that things may not go according to plan.

4. Meeting

Meeting, traveling’s fourth phase, is the invitation to discover oneself and others anew.

All cultures have unconscious “rules of recognition,” their own ingrained customs and ways of thinking, making it more difficult to forge cross-cultural connections. Carrying conscious and unconscious stereotypes, travelers may see some people and places as uneducated, dangerous, poor or sexual, while hosts may see travelers as rich, ignorant and exploitable.

Going beyond such stereotypes requires that travelers be mindful of behaviors that can add tension to their interactions – knowing conversational topics to avoid, for example, or following local dress codes.

In many parts of the world, those challenges are intensified by the legacy of colonization, which makes it harder for people to meet in authentic ways. Colonial views still influence Western perceptions of nonwhite groups as exotic, dangerous and inferior.

Starting to overcome these barriers demands an attitude known as cultural humility, which is deeper than “cultural competence” – simply knowing about a different culture. Cultural humility helps travelers ask questions like, “I don’t know,” “Please help me understand” or “How should I…”

5. Caring

Caring involves overcoming “privileged irresponsibility”: when a traveler does not recognize their own privilege and take responsibility for it, or does not recognize other people’s lack of privilege.

[3 media outlets, 1 religion newsletter. Get stories from The Conversation, AP and RNS.]

Travel becomes irresponsible when tourists ignore injustices and inequities they witness or the way their travels contribute to the unfolding climate crisis. Ethically, “empathy” is not enough; travelers must pursue solidarity, as an act of “caring with.” That might mean hiring local guides, eating in family-owned restaurants and being mindful of the resources like food and water that they use.

6. Returning

Travels do end, and returning home can be a disorienting experience.

Coming back can cause reverse culture shock if travelers struggle to readjust. But that shock can diminish as travelers share their experiences with others, stay connected to the places they visited, deepen their knowledge about the place and culture, anticipate a possible return trip or get involved in causes that they discovered on their trip.

I believe that reflecting on these six phases can invite the kind of mindfulness needed for transformative, ethical travel. And amid a pandemic, the need for thoughtful travel that prioritizes host communities’ well-being is clear.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/looking-for-transformative-travel-keep-these-six-stages-in-mind-167687.

Tourism acts as an agent for economic integration, bringing both challenges and opportunities for sustainable improvement, as evidenced in regions like the Caribbean and Commonwealth countries.

Title:

Content: African Tourism Board Associations Country | Region Government News Jamaica News Rwanda Tourism Trending

Commonwealth is a 54-Country Strong Tourism Opportunity

Jamaica presented the idea of Commonwealth tourism cooperation at the 54 member meeting in Rwanda.

Rwanda is the newest country in the 54-member Commonwealth and the host of this year’s meeting. The East African nation’s president, Paul Kagame, said his country became a member of the union to benefit from its unity and development.

Leaders of 54 countries in the British Commonwealth are meeting in Rwanda to discuss trade, food security, health issues, climate change, and also tourism.

Commonwealth member states are meeting for the first time in four years to discuss ways to strengthen relations and tackle global problems ranging from health care and conflict to climate change and food security.

Speaking in Rwanda’s capital of Kigali and representing Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s Prince Charles said such a political union is still needed to overcome the world’s challenges.

Among the dignitaries attending is the King of Eswatini, His Majesty Mswati III, the host country of the African Tourism Board.

Tourism is showing face, with African Tourism Board Chairman Cuthbert Ncube attending.

Jamaica’s tourism minister Edmund Bartlett was wearing his hat as a global travel and tourism leader. He presented the idea and concept for a post covid tourism led framework for promoting economic convergence among commonwealth countries. Commonwealth Tourism at the Rwanda Forum.

Addressing a session on Sustainable Tourism & Travel during the Commonwealth Business Forum Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett argued that the tourism industry holds significant potential to boost economic convergence among Commonwealth economies.

The Commonwealth Tourism Organization was active 10-15 years ago and had discussions in Abuja, Nigeria, and Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on tourism cooperation between Commonwealth Countries.

Here is the transcript of the presentation on a post covid tourism-led framework by Minster Bartlett presented to the Commonwealth Business Forum in Rwanda.

Background

The ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic has produced a severe adverse socio-economic impact on the 54 countries of the Commonwealth stretching across the regions of Africa, Asia, The Americas, Europe, and the Pacific.

The Commonwealth is especially vulnerable to long-term economic shocks because it comprises 32 of the world’s 42 small states, each with a population of 1.5 million people or less (Commonwealth.Org, 2022).

Most of these economies are undiversified and heavily depend on primary industries, external trade, foreign direct investment, and tourism- which have all been severely impacted by the global economic downturn.

In 2021, the World Bank estimated that the Small States contracted by 7.1 percent compared to 1.7 percent for all emerging markets and developing economies (The World Bank, 2021). Small states also face fairly- fixed development challenges related to their narrow resource bases, small domestic markets, geographical remoteness, and vulnerability to environmental disasters (The World Bank, 2021).

The prolonged global economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has, however, offered an opportunity for hard-hit small states of the Commonwealth to re-calibrate their economic relationship with each other and the larger Commonwealth states.

Recalibrating economic relationship among Commonwealth Countries

Historically, trade levels among Commonwealth countries have remained very low. While the Commonwealth boasts the fastest growing countries in the world, with growth over the past two decades doubling that of the European Union, intra-Commonwealth trade amounts to only 17 % of Commonwealth members’ global trade with services trade enjoying a much smaller share, estimated at one-quarter of the total intra-Commonwealth trade (Commonwealth. Org, 2017).

Most Commonwealth countries are exporting mainly to countries located within their immediate geographical zones and with larger economies such as China, The United States, The UK, The Eurozone, India, Australia, and New Zealand.

Given this context, a part of accelerating the economic development of the Commonwealth may lie in fostering greater economic convergences among Commonwealth Countries.

Indeed, the Commonwealth collectively constitutes a sizeable market of 2.6 billion out of the world’s population of 7.9 billion that can be leveraged to promote more robust and sustained macroeconomic growth, especially in the area of export trade.

Tourism as a catalyst for promoting economic convergences among Commonwealth Countries

One industry that holds significant potential to boost economic convergences among Commonwealth economies is Tourism.

In 2019, tourism was the third-largest export category of the global economy, after fuels and chemicals, accounting for 7% of global trade (UNWTO, 2019).

Of the twenty countries in the world where tourism is the largest contributor to exports, thirteen are Commonwealth member states (Commonwealth Innovation, 2020).

Currently, Tourism is the lifeline of Commonwealth economies located in the world’s most tourism-dependent regions such as the Caribbean, The Pacific, the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean.

Unfortunately, the major source markets for tourist arrivals as well as for supplying inputs, such as goods and services, to the tourism industry in the Commonwealth are the developed economies of North America, East Asia (especially China), and Western Europe.

Consequently, the phenomenal pace of tourism growth and expansion over the years has delivered insufficient benefits to Commonwealth economies, due in large part, to the low levels of tourism trade among these countries which has prevented these countries from retaining much of the revenue generated from the industry

Strategies for boosting economic convergences among Commonwealth Countries through Tourism

The formulation of post-Covid-19 economic recovery and growth strategies for Commonwealth countries requires that these countries urgently rethink the existing frameworks of economic partnerships with the goal of realigning the boundaries of international trade in their favor.

This requires more synergies, collaborations, and partnerships that will foster economic complementarities and convergences among Commonwealth economies.

This will contribute to more value-added economic exchanges between smaller countries and with larger countries of the Commonwealth that will enhance intra-regional capacity to generate economic surpluses and retain more of the benefits derived from macroeconomic development.

The tourism industry can be a catalyst for fostering economic complementarities and convergences through the following strategies:

The promotion of labor mobility within the Commonwealth:

The Commonwealth is home to some of the world’s most appealing tourist destinations attracting high levels of foreign direct investment and poised for continued growth.

Tourism also happens to be one of the most labor-intensive segments of the global economy.

Both can be exploited to promote increased labor mobility across the Commonwealth, especially, since the pandemic has produced a crisis of labor shortage for many destinations and there is also generally a need for more high-skilled workers in the tourism sector, (hotels, attractions, cruises, etc.).

This will require new arrangements that will facilitate the seamless movement of skilled tourism workers across the Commonwealth region and sub-region.

Increasing goods and services trade:

The goal is to facilitate mutual trading arrangements that will enable more of the goods and services that are regularly used in the tourism industry to be manufactured and supplied by entities based in other Commonwealth countries. This will promote greater intra-regional participation in tourism and strengthen the benefits to local economies derived from tourism.

The development of aggressive marketing strategies to tap into larger Commonwealth markets:

Currently, tourist arrivals to Commonwealth Countries rely on traditional source markets such as North America, Western Europe, and now East Asia (especially China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan).

Nonetheless, as Commonwealth countries position themselves to be less volatile to shocks and grow their market shares, finding ways to tap into the lucrative and emerging tourism markets of other Commonwealth countries, especially those in Asia, should urgently form part of their focus.

India, in particular, has a population of 1.35 billion people and is the fastest-growing of the world’s major economies, and is currently the world’s fifth-largest economy.

The increase in disposable incomes and acquisition of substantial personal wealth in India provides a valuable opportunity for greater tourism linkages to be forged between smaller Commonwealth economies and India

Skill development, education, and training:

In the context of the growth of knowledge-based economies, the provision of knowledge has become a key driver of economic growth.

As the growth of the tourism industry continues to accelerate, there will be a growing demand for program and curriculum development to prepare the workforce for the jobs that will be generated across the tourism industry and that will help to raise the standards and prestige of tourism jobs.

This provides an opportunity for regional universities and other accredited centers and institutes based in Commonwealth Countries to offer formal training and certification targeting the citizens of other Commonwealth Countries who are interested in professional development as tourism workers.

Multi-destination arrangements:

The multi-destination strategy is one of three legacy outcomes from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2017.

A multi-destination arrangement is based on joint partnerships involving governments airlines, hotels, tour operators, and attractions that will enable visitors to seamlessly travel to two, three, or more geographically proximate nations and stays over in each destination.

Its promotion is consistent with the emerging view by tourism experts that the future fortunes of tourism in specific regions region may lie in economic convergence between complementary economies rather than stand-alone approaches.

This also constitutes a rational approach to economic integration that will allow the benefits of tourism to be spread across more economies in a region, thereby generating more economic opportunities for a greater number of people.

Indeed, successful multi-destination arrangements can increase tourist flows and promote mutual benefits for more destinations in the region.

The role of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC)

The Global Tourism Resilience Centre was established at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus in Kingston, Jamaica in 2018 as a global think tank that focuses exclusively on building resilience, disaster preparedness, and managing disruptions to the tourism industry, especially in the Global South.

The Centre has been called to operate in a global context that is characterized by not only new challenges but also new opportunities for tourism to improve the tourism product as well as to ensure the sustainability of tourism globally.

The GTRCMC stands ready to lead a future plan of action by the Commonwealth Secretary to deepen economic complementarities and convergences among Commonwealth countries to greater ensure that tourism development serves the long-term interest of Commonwealth regions and sub-regions.

Tourism in the Commonwealth

Tourism is central to many economies in the Commonwealth and growing industry in most. It contributes 2.7% to the total GDP of the Commonwealth, averaging 6.7% of GDP per country, and employs 34 million people overall. The smaller the economy, population, or country, it has been noted, the greater the significance of the sector to the economy. The highest contributions of the sector for instance are in the Maldives (28% of GDP), Seychelles (24%), Vanuatu (20%), and Antigua and Barbuda (17.4%) – all small island developing states.

In Commonwealth Europe heritage and culture are big draws for visitors; the countries are also wealthy and can extensively deliver top-end tourism. Cyprus has been successful also at drawing tourists from all types of markets from the UK to its beaches in the summer months.

Tourism is, directly and indirectly, central to the economies of the Caribbean; the smaller economies depend on it the most. Geography and climate are major attractions. The Caribbean is a major top-end tourism market and has a growing second home market.

In Commonwealth Asia, Malaysia and the Maldives have been relatively the most successful countries. Malaysia is the second most popular destination in the Commonwealth after the UK with 24 million people visiting the country in 2009, mostly from Asia.

With the exception of Fiji, Pacific island member states with their idyllic natural attractions have had limited success in tourism because of their remoteness and lack of infrastructure, although potential, as experts say, remains. Most of the arrivals are from Australia and New Zealand. Experts argue that regardless of remoteness Commonwealth Pacific islands can do much better given the success of mass tourism seen in Pacific island territories of the USA and France such as Hawaii and French Polynesia, respectively.

Australia and New Zealand attract all types of visitors from businesspeople to backpackers. Tourism Australia, the nationally funded tourism board, largely aims its marketing in Western Europe and North America at the experience seeker.

In Commonwealth Africa, wildlife, climate, and geography are major attractions. It is in wildlife that Commonwealth Africa has worldwide prominence with its extensive and popular game reserves such as the Serengeti (Tanzania), Kruger (South Africa), Masai Mara (Kenya), and Chobe (Botswana). Indeed, it is the national parks in the Commonwealth part of Africa that almost exclusively feature in most travel guides. Some countries such as Mauritius, South Africa, and Seychelles are top-end tourism destinations.

Canada is a major tourist destination. Cultural themes in its four major cities Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa are major draws for visitors. Canada is world-renowned for the quality and variety of its ski resorts which no other Commonwealth country can match.

Current Commonwealth Countries

AFRICA:

Asia

Caribbean and Americas

Europe

Pacific

About the author

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

Mount Fuji has experienced crowding and problematic behaviors, prompting authorities to impose access restrictions and consider tolls, reflecting the broader need for society to balance access and conservation.

Title:

Content: Restricting Mt. Fuji Climbers: Measures Necessary to Enable Safe Ascents of Legendary Peak

Mt. Fuji has long attracted people with its majestic presence. Many people hope to stand on its summit at least once. Sufficient measures must be taken to ensure safe and comfortable climbing.

The Yamanashi prefectural government has decided to limit the number of users of the trail on its side to 4,000 per day from July 1, the opening day of the climbing season. The move is aimed at reducing congestion. A toll of ¥2,000 per person will also be collected.

A gate will be set up near the entrance to the trail at the 5th Station, and access will be closed once the number of climbers reaches the maximum limit. The toll fees will reportedly be used for maintenance and management of the gate as well as for safety measures for climbers.

The number of climbers on Mt. Fuji totaled about 220,000 last summer, recovering to levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. The mountain trails get crowded, and there have been some cases of bad manners, such as the reckless overtaking of other climbers.

To preserve the appeal of the mountain and reduce the risk of accidents, certain restrictions are unavoidable. The toll should be considered a necessary cost to ensure safe and comfortable climbing.

“Bullet climbing,” in which people try to ascend to the summit by climbing all night without staying at a mountain lodge, has become a problem. It creates a high risk for hypothermia and altitude sickness. For that reason, the gate will be closed from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. The move should help deter the dangerous climbing behavior.

The trail on the Yamanashi Prefecture side has the highest number of users, accounting for about 60% of the total climbers. To avoid confusion at the site, it is necessary to thoroughly make the restrictions known to the public. Efforts should also be made to publicize the restrictions among foreign visitors, whose numbers have been growing rapidly in recent years.

On the other hand, the three routes on the Shizuoka Prefecture side do not limit the number of climbers or collect tolls. Instead, a pilot system will be introduced to ask people register their climbing itineraries in advance via smartphones or other devices, so that the number of climbers can be tracked as part of an effort to prevent people from attempting bullet climbing.

This is because there are several roads leading to the trails, making it difficult to collect tolls from all climbers. However, the routes on the Shizuoka Prefecture side may become crowded in the future with those who try to avoid paying the toll.

For the time being, it is important to analyze data from the planned pre-registration system to grasp the congestion situation. Depending on the situation, it may be necessary to consider introducing a restriction on the number of climbers.

It is also important for each climber to be aware of the issues. Even if a long-awaited climb is achieved, the effort will all come to nothing if the climber suffers injury, illness or other troubles in the process. Ideally, climbers should take all possible precautions and make a sensible plan.

Overtourism, a situation caused by the concentration of large numbers of tourists, has become a problem in many places. How can the environment of tourist destinations be protected? Society as a whole must think about the issue.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 4, 2024)

Managing overtourism demands clear public communication and comprehensive strategies that include community considerations and environmental protection.

An increasing number of people now want to travel the world, inspired by examples like Finnish writer Rauli Virtanen, who was the first to visit every country.

Title:

Content: Collection of impressions.
Why do so many people want to visit all over the world?
Photo: Travel by plane (pixabay.com)
Traveling around the world has become commonplace for many, and for some – the greatest hobby and collecting impressions.
The number of people visiting all countries of the world is growing every year.
Why many people tend to visit almost everywhere on the planet, RBC-Ukraine tells with reference to cnn.travel.
Traveling as a Collection of Countries
The number of people who visited 195 UN recognized countries and territories reaches 400.
According to travel tracking platform NomadMania, in 2023, another 50 people joined the list of record-breaking travelers.
The first person to visit all countries of the world is the Finnish writer Rauli Virtanen.
He visited all 170 countries recognized by the UN until 1988.
Since then, he has added new places to the collection.
He explained his desire to see each country with "the extraordinary interest and thinking of the collector."
The idea that countries can be “collectible ” arose much earlier than Rauli Virtanen voiced it.
In particular, since 1954, the organization has been operating for people who have visited 100 or more countries and territories of the world Travellers' Century Club (TCC).
Later, other platforms appeared, such as the tourist community Most Travelled People and Nomad Mania.
Photo: Tourists in New Zealand (pixabay.com)
Affordability of travel makes dreams come true
Michael O'Regan, a professor of tourism at Glasgow Caledonian University, believes that people have always had an interest in travel, but historically only those who had financial resources, career flexibility and good health could travel.
Today, more and more people can earn while traveling, and some decide to explore the world after retirement.
He notes that in the past, travelers faced visa problems and needed a “strong ” passport.
Today, thanks to low-cost airlines, visa on arrival and online booking systems, travel has become more accessible.
Only the COVID-19 pandemic created certain difficulties, putting travel "on pause" due to the closure of borders and lockdowns.
American Patrick Gilliland fulfilled his dream to visit all countries in 2023.
Although for a long time I doubted that the plan could be implemented.
“I thought that some places would be too dangerous or it would be impossible to get a visa there, ” he explained.
Many decided on the record after visiting a significant number of countries.
Social networks played a big role in the growth of the number of such travelers.
“The emergence of social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok means that someone will be constantly inspired by others seeking to visit different locations around the world.
Now it seems more affordable and feasible than ever, ” said Michael O ’ Regan.
However, it is important to recognize that this availability is limited only to those who have the financial means for frequent travel and passports allowing entry to different countries.
Photo: Visit locations in Africa (pixabay.com)
Not everyone has the opportunity to travel the world.
The first traveler to all countries, Rauli Virtanen, born in a rich country, says that he feels guilty that he belongs to a minority of people who can travel wherever they want.
Therefore, he never tells people in poorer countries that he has visited all the countries of the world.
"I was very lucky.
I had editors who would sign my travel expenses and accept my ideas about traveling to distant countries so that my readers and viewers would know what was going on, ” he notes.
Jamaican traveler Romaine Welds had limited opportunities to explore the world until he moved to the United States in 2007 and began working for an airline.
He began to travel thanks to free and preferential flights at his job.
Romaine Welds visited 100 countries, and then set out to visit the remaining 95 countries recognized by the UN, becoming the first Jamaican and Caribbean to achieve this.
Travelers spend different time visiting every country in the world.
Wells was able to implement this plan in about 15 years, Gilliland took about 40 years.
Some travelers have competed to achieve this in record time – for example, Taylor Demonbreun of Canada holds the title of “fastest time to visit all sovereign countries ”, reaching the goal in 1 year and 189 days.
Photo: The ancient city of Petra in Jordan (gettyimages.com)
"Jump from country to country and share selfies"
The increase in the number of people seeking to visit all countries of the world, who “jump ” from country to country and share only selfies, causes concern among“ collectors ”.
They note that to make this "feat" has become surprisingly easy, having enough funds and a passport.
"We are no longer a tribe of Lonely Planet travelers who carry backpacks.
Motivations are changing.
Most are still curious explorers, but vanity is gaining the upper hand now that the journey is becoming so easy, ” notes Rauli Virtanen.
While some travelers may be guided by a strong desire to visit every country, O'Regan expresses concern that the pursuit of "collecting" countries can lead to superficial journeys, neglecting a deep understanding of culture.
“There is an incentive to quickly“ jump ” across regions and risk exactly what we want to recover from: physical and mental burnout.
This underestimates the potential of travel for cultural exchange, self-reflection and the concept of slow travel. ”
Travelers "collectors" believe that "racing" around the world is a waste of money and note the importance of enjoying the journey at a moderate pace.
Photo: Tourist to USA, Alabama (unsplash.com)
What is considered a "visit" to the country
The idea of what constitutes a real “visit ” has been a hot topic of debate in recent years, and many travelers disagree on what the criteria should be.
Last year, NomadMania prepared detailed recommendations on the topic following a survey of its users in 2022 and 2023.
“It was important for me to learn as much as possible about every country I visit, ” says Gilliland.
He had to spend up to six weeks in the country performing tasks, but in smaller countries such as Monaco and Luxembourg, he spent only half a day.
“I believe that stops at airports and transit crossings do not fall under the concept of“ visiting ”.
But day trips to smaller countries like Nauru, San Marino, Andorra, Liechtenstein or Luxembourg are normal.
A true traveler stays for days or weeks in places like Lagos, Mumbai, Mongolia, Colombia, ” notes Virtanen.
As more and more travelers, who used to be hampered by border closures and political unrest, can now cross out their “final ” countries, it is expected that the list of visitors to each country will grow in 2024.
The achievements of people like Gilliland, Virtanen and Velds are likely to inspire others to travel like this or create new challenges in the coming years, fostering competition for titles and records.
Rauli Virtanen encourages those who aim to visit every country to find ways to contribute to improving the lives of those who cannot afford to travel.
We will remind, we wrote, why in the tourist places of the world ban selfies.
In pursuit of the perfect shot, many die.
We also talked about the 10 least visited countries on the planet.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has identified 10 destinations that are less likely to suffer from excessive tourism.

Modern travelers can work remotely or choose to discover the world after retirement, often documenting their experiences with selfies and social media.

Some travelers spend significant time in each country, while others briefly visit small nations solely for the achievement.

In the quest for memorable experiences and perfect photos, some tourists even risk their lives.

To counteract excessive tourist numbers, Venice is introducing an entry fee for day-trippers, following UNESCO’s warning about the city's status as a world heritage site.

Title:

Content: Tourists will have to pay to visit the center of Venice
From Thursday, April 25, the authorities of Venice will begin to charge a fee for visiting the city center by tourists who do not spend the night in the city.
Thus, Venice is trying to protect from the consequences of mass tourism, writes The Guardian.
The pilot project will run until July 14.
A ticket worth five euros per person can be purchased online.
It will have to be purchased by those wishing to visit the historic center of Venice from April 25 to July 14 from 8: 30 to 16: 00.
We are talking about the areas where St. Mark ’ s Square, the Rialto Bridge, the La Fenice Opera House and other popular tourist attractions are located.
If the tourist does not have a mobile phone or Internet access, the ticket can also be bought in tobacco shops or at water taxi stands.
Tourists will be provided with a QR code, which must be saved as proof of payment of the fee.
Tickets will be checked selectively.
The penalty will be from 50 to 300 euros.
At the same time, you will have to pay for a ticket only for those who come to Venice for one day without spending the night.
Mayor Luigi Brunaro called his decision to introduce fees for tourists coming for one day "bold".
He also compared himself to the Venetian explorer Marco Polo, who dared to go where others feared.
At the same time, critics of the idea believe that a fee of five euros is unlikely to scare off a large number of tourists.
City tourism councilor Simone Venturini said mass tourism in the city began in the 1960s.
Since then, the number of visitors to the city has grown so much that in peak seasons it is visited by an average of 40 thousand people a day.
Earlier, the authorities of Venice banned large cruise ships to pass through its center.
Despite this, last year the city almost got into the black list of UNESCO, in which there are objects in danger of extinction.
The organization believed that the Italian authorities were not able to fully protect the city and the surrounding lagoon from the effects of mass tourism and climate change.
As a result, Venice was not included in the black list after the city authorities decided to introduce fees for tourists.
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Globally, resource consumption is rising, with the "Earth Overshoot Day"—when humanity exceeds nature’s budget—arriving earlier each year.

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The day of environmental debt in 2022 will come on Earth July 28
The day of ecological debt, when humanity will spend resources that the Earth can restore in a year, will come in 2022 on July 28, a day earlier than in 2021, the press service of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reported on Sunday.
Photo: TASSTASS
As explained in the fund, the day of environmental debt comes when the resources that the planet is able to recreate in a year, run out, and we begin to “borrow ” from future generations.
Every day, humanity cuts down 27 thousand hectares of forest, emits 90.4 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, sends up to 5.5 million tons of garbage to a landfill.
In order not to face catastrophic consequences in the future and reduce the ecological footprint, environmentalists called for a conscious and careful attitude to nature and its riches - to save water, electricity, not to buy excess, to monitor eco-labels on goods, as well as to behave responsibly in nature.
Video of the day
In 2022, the day humanity begins to borrow resources from the planet will come on July 28, a day earlier than in 2021.
This year, WWF launches a traditional campaign dedicated to the day of environmental debt, in anticipation of the tourist season.
The theme of the event is eco-tourism.
The Foundation will tell that responsible consumption is not only about saving resources and “right ” purchases, but also our behavior while traveling in nature.
As noted in the Fund, today domestic tourism is especially popular, including in nature reserves and national parks of Russia.
Nature lovers began to travel more to the most remote corners of the country, but entrepreneurs and national parks, which are engaged in receiving tourists, were not ready for a significant increase in the flow.
As the infrastructure was designed for fewer people, threats to wild animals and plants arose.
Ecology and tourism
"In pursuit of trends, representatives of the tourism industry began to often use the prefix" eco "in the description of their services.
Often they do not have sufficient grounds for this, and real harm is done to nature.
If tourism with visits to wildlife is organized in bad faith, then the landscape is destroyed, the balance of the ecosystem is disturbed, animals are disturbed, nature is polluted.
It would seem that in this case the easiest way is to ban visits to natural areas altogether.
But there is another, more constructive way in which we contribute to the multiplication of the country's natural resources - ecotourism.
Within the framework of the campaign "Eco-Debt Day - 2022", we talk about how mass tourism can bring not only joy to travelers, but also benefit nature, "said the director of WWF Russia, whose words are quoted in the message.
Calculation of the date of the day of environmental debt is carried out by an international organization - the Global Ecological Footprint Network (GFN).
Its experts compare the rate of human consumption of biological resources (human ecological footprint) with the ability of the planet to recover.
The earlier the day of eco-debt comes, the greater the debt to the planet and future generations, and vice versa, the closer to the end of the year the date shifts, the less debt.
In 2020, the day of eco-debt came on August 22, and in 2019 - on July 29.

There are calls to restrict or even ban visits to sensitive natural areas as tourism booms even in remote destinations like the Maldives and Turkey.

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Content: Travel news
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What awaits the tourist season in 2023 and where now to rest Russians
Travel keeps pace with the times and responds to everything that happens in society.
Photo: Championship.comChampionship.com
The number of travelers around the world has long exceeded 1.5 billion.
They ride, swim, fly, visit new places and discover new facets of themselves.
Sometimes one trip can change everything, leave a lasting impression for a lifetime.
But where to travel if the list of directions is dizzy.
There are so many offers that it is very difficult to understand them.
In such a situation, you should listen to the trends, they will help you choose the perfect vacation.
Video of the day
Since change is inevitable, and the world changes every second, the tourism industry does not stand still.
What trends can be observed in 2023?
Oriental style
The tourist ’ s eye rushes in the Asian direction, in contrast to the previously existing European one.
Thailand, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and even Mongolia – these areas are becoming more and more popular.
Even to the Maldives, tourists began to fly much more often, you can not even talk about Turkey.
Abroad is good, but at home is better
The popularity of recreation in Russia is growing.
On the one hand, this is a much more reliable and less troublesome option compared to foreign trips, on the other hand, there is a noticeable improvement in the conditions for tourists, ranging from accommodation to the quality of excursion services.
At the last moment
The depth of the reservation is sharply reduced.
Until the decision is made just a couple of days before departure.
This is due to increased risks, lack of confidence in the future, as well as negative experiences formed during the pandemic.
Rest with benefit
Such areas as health tourism and river cruises have significantly rejuvenated.
Now not only pensioners restore health in sanatoriums and ply on liners along the rivers of the Volga-Kama basin, but also younger tourists.
Now or never
Due to the reduction of delayed life syndrome, the total number of trips is growing.
A very interesting trend, behind which there is an awareness of the finiteness of everything, the meaninglessness of accumulations, the value of impressions and memories.
When preparing for a new trip, whether long or short, remember these trends.
Maybe you should give in to one of them and make a journey in a new direction for you.

While international travel grows, domestic tourism—such as in Russia—is also on the rise as people seek new experiences closer to home.

Some suggest shifting the focus to the quality rather than the quantity of tourism to minimize its negative impacts.

Title:

Content: Extreme weather events, economic and geopolitical uncertainty – the global travel and tourism industry is facing new obstacles.
Against such an alarming background, this time the annual World Travel Market trade fair takes place in London.
Vasil Zhigalo, Director of World Travel Market:
“Obviously, one of the problems is the financial pressure we have experienced in the last few years, the high interest rate.
But what we ’ ve actually seen is that people aren ’ t willing to compromise, they ’ re still spending money on travel. ”
Due to the high temperatures and forest fires, this summer turned out to be difficult for Greece.
The climate crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing travel and tourism.
Dimitris Frangakis, Secretary General of the National Tourism Organization of Greece:
“I am optimistic because we have a plan to adapt our economy, our society, our environment and, of course, our tourism to the challenges of climate change.
I think we will be able to avoid too much negative impact on tourism. ”
Tourism is recovering from Covid.
According to the UN World Tourism Organization, between January and July 2023, the number of international tourists reached 84% of the pre-pandemic level.
Dave Googer, Managing Director of EMEA (Tourism Economics):
“People are looking for more packages.
They are looking for cheaper directions.
But at the same time, we see that luxury travel is experiencing a real boom.
So in the tourist market, everyone will find something for themselves.
People want to travel whenever they can. ”
And as travelers return, the focus in destinations is on controlling numbers.
Anna Kekelia, National Tourism Administration of Georgia:
“Responsible travelers are very important to us.
This means that we focus on quality, not quantity.
This means that we are also thinking and developing at this stage such resorts that you will not be allowed to just visit, where you are not even allowed to drive. ”
Travel and tourism is an industry in adaptation mode, it defines its future for 2024 and beyond.
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Ecotourism appeals to travelers who prioritize environmental criteria in choosing their destinations.

Title:

Content: The expert told what criteria tourists choose ecotourism
Executive Director of the National Association of Organizations for the Development of Rural and Ecotourism Vadim Kalinichev told in the media center of PAE on October 27, according to which criteria tourists choose ecotourism.
According to the specialist, many people come and ask about places where you can relax from the phone and the Internet.
“We all love gastronomy, there is a very interesting connection that gastronomy does not itself fill tourism, they get the opportunity to sell it through rural tourism, ” Kalinichev added.
Vadim Kalinichev is sure that tourists remember tastes and smells.
The speaker also highlighted ethnography and ecological tourism, when people are most scrupulous about nature and try to support it.
“There are areas that contribute to the restoration of places, cleaning the territory, ” the expert stressed.
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Historically, travelers were independent and self-sufficient, capable of navigating and surviving in unfamiliar places, but such personalized experiences are rare today.

Efforts to create unique, small-scale tourism options continue but have struggled to replace mass tourism models.

Title:

Content: Tourists - what stands before your eyes when you say this word?
In late Soviet times, there was someone in a windbreaker, with a backpack, ready to quickly install a tent, light a fire with one match and able to find a way, both with and without a compass.
There was another similar word, pronounced first with irony, and then with a breath - "intourist".
This “strange beast ” was incomprehensible, they looked at him with caution and did not understand what he was talking about in his language.
Later, already at the end of the existence of the USSR, the intourist became a source of jeans, plates and currency, since traveling abroad, even to the countries of “people ’ s democracy ”, not to mention capitalist countries, was available to a limited number of Soviet citizens.
A movie quote.
"The Diamond Hand".
Directed by L. Gaidai.
Mosfilm, 1969
Now with the word “tourist ” there are completely different associations.
Many compatriots visited not only tourist Turkey and Egypt, but also in many countries of Europe and the world and can get an idea of   the tourist service.
And having already got used to a certain standard of service abroad, we expect about the same service in our home country.
Nevertheless, despite the recitations of the relevant officials about the importance and necessity of tourism development, these words are perceived by many, including those in power, as some mantras, which must be repeated, but not taken seriously.
Tourism as a sector of the world economy
Meanwhile, tourism revenues as a contribution to global GDP may soon be in second place after oil revenues.
The dynamics of the movement is impressive: in 2013, tourism as an export item ranked fifth in the world after oil, chemical, food and automotive industries, in 2015 it was third, overtaking the food and automotive industries (according to the UN special agency UNWTO).
In 2016, the demand for international tourism remained the same, despite some difficulties.
According to the UNWTO Barometer of International Tourism, the number of international tourist arrivals increased by 3.9% and reached a total of 1 billion 235 million.
In 2016, the number of international tourists (overnight visitors) increased by about 46 million compared to 2015.
2016 was the seventh consecutive year of sustained growth since the global financial and economic crisis of 2009.
Such a period of continuous, stable growth has not been observed since the 60s of the XX century.
As a result, in 2016, the number of international tourists traveling around the world increased by 300 million compared to the pre-crisis figure for 2008.
Revenues from international tourism increased at a commensurate pace during this period.
And although outbound tourism, due to the decline in income in Russia is at a low level, despite a certain stabilization of the economy, the possibilities of inbound tourism are not fully used.
Russian regions are a storehouse of potential tourist routes.
These are historical and cultural monuments, ecological tourism, the richness of natural diversity.
Most foreign tourists visit mainly Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Golden Ring.
After the Olympics-2014 there were foreigners in Sochi, although there, mostly now rests Russian tourist.
There are attempts to create other tourist products, but they are not effective enough.
Baikal still can not boast of infrastructure for receiving tourists.
Kamchatka, rather, will be able to visit lovers of thrills and owners of not skinny wallets.
The Russian Arctic is taking steps to attract tourists, and even quite successful, but this season, for example, it is said about 1,000 tourists, and one cruise liner arriving in St. Petersburg brings up to 4,000 people.
That is, it is also a kind of exclusive, not mass tourism, but it is important and necessary, if this is correctly and in the right proportions to convey to a foreign audience.
Do I need a visa to enter Russia?
According to some experts, the situation can change the facilitation or abolition of the visa regime for residents of a number of EU countries and North America.
After the introduction of the law on visa-free stay of tourists for 72 hours arriving by sea, the flow of cruise tourists to St. Petersburg increased by more than 1.5 times, but cruise tourism is still a holiday closer to the premium, at least in the mass consciousness.
Attempts to adopt a law in the State Duma of the Russian Federation that allows tourists arriving by plane or train to board cruise or ferry vessels to stay without visas for 72 hours have not yet been successful.
Not to mention the wider application of the law and allowing all EU citizens to stay in Russia for 72 hours.
After all, to identify undesirable, dangerous and illegal citizens, it is enough to have biometric passports, and check at the border of the absence in the lists of Interpol and Europol, in the Russian databases of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
For all holders of bio passports, it is possible to put an additional requirement of sufficient financial security.
For now, even the thought of it seems seditious.
The main objections from the Foreign Ministry relate to the principle of reciprocity, because for Russian citizens such preferences in the European Union in the near future are not provided.
But after all, at the end of the Obama presidency, Russian diplomats were expelled from the United States, and there were no retaliatory measures on our part, in anticipation of the change of presidents in the United States.
So, there are exceptions to the principles of reciprocity, can we make an exception to the question of the availability of visas?
Simplification of entry to Russia can significantly increase the tourist flow and bring additional revenues to the budget, make tourism a really important income industry, one of the additional sources of revenue to the budget in the period of low oil prices.
The current procedure for issuing visas for foreigners is quite bureaucratic and not cheap, and is one of the limiting factors for the development of inbound tourism.
Now, according to the direct contribution of tourism to employment, Russia is on the 162nd place in the world between Yemen and Sierra Leone and is 1.2% (according to the open data aggregator Knoema), and the total contribution of tourism to Russia's GDP in 2016 amounted to 62.6 billion dollars.
For comparison, in the US in 2016, $1,509 billion, Germany $376 billion, India $208 billion.
As you can see, employment and income figures show that growth opportunities exist, and they are quite large.
Are there fewer tourist attractions in our country than in Germany?
Tourism and Soft Power
In addition to the great economic potential that exists for the country with an increase in the number of tourists, and the possibility of involving a large number of workers in the tourism industry, as well as the development of small businesses, we must not forget that attracting more foreign citizens who visited our country can become one of the points of application of the so-called soft power.
In the American and European media, a certain stereotype of the perception of Russia has been formed, and it is clearly negative.
Some voices in the media and social networks describing Russia as a country not only rich in its historical and cultural past, but also as a modern European power with its own view on some issues of modern life, sound just from those who visited us and saw with their own eyes that Russian is not only a man with a balalaika, with a bottle of vodka in his pocket with a bear.
The more foreign citizens visit our country, communicate with local residents, the more difficult it will be to convince them later that Russia is the offspring of hell, the most terrible threat to humanity, ahead of even ISIS (an organization banned on the territory of the Russian Federation).
Of course, the visa issue is only one of many, it is necessary to develop tourism infrastructure, raise standards of tourist services in the regions, prepare and offer new tourism products, inform foreign travel companies about new opportunities in the regions of Russia.
All these and other issues have been discussed in the country for more than a decade.
They can be moved out of place if decision-makers realize that the contribution of income from tourism both to the regional budget and to the federal budget, with the right approach, can be quite large, especially for regions rich not in minerals, but in objects of history and culture.
If this awareness really comes, then all the necessary activities can be filled with real content.
The abolition of visas for Europeans, of course, will not happen now, it looks too radical in our modern realities, but it is necessary to start talking about it or at least about the maximum simplification of issuing visas, about the electronic method of applying or obtaining a visa right at the border.
The tourism industry, small business and the country as a whole will benefit from these events.

Increasing tourism has economic benefits, providing jobs, supporting small businesses, and serving as a tool for soft power to improve national influence.

Tourism operators are urged to act responsibly, educating clients about local expectations and the importance of minimizing their footprint, like leaving no trash behind.

Author-led tours can sometimes compromise tourist safety.

Title:

Content: Tourism expert spoke about author 's tours
Galina Degtyar, an expert on tourism and professor at RANEPA, spoke about why you should not go to author's tours.
This is reported by “Moscow speaking ”.
She noted that such tours are often organized by non-professional travel companies, so such a holiday can be dangerous.
Especially for those who go hiking in the mountains or go on other dangerous journeys.
The expert added that such tours must necessarily be people with the appropriate classification, for example, instructor-guides know how to act in case of emergency, where to call and to whom to report their location.
In the case of an author ’ s tour, this may not be safe.

Mass tourism began in the 19th century, making destinations like Switzerland accessible to many, but limited time led travelers to rush through sights.

Title:

Content: Thursday, 13 July 2023
"...
"... on a march en troupeau, on a regard en troupeau"
Author:, Geneva,.
Since the end of the 19th century, travel to Switzerland has become accessible to an increasing number of people.
Old poster
Since the end of the XIX century, travel has become available not only for the rich, but also for the middle classes of the population.
Switzerland is increasingly opening its doors to anyone who wants to admire the alpine landscapes and other beauties.
Gradually, tourism is replacing “just travel ”: the country is confidently embarking on a path that several decades later will lead to the beginning of an era that made this phenomenon mass.
Like any phenomenon, tourism has positive and negative sides.
Mark Twain writes about this with his characteristic humor in his book “Walking through Europe ”:“ It is amazing how in our century everything has changed in Switzerland, and in all of Europe.
About seventy or eighty years ago, Napoleon was the only person who could be called a tourist - he was the only one who really interested in tourism and paid attention to it, he was the only one who took long journeys - now anyone goes anywhere, even to the ends of the world; and Switzerland and other places, a hundred years ago considered an unknown reserve, now every summer turn into a buzzing hive, inhabited by an unknown "The Tourists."
The birth of tourism meant not only an increase in the number of people coming to a particular country, but also a change in many aspects of travel.
Already in the middle of the XIX century, the famous English writer and artist John Ruskin warned about the negative aspects that inevitably accompanied the emergence of a new phenomenon.
In 1864, speaking to entrepreneurs, he stigmatized those who, in his opinion, their actions brought the end of the era of travel, in particular, and in Switzerland.
According to Raskin, the journey turned into a pursuit of entertainment, and the impressions received by the modern traveling public, he compared with the pleasure of attractions.
“Your idea of   what pleasure is is limited to traveling in a railway car.
Why, I ask, did you throw the railway bridge over the Schaffenhausen waterfall, why was it necessary to build a tunnel through the rocks under Lucerne?
You just destroyed the shores of Lake Geneva, especially in the Clarence area.
Even in the Alps you see as a fairground attraction, as a slippery post, on which you need to climb for the fun of the public and then roll down it, issuing so-called enthusiastic cries! ” he wrote.
Of course, Raskin can be accused of retrograde: the call to stop the construction of bridges across rivers and the laying of tunnels through the thick earth is tantamount to an attempt to stop technological progress.
However, it is impossible not to admit that he very accurately identified the problem.
Yes, the developed infrastructure allows more people faster and easier to get to the most remote corners of Switzerland, but at the same time, technological progress does not facilitate, but complicates the genuine contact with nature, does not allow you to truly appreciate the beauty.Tourists could see more in a short time and do it in fairly comfortable conditions, but they lost the opportunity to plunge into the real life of the country with all its pros and cons.
In 1903, the magazine "Russian Tourist" published an interesting article "A few words about tourism", dedicated to this topic.
It noted that “the difference between the tourist and the traveler is as great as the different methods and means used by both in the movement. ”
The tourist “needs endurance, adaptability, the ability to quickly navigate, choose from the mass of phenomena the most outstanding, remember them and recycle ”.
As a result, the author defined tourists as follows: these are people “who are in a hurry to take advantage of the sparsely measured rest and replace everyday impressions with fresh ones. ”
Going on the road, the tourist and the traveler pursued various goals.
The task of the tourist is to relax, have fun, get new impressions.
The traveler sought to acquire new knowledge, to get acquainted with a new country, people, their mores and customs.
As a rule, he undertook a journey in order to enrich his life experience, to become a more perfect person.
The most important difference between a tourist and a traveler is the difference in time they devoted to the trip.
Limited time was one of the most important characteristics of the tourist, who often did not have the opportunity to make a detailed inspection of the city: he only needed to have time to run around the most important sights.
Limited time predetermined another important difference between a tourist and a traveler: the tourist had to plan in advance, organize a trip, and this meant that he needed the help of a guidebook and, preferably, a travel agency.
The traveler, going on a trip, of course, also planned what he would like to see.
But these plans were quite approximate, they could change depending on the circumstances.
Ideally, the tourist should know in advance what and when he will inspect.
As a result, this became another characteristic feature of tourism: the tourist often did not discover anything new, but only followed the program offered to him.
John Ruskin wrote with bewilderment about the advertised trips “Europe in a Week ”.
These railroad marches were organized, beginning in 1862, by the first tourist company of Thomas Cook, of which we have already told.
“A journey made at a speed of one hundred miles per hour will in no way make us stronger, happier or wiser internally.
There is and will always be something in the world that needs to be approached slowly.
The faster we sweep past such places, the less we see, the less we remember and the less we understand.
The real value is not speed, but slow contemplation, comprehension and memorization.
A bullet does not bring happiness, no matter how fast it flies.
A person, if he really wants to become a truly wise person, will only be enriched if he moves from one interesting place to another without unnecessary haste.
Indeed, only during long, unhurried trips you can enjoy the landscapes, capture what you saw in your heart, and most importantly, learn to appreciate the beautiful.
The idea that memories of the journey can help in the future to experience happy moments comes the English poet William Wordsworth, who was in Switzerland in 1790.
Leaving Geneva, he crossed the Chamonix Valley, climbed the Simplon Pass, and then descended the Gondo Gorge to Lake Maggiore.
He not only visited the Alps, but walked most of the route on foot.
In one of the letters to his sister, he describes his feelings: “Now that the landscapes seen on the way are imprinted in my memory, I can hardly live even one day without remembering them and not receiving another portion of happiness from contemplating, albeit mentally, these beautiful images. ”
The discovery of Switzerland by the first Russian travelers was also the result not of march-throws, but of long, unhurried trips.
Thus, the famous historian Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin spent about seven months in Switzerland from the beginning of August 1789 to the beginning of March 1790.
As a result, he knew the country so well that he was able to tell the Russian reader not only about its landscapes, sights, but also about the mores of its inhabitants.
Another famous Russian traveler of the XIX century, the poet Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky, came to Switzerland three times: first in 1821, and then in 1832-1833.
For him, staying in Switzerland is not just a sight of beautiful landscapes.
In nature, in the broad sense of the word, the poet appreciates what it gives for the soul of man, he sought to merge with it, allowing to purify and renew the soul and mind.
Zhukovsky constantly writes about this: “The nature that surrounded me was beautiful, but the main charm of the surrounding is our soul, is the feeling that it brings to the sanctuary of nature. ”
The journey through Switzerland left such a strong impression on the poet that even many years later he exclaimed: “Yes, I climbed Fourka, Gotthard!
These sublime, incomparable pictures of nature will always stand before my spiritual eyes. ”
To experience such emotions, to experience such intensity of feelings and to take a fresh look at the world, of course, is much more difficult, if at all possible, during a short tourist trip.
The tourist seeks to get pleasure from the trip, which means that he needs comfort, not extra effort.
Otherwise, he will not enjoy the trip.
Brilliantly formulated the goals of the tourist modern author Philip Giset in his book "The Art of Travel": "Minimum suffering and maximum pleasure - this is the motto of the tourist."
The traveler, unlike the tourist, on the contrary, is ready for the difficulties that the road has prepared for him, comfort is much less important.
Previously, travelers were constantly faced with unforeseen situations, even with risk, each trip was a kind of adventure, and it was an indispensable part of the journey.
With organized tourist trips, the probability of encountering a risky situation was minimized, which did not inspire enthusiasm for everyone.
Thus, P. Jakubowicz ’ s guide to Rome and Southern Italy, published in 1874, noted: “The journey has lost a significant part of its poetry from the absence of numerous small adventures, which are told in many old books; but it seems that everyone will prefer the late journey in the railroad car to poetry associated with the very dangerous attacks of robbers. ”
But how often it is experienced difficulties and even dangers that allow you to feel what is happening more acutely, leave the strongest impressions.
Let us turn, for example, to the memoirs of the Russian artist Alexander Benois.
In 1894, he decided to travel through the Saint-Gotthard Pass not by train through the tunnel, but by wheelchair, as was customary in earlier times.
The night that caught him on the pass, he spent in a hotel, where it was so cold that he and his wife were seriously afraid of freezing.
It was a real test.
But the greater was the pleasure of the next day: “But how wonderful was the whole subsequent day from the moment when we sat in the carriage ordered the day before and drove along the beautiful smooth highway.
“We have had some fun.
There is that excitement that always covers after the fact that some danger has passed, and you embark on an adventure, being sure in advance that it will end safely.
The stroller was old-fashioned, but comfortable, the springs were excellent, well-fed horses ran straight trot, the coachman with impressive fortitude was the most reliable kind.
For most people, limited by both time and material frames, the trip, as Raskin wrote about it at the dawn of tourism, was increasingly reduced to receiving emotions similar to those that a person receives from an attraction.
About such a tourist in more than a hundred years Joseph Brodsky will say: "I doubt even whether I saw what I remember looking at...".
First, the eyes “replaced ” cameras, now in their place came camera phones, and the main task of most tourists was to see and shoot as much as possible.
There is a feeling of mass psychosis: people seem to be afraid that if they do not capture the next attraction, the trip will lose its meaning, and they will not remember what they saw.
Actually, it's not that simple.
A look through the camera of a camera or phone captures the object, but does not allow you to perceive it to the fullest, pulls it out of the context of the surrounding landscape and thereby not only impoverishes the picture, but also does not allow you to enjoy it fully, and therefore complicates the process of memorization.
Today, when almost everyone can go beyond the three nine lands, all the trends mentioned above have finally prevailed.
The modern tourist prefers such a trip by plane, by train or by car, in which unpleasant surprises are minimized.
Romanticism is not in vogue today, the purpose of the trip has become more mundane, pragmatic, for many it is minimized: to make a “selfie ”, which will immediately be sent to friends and acquaintances.
And such a person often evaluates his trip not by the impression that he had seen, but by the number of “likes ” under his photos.
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Some travelers seek a deeper connection with nature or culture, valuing soul-enriching experiences over simply checking off destinations.

The pressure to document every sight can lead to a superficial experience, leaving travelers feeling disconnected from what they saw.

Overtourism is thus a complex phenomenon driven by broader accessibility, economic incentives, social media, and shifting traveler motivations, with significant social, environmental, and economic consequences for popular destinations worldwide.

Overtourism refers to the phenomenon where an excessive number of tourists overwhelm a destination, causing congestion, pressure on resources, and negative social, environmental, and economic impacts.

Title:

Content: Global News
The world today - spraying with water guns..
Are tourist expulsions spreading in Europe?
You are now following the news of spraying with water guns.
Are tourist expulsions spreading in Europe?
From the World News section and now we leave you with the full details
SAHAD MOHAMMED - Abu Dhabi on Friday 19 July 2024 04: 25 PM - Spain's tourism unrest has reached its peak in the past few days, with some locals in Barcelona spraying tourists with water guns and canned drinks, asking them to go back to where they came from.
Angry residents, numbering about 3,000, blocked the entrances to hotels and cafes in the Barceloneta neighborhood in a symbolic attempt to express their indignation at the excessive tourist overcrowding in their city.
This is not the first time tourism has been highlighted as a problem in Spain, where the country, which attracted 85 million visitors in 2023, has seen a series of protests against excessive tourism in the country, especially in the city of Barcelona with a population of 1.6 million, which received more than 7.8 million visitors in 2023, leaving many locals unable to afford to live there due to high rental prices.
Fear of Protests in Europe
Spain ’ s overcrowding problem, and the decision to confront it by locals, has highlighted the potential for anti-tourist protests to spread to the rest of Europe ’ s heavily tourist-ridden cities, as UNESCO ’ s Sustainable Tourism Project chief Peter Debrin warned.
The protests will certainly spread if European officials fail to address the negative impact of mass tourism on the lives of the local population, DeBrin says, noting that the situation in Spain has become very volatile, as the coming of civil society and its attempt to bring about change is critical, after all elected officials must respond to what the residents of their cities want.
He cited the 2021 ban on large cruise ships in Venice, Italy, which was passed after protests by residents, as cruise ships no longer pass through the Grand Canal, but are now docked away from Venice, helping to preserve the city ’ s structural and environmental integrity.
But despite the decision to ban large cruise ships in Venice, passengers continue to flock to its narrow lanes in the thousands, with Venice expected to attract about 540,000 cruise passengers this year, an increase of 9 percent compared to 2023, according to the North Adriatic Ports Authority.
In a bid to reduce crowds, Venice has imposed a 5 euro ($5.45) tourist tax on peak days this year, a measure that has so far failed to rein in tourist numbers, Euronews reported.
Quality rather than quantity tourism
Like Venice, Barcelona residents have long struggled with the global popularity of their city: every year, fewer locals say tourism benefits the city, while more people feel it is harmful, according to a survey conducted by the Barcelona City Council in 2023.
UNESCO ’ s Sustainable Tourism Project Chief Officer Peter Debrin believes that Barcelona, which handles too many travelers, could join cities and countries that rely on a “quality over quantity ” tourism strategy – prioritizing high-spending travelers, rather than budget ones – a strategy that gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic, when safety and employment concerns pushed destinations around the world to take in fewer affordable travelers. Instead of a lot of budget travelers.
Debrin said Barcelona ’ s reliance on a “quality rather than quantity ” tourism strategy helps correct another problem plaguing the city: tourists who behave badly, noting that for Barcelona residents, it ’ s not just about visitor numbers, but also how people behave, with Spaniards complaining for years about tourists drinking too much, throwing garbage and cigarettes on the streets.
Debrin called on tourists to be more aware in their travel decisions, suggesting focusing on beautiful cities with fascinating tourist and cultural attractions, which are in need of more tourists.
Civil Society Demands
Civil society groups are calling on Barcelona officials to implement a number of policies aimed at “declining tourism growth, ” such as increased tourism taxes, restrictions on cruise ships, and restrictions on short-term rental housing, just like the steps being explored in Amsterdam to crack down on buses, boutiques, new hotels and short-term rentals. In 2023, it asks some visitors, especially young British tourists, to“ stay away ” if they are travelling to the city for drugs or partying.
The most popular Spanish cities with tourists
The General Coordinator of the Association of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Mediterranean States (ASCAME) Anwar Zebawi, said in an interview to the site "Economy dot Gulf", that some tourist destinations in Spain already suffer from the problem of overcrowding, and these destinations are Barcelona, Malaga, Madrid and Valencia, as these four cities attract tourists more than their capacity, and the problem is that the largest number of these tourists, come in specific months of the year. Sixty percent of all tourists who visit Barcelona each year do so during the months between July and September, creating severe congestion, while the other 40 percent is spread over the rest of the year.
Amplify for protests
Zibawi stressed that what everyone should realize, is that there is a kind of amplification of the recent protests in Barcelona,   the city has not witnessed "major" demonstrations against tourists, as the problem of the local population is never with tourists, and the people who have been sprayed with water, very few and may not exceed the fingers of one hand, pointing out that what happened was directed against those who rent houses as hotel houses. Real estate, largely, deprived the local population, especially young people, of the possibility of obtaining apartments at an appropriate rental price.
Causes of tourist overcrowding in Barcelona
Zibawi explains that one of the reasons that contribute to excessive tourist congestion in Barcelona,   is to allow tourists to stay in tourist houses and chaos in this area, the city contains about 10 thousand houses that have a license to do these works, while there are about 30 thousand hotels operating without a license and in a way contrary to the law, the offer of houses for rent at competitive prices, in addition to cheap flights available in Europe make the cost of travel to Barcelona tourist destinations. This has exacerbated the phenomenon of excessive tourism.
European cities where protests could spread
According to Zibawi, the European cities that can witness objections from the local population because of their suffering from excessive tourism, are Rome, Venice, some Italian islands, Crete in Greece, and some other Greek islands, while Amsterdam in the Netherlands, suffer from the problem of excessive tourism only, in some weeks of the year, especially at the end of the year. year.
Paris found a solution.
Zibawi pointed out that Paris had a major problem with the subject of overcrowding of tourists, and therefore prevented the work of hotel houses and raised the prices of hotels, where she saw that these steps contribute to making the cost of travel high, which prevents the tourist who does not have enough money to come, and this limits the phenomenon of overcrowding, pointing out that if the principle of quality tourism instead of quantity in Barcelona, this may solve the problem of overcrowding and contribute to the distribution of tourists in other areas. Spain.
Solutions that can be resorted to
For his part, Amer Daboussi, executive partner of Eagle Travel Travel, said in an interview with Eqtisad.al-Khaleej that cities suffering from tourist congestion can face this phenomenon by adopting a policy of "quality rather than quantity", where this policy focuses on imposing high standards of hospitality to attract rich or well-resourced tourists, and get rid of the large numbers of tourists from the middle category. h its reception, which reduces the negative effects on the local community.
Dabbousi believes that cities can also resort to the solutions of imposing tourism taxes on foreign visitors, raising hotel prices, restricting the work of hotel house rental applications by imposing financial fees on these apartments and using the revenues collected to improve infrastructure in tourist areas, in addition to the need for affected countries to market new tourist destinations within them, which contributes to attracting visitors to areas outside the main tourist centers.
Excessive damage from tourism
Cities facing the challenges of overcrowding, such as Bangkok in Thailand, Paris in France and New York in the United States, as well as some Greek and Spanish cities, must take measures to manage tourism sustainably and distribute tourism pressure in a way that preserves the quality of life of local residents and respects local culture. Eat and drink, making life more expensive for local residents.
We hope that we have succeeded in conveying the full details of the spraying with water guns..
Are tourist expulsions spreading in Europe?
In God ’ s care and protection.
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You may also read.

In European cities like Barcelona, 60 percent of tourists arrive during July to September, resulting in severe congestion, while the remaining 40 percent is spread over the year.

Protests and community backlash in such cities highlight concerns about overtourism’s effect on local life.

Tourism policies increasingly emphasize “quality rather than quantity,” promoting visitors who contribute more economically and minimize local disruption, rather than encouraging mass budget travel.

Congestion in popular attractions like the Louvre Museum demonstrates how overtourism affects visitor experience, forcing people to rush through exhibits instead of meaningful engagement.

Alternatives to mainstream attractions include exploring local markets, engaging with handicrafts, and experiencing authentic cuisine, which can support communities and preserve cultural heritage.

Title:

Content: Slow travel.
How do you enjoy your vacation in 2023 in a completely different way?
Tourism and travel have recently become another way to keep up with popular trends or “trends ”, and to capture impressive images that bring in more followers.
While planning vacations, some no longer think only of the places they themselves wish to visit, as much as they observe the experiences of others on social media and think of all those wonderful places they go.
In the meantime, we seem to be surrounded by a flood of travel and tourism social media accounts, which post only minute-long "flutes" where influencers navigate between various fascinating tourist destinations.
Photos and leaflets tell you that you can travel to 10 places in seven days, and that there are 100 destinations you shouldn ’ t miss.
All of this makes us feel like we are in a race to go to as many destinations as possible in as little time as possible, and creates hunger for more experiences, drives us to jump like rabbits from one destination to another and from one experience to another, so we plan vacations filled with experiences, destinations and landmarks instead of focusing our time and budgets on what really interests us.
So, perhaps it ’ s time to rethink the way we travel from a different perspective that gives us more opportunity to relax and delve deeper into the travel experience, through “slow travel. ”
From food to travel.
In praise of slow and slow
In the 1980s, in 1986, McDonald ’ s opened a new branch in Piazza di Spagna, one of Rome ’ s most famous tourist attractions.
Italian sociologist and activist Carlo Petrini published a statement announcing the launch of the Slow Food movement as a reaction to fast food that has become permeating food cultures from one country to another, leaving its negative impact on food cultures and local cooking and turning it into a similar and unified “monster. ”
The statement sparked interest around the world, and quickly led to the emergence of a global movement and organization supported by more than 100,000 members, a movement that over time evolved into sub-ideas in other domains such as slow living, slow design, and slow travel.
Hence the term Slow Tourism, an approach to travel that offers different possibilities and ways to support sustainable tourism and low-carbon tourism, based on reducing mobility by plane and car, and relying more on bicycles or walking.
It also relies on communicating with local people and cultures and eating local folk food, with an interest in preserving the environment (2).
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, global tourism had reached a record high of 671 million international tourists.
Despite the positive effects of the boom in tourism, it has a negative aspect that cannot be ignored.
In a study published in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism, researchers focused on the potential of slow travel in the face of climate change challenges, with travel at the time of publication accounting for 50-97.5% of the amount of heat emission of most tourist trips.
The emerging concept of slow travel at the time was a reaction to high-carbon travel practices, so that slow travel becomes an integral part of the tourism experience and not just a difference in mode of transportation.
The negative impact of the tourism boom was not only on the increasing carbon footprint, but also on other environmental impacts of no less importance, for example, the Philippine government was forced to temporarily close the Boracay tourist area in 2018 to tourists, after it was transformed from a picturesque island to a sewage and waste sink for tourists, which affected the aquatic life there.
All these and other effects have led to the embrace of a new way of tourism, while embracing greater responsibility towards the environment and local communities, and opening up another horizon for individual enjoyment and exploration of the self and the world.
Here are a selection of slow travel mechanisms that will help you enjoy this exciting experience.
Take the least traveled routes.
Off The Beaten Path (or The Road Less Traveled) is one of the terms associated with slow travel, and is adapted from verses by the American poet Robert Frost, which means choosing unusual areas and different routes than the familiar, crowded routes, and is highly associated with the search for hidden local gems and avoiding the pattern of consumer tourism.
We advise you to stay away from peak tourist seasons, so you will be able to avoid the crowds, as well as get cheaper accommodation and transfers.
You will also be able to explore your destination slowly and quietly away from the crowds and crowds of tourists.
Nobody sees everything.
Many tourists fall into the sin of trying to see and discover everything, and you find lists such as “places not to miss if you go to such a country ” containing dozens of places that it is impossible for an ordinary person to visit all of them on a short vacation.
Take the Louvre as an example, one of the most famous and important museums in the world, with an area of   about 13 square kilometers, and its complex map makes you wonder will you be able to visit all these halls?
And see over a million pieces of art and history in one day?
Or even a few days?
Here you will have to choose between jumping from hall to hall and planning your visit so that you can see as many pieces as possible and take dozens of photos, or choose the pieces that really interest you, and look at each piece, and reflect on its meanings.
You can gasp from hall to hall, or you can settle for a few paintings, and if you go in the opposite direction, you can visit the same painting for several days and spend hours in front of it.
And what about the pictures?
The images are already on search sites, and believe me if you ’ re not an exceptional professional artist, the image you take in the Louvre has been taken by thousands of people before you.
Choose what matters to you, and build your own list based on your priorities.
If you don ’ t enjoy art, and you love outdoor adventure, why spend hours in a museum and see paintings you won ’ t be able to communicate with instead of climbing a mountain, for example.
The opposite is also true.
Think about what really interests your heart, are you a lover of architecture, nature or art and history?
And what are your priorities?
Let coincidence lead you.
Despite the importance of planning, planning every minute of your trip deprives you of a lot of coincidences that may give you irreplaceable opportunities.
Leave room for a bit of randomness, an empty space for chance, free tours in which your feet and intuition lead you towards the unknown and the adventure it carries.
You might want to skip the usual tourist attractions to enjoy other things, such as living like the locals and exploring the side streets away from the city center.
Knowing people is a treasure.
Speaking of side streets instead of renting a car, walking and using public transport will enable you to get to know the country better, as well as the chance to get to know the local population.
It is said that "the people of Mecca know its people", and so in every city, away from the popular tourist destinations, the people of the city know the best and cheapest places, restaurants and shops, and from them you can explore the city in the best possible ways.
Not only that, in movies we often see heroes change their lives after having an inspiring conversation with a passing person on the way.
Perhaps we wonder why we do not meet such inspirations, and why our lives do not change.
You may not be able to take inspiration if the ones you ’ re talking to are the hurried tourists or the tour guide.
But what about people from different cultures?
Shopkeepers and old people who sit in cafes, those who belong to a land other than your land and a time other than your time, is it not possible that if you open your heart and speak without concern, you can draw inspiration from them?
There is a hidden pleasure in talking to strangers you may never meet again.
The conversation may not turn your life upside down like in the movies, but if you allow your soul to open up enough, it could be an opportunity to explore a new aspect of yourself or the world.
Find out about local markets and food.
Instead of buying souvenirs from tourist bazaars or airports, you can try buying from local markets, where you will find unique handmade goods.
You can learn about the many handicrafts of each city, from which you explore its history, and support it in the face of counterfeit products that do not carry a soul.
Be sure to try local food as it is one of the most important experiences not to be missed when traveling.
Look for local dishes and try what works for you, visit local markets, and taste vegetables and fruits that may be unfamiliar in your country.
If you ’ re a foodie, you might want to take lessons in cooking local dishes, learn how to prepare them and understand more about the culture and history of the place.
Instead of searching for branches of international chains of cafes and restaurants drink your coffee in a small local cafe, meet the waiters and pioneers and pick up the tales scattered from their mouths, this is your real wealth from the journey, not the bright photographic image that resembles the hundreds of photos taken by tourists before you.
Get rid of travel stress
When you rush from one place to another with a full list of activities you do every minute, you usually come back from vacation with a deep sense of stress, which is called travel fatigue.
In the slow travel experience you will enjoy relaxing, walking through forests and gardens, or lying in the desert in a star-studded sky.
Ignore your phone and your desire to take pictures.
Relax a bit and enjoy your experience. (6)
You don ’ t need any more time or money.
Some may say I can ’ t travel slowly, my vacation is only 7 days.
Slow travel doesn ’ t mean long travel, it doesn ’ t have to do with time frame as much as the way you travel and your way of thinking.
So slow travel brings us back to the real and root causes of travel, why do we move from one place to another?
And what are we looking for?
Are we looking for more photos of our social media accounts, are we looking for relaxation, are we looking for more cultures and history, or do we want to dig deeper and connect with ourselves?
In terms of budget, I ’ m happy.
There are many ways to reduce your travel budget, it is possible to try work while traveling, you can work in one of the farms or small hotels in exchange for accommodation, which many places offer, especially if you decide to settle in one place for long enough.
Also, instead of looking for luxury hotels, you can opt for shared homes, live with a local resident, or look for shared accommodations and cheap local hotels.
And within your city, too.
If you don ’ t have a chance to vacation outside your city, you can apply these ideas in your city as well, instead of meeting your friends in repeated places behind glass walls, go on a tour to explore the city, the unknown areas of it, the unfamiliar streets.
Turn to the old cafes, to the trees you pass every day on your way to work without seeing or noticing its presence, to people and stones.
Remember that slow travel is not just a way to travel, but a different view of the world and a way to live and think.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Sources:
Carlo Petrini and the History of Slow Food
2. Slow Travel and Tourism
Slow travel: issues for tourism and climate
Philippines to shutdown tourist island boracay for six months
The Tourist ’ s Perception about Slow Travel – A Romanian Perspective
In light of the Krona pandemic, slow travel is the latest tourism trends
Source: The Island

Tourists are advised to avoid peak seasons to escape crowds, reduce costs, and lower their impact on overburdened destinations.

Travel fatigue, or returning home more stressed after a rushed vacation, is a common consequence of overtourism and overly scheduled travel.

The slow travel movement encourages tourists to adopt a more thoughtful approach, fostering appreciation for destinations and reducing stress and environmental footprints.

Carlo Petrini’s slow food and travel philosophy emphasize local authenticity and sustainability, offering strategies for less impactful tourism.

Climate change now affects major tourist destinations, particularly in the Middle East, influencing where and how overtourism occurs.

Title:

Content: Reports & Analytics
Tourism in 2023.
Eastern Europe ’ s Decline, Saudi Arabia and China Prosperity Key to Recovery
Unlike many other industries, there is no single clear product in the industry, as it includes a range of different industries, aviation, road transport, accommodation and touring between different attractions, travel companies, restaurants, souvenir shops and other activities all fall within the broad concept of the tourism industry.
Tourism, however, is usually defined as the travel of a person or group of people and the stay in a place outside their usual environment for less than a year for the purpose of recreation, seeking treatment, or for other reasons.
During the past three decades, the tourism sector has rebounded globally, but the Coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly been a moment of severe setback for the sector and its development, and has taken it back a lot, yet the profitability of the industry makes many countries have real incentives to invest in policies that allow the development of travel and tourism.
The economic attractiveness of the tourism sector does not negate that expectations about the ability of the global tourism scene to recover this year and return to what it was before the Coronavirus pandemic remain controversial.
A paradoxical set of factors is influencing the tourism landscape this year.
The Russian-Ukrainian war is not over and there is no sign of this, which has negative economic repercussions on the two belligerent neighbors, and therefore the possibility of a decrease in the number of tourists coming from the two countries and a decline in their financial capacity, which is very likely.
Taking into account that Russian and Ukrainian tourists are a major driver of the tourism sector in many countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region, we can recognize the negative impact of the war on the tourism sector in a number of global tourist destinations.
On the other hand, China is opening its doors and abandoning the zero-covid-policy, suggesting that Chinese tourists can return to the world stage and revive the international tourism market, at the same time, the recession is likely to hit the global economy, and this will have a severe impact on the world tourism markets, but the growing dollar strength suggests that the American tourist is likely to be a major player in the international tourism market this year.
Therefore, a diverse and conflicting set of factors will leave their mark on the international tourism market in 2023, and in this context, the Economist polled the opinions of a number of experts in the field of tourism to draw a picture of the international tourism scene and its possible consequences.
Alex Dean, the former chief executive of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), is optimistic about the general course of the international arena this year, without ruling out the possibility of some unrest.
During the past year, inbound tourism spending increased by 112 per cent compared to 2021, despite inflation that hit the global economy in the second half of 2022, and tourists spending per trip shows an increase of 13 per cent at 2022 prices, with an average of $1,331 per tourist worldwide.
By 2023, researcher Alex Dean expects total tourism spending to exceed $1.4 trillion internationally, with global tourist arrivals rising 30 percent.
Hotels, restaurants and airports are likely to struggle to cope with labor shortages, wage requirements and rising food and energy prices, but international airlines will make remarkable profits this year, benefiting from increased passenger numbers, after two years of consecutive losses, with the International Air Transport Association predicting that airlines will suffer a combined net loss of $9.7 billion in 2022, compared to $180 billion in 2020-2021. ".
For her part, Dr. Orla Liu, professor of international economics at the University of Bristol, pointed out that most estimates suggest that the number of tourists arriving globally is about 1.6 billion, which is less than the number of tourists in 2019, i.e. before the Corona pandemic, which reached 1.8 billion tourists.
“The tourism path will of course vary from region to region, and international reports indicate that some parts of the Middle East will witness a clear tourism recovery, specifically Saudi Arabia, which has an attractive physical and cultural infrastructure for tourism.
Overall, the Middle East saw a very strong tourism recovery in 2022, with tourist arrivals rising 287 per cent year-on-year from January to July 2022, bringing them closer to the 2019 level.
“Saudi Arabia, which has witnessed the resumption of the Hajj season, has big plans especially for the tourism sector within the framework of the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030, including the development of the Red Sea region and the construction of a number of international hotels on different islands, while it will be different for Eastern Europe, which will not return to the previous levels of the Coronavirus until 2025 due to the impact of the Ukrainian war. ”
However, some argue that the most influential factor in this year ’ s international tourism trajectory will be China and the return of Chinese tourists to the global tourism scene.
Lauren Phillip, the former CEO of Visit Britain, points out that in the years before COVID-19, China was the world ’ s most important source of international travelers, with 155 million Chinese tourists spending more than $250 billion outside their borders in 2019, but this generosity declined dramatically in the following years due to the country ’ s closure of its borders. With them comes the hope that international tourism will recover its lost health once again.
The top tourist destinations for Chinese are in the Asia-Pacific region, specifically Australia, Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong, and the United States and the United Kingdom ranked among the top tourist attractions for Chinese.
“Travel bookings during the Lunar New Year holiday, which falls between January 21 and 27, have risen 540 per cent as a result of the accumulation of bank deposits by Chinese households in recent years due to repeated closures, ” said Loren Phillip.
"The tourism sector in Europe knows the importance of Chinese tourists, so we are currently in a conflict between officials of airlines, airports, tourism companies and major hotels that stand united against politicians and health officials in the European Union who recommend medical tests for Chinese tourists before they set foot on European soil to make sure they are not infected with COVID-19," she said.
But the role that Chinese tourists will play in the international tourism map this year does not contradict the view of eco-tourism expert Teddy Finley that climate change could have negative repercussions on the scale of tourism recovery.
“Climate change is beginning to affect some of the major tourist destinations.
Popular ski resorts lack snow and summer resorts have been affected by drought and wildfires, and in 2023 those effects will be even more pronounced if weather-related events continue to worsen. ”
According to Teddy Finley, tourism accounts for 5-8% of greenhouse gases, and increasing travelers ’ awareness of the environmental consequences of tourism could change their tourism patterns and destinations, according to a study by the European Investment Bank, 37% of Chinese, 22% of Europeans and the same percentage of Americans expressed concerns about air travel as a result of climate change, but at the same time they were willing to pay higher prices for more. Eco-friendly options on their tour.
But with talk about the continuation of the US Federal Reserve in raising interest rates in the United States and continuing inflation to hit the joints of the global economy on a large scale, the possibility of an economic recession remains a concern for many experts, especially in the United States and Europe. Risks of economic uncertainty, especially since the "home quarantine" during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed the accumulation of savings that could be used at the moment regardless of the economic situation.
However, Dr. Max Elbe, professor of international trade, believes that a recession, if it happens, will have multiple repercussions on the path of international tourism.
"If the recession is accompanied by a significant rise in the value of the US dollar against other international currencies, we can see a significant increase in the number of tourists coming from the US and countries whose national currency is pegged to the dollar such as the Gulf region, and even if this does not offset the decline in the total number of tourists globally, the spending capacity of this group of tourists means that the international return from tourism activity will be high even as tourist arrivals."
But Dr. Elby believes that the most realistic possibility is that the economic recession will lead tourists to revise travel plans so that tourist arrivals do not shrink as much as to re-choose the most budget-friendly destinations, look for destinations with good value for limited financial capabilities, adapt to the recession by shortening the trip or choose cheaper destinations and rely on more price comparison platforms, or change travel times to non-peak times.
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To counter these challenges, destinations are implementing customized products tailored to specific groups, balancing demand with local carrying capacity.

Title:

Content: 6 Innovative Strategies to Reduce the Impact of Temperatures on Middle East Seasons
This phenomenon is due to various factors.
Many destinations suffer from the most important obstacles to the continuation of tourism growth, which is the "seasonality of tourism", whether these destinations are in the Middle East or other regions of the world.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the term "seasonality of tourism" is a temporary variation in tourism activities and patterns of visit and travel, within a given destination and over a specified period of time.
This phenomenon is due to various factors that are generally classified into four categories, including natural, cultural, institutional and economic factors.
Volatility caused by these factors can create a host of challenges for the destination during peak and recession seasons, necessitating the implementation of specific strategic plans and initiatives to overcome these challenges and mitigate their negative impacts, as well as maximize benefits during the recession season.
Colliers, a research and studies specialist, published a report entitled “Decommissioning Tourism in the Middle East: Reasons, Initiatives and Methods for Decommissioning Tourism in the Middle East ”, which provides a detailed analysis of the most prominent seasonal trends observed in the Middle East and proposes innovative ways to address the resulting tourism fluctuations. High temperatures on tourism in the Middle East.
The report outlines six innovative strategies to increase awareness of and more effectively manage seasonal fluctuations in the region ’ s tourism sector. The first strategy is to scale up destination offerings by offering a variety of types of tourism targeted at those less affected by recession, who focus more on experiences than the weather, including adventure, cultural or wellness enthusiasts.
The second strategy is to provide a mix of customized products, which contribute to stimulating demand according to the target segment, destination and available resources.
Other strategies include designing infrastructure capable of dealing with extreme conditions to ensure tourists are comfortable when temperatures rise, enhancing event schedules, implementing targeted promotional campaigns during recessions, and establishing strategic partnerships with other destinations offering different or similar tourism patterns to minimize the negative effects of seasonality and take advantage of its many advantages.
Tourist destinations experience low visitation rates during recessionary seasons, leading to lower revenues and overall economic activity, and high temperatures in the Middle East play a pivotal role in this equation, requiring innovative approaches to overcome these challenges and enable these destinations to thrive throughout the year.
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The World Travel and Tourism Council and national ministries, such as Saudi Arabia’s, are pushing for sustainability-focused policies to protect resources and empower local sectors.

Title:

Content: Minister of Tourism: We are working to empower the sector globally to implement sustainable practices to preserve the environment
/ Source: aleqtisadiah
The Travel and Tourism Environmental Impacts Report, issued by the World Travel and Tourism Council and the World Centre for Sustainable Tourism with the support of the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, has revealed positive results for the sector in water conservation, resource management and low emissions.
and reduce energy consumption.
The International Research Centre (IRC), as a reference body, announced the findings of the preliminary report, including global “greenhouse gas emissions ” for the first time, aimed at accelerating the transition of the travel and tourism sector to climate neutrality, reducing the waste of food and other resources, including water, while protecting nature and supporting local communities.
Commenting on the positive results of the sector, Ahmed Al Khatib, Minister of Tourism, said: “The Ministry of Tourism in Saudi Arabia welcomes this joint report, which was initiated by the Ministry of Tourism in partnership with the World Travel and Tourism Council to enable the travel and tourism sector to adopt environmental solutions and support prosperity. ”
He praised the efforts of the International Research Centre as a comprehensive center for reliable research to contribute to overcoming the challenges of the travel and tourism sector, and work to enable the actors in the travel and tourism sector to take action aimed at transitioning to sustainable practices.
headtopics.com
The report highlights the continued decline in the intensity of emissions from the travel and tourism sector over the past decade in more than 185 countries around the world.
Although GDP growth in the sector averaged 4.3 per cent per year, emissions grew by only 2.5 per cent per year between 2010 and 2019.
This reflects the joint efforts to achieve net zero emissions in the travel and tourism sector. ”
“We believe in the importance of the travel and tourism sector as part of the solution to achieve zero neutrality, which is why Saudi Arabia has played a leading role in accelerating and tracking this change to promote sustainability in various sectors, protect nature, and support local communities, ” he said.
Julia Simpson, President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), said: “The results of research and studies mark a pivotal moment for the global travel and tourism industry, highlighting the multidimensional economic, environmental and societal impacts of the sector towards its sustainable future.
With this data, we are not only thinking about where we are now, but clearly charting our path towards a future in which the sector gradually reduces its environmental damage and enhances its social impact. ”
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UN Tourism leaders stress tourism’s power for economic and social benefit, dialogue, and post-crisis recovery, as international tourist arrivals reach 1.3 billion, up by a third from 2022.

Title:

Content: Director of the Department of Associate Members of the World Tourism Organization Ion Velco
Riyadh has become a center for coordinating tourism policies and initiatives for 13 countries in the Middle East
2024 sees return to pre-pandemic global tourism
The opening of the UNWTO Regional Office for Tourism for the Middle East in Riyadh has made it a focal point for coordinating tourism policies and initiatives for the 13 countries of the region, including many tourism projects and products. It also represents a hub for communication, dialogue and decision-making, and gives hope to many people in the region to enjoy the many benefits provided by the tourism industry at the economic and social level.
Ion Velco is a Romanian diplomat with a long career in diplomacy, having served as Ambassador of the Republic of Romania to several countries, including Chile, Argentina, Mexico and Spain, in addition to serving as Minister of State and Head of Protocol and Protocol in the Government of the Republic of Romania.
Velco explained the importance of UNWTO as one of the world ’ s leading agencies in the field of tourism, and as a leading global organization in the field of tourism, the organization promotes tourism as an engine of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability, and works to provide leadership and support to the sector in terms of spreading modern knowledge and tourism policies globally.
The United Nations also encourages the application of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism in order to maximize the economic and social contribution of the tourism industry while minimizing its potential negative impacts, and is committed to promoting tourism as a means of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which in turn seek to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development at the global level.
In this context, UN Tourism develops knowledge related to the tourism industry, promotes policies and tools to increase competitiveness and sustainability, supports tourism education and training, and works to make tourism an effective vehicle for development by providing technical assistance to projects in more than 100 countries around the world.
Velco demonstrated the ability of UN Tourism to overcome the worst crises and regain its dynamism in a very short period of time.
International tourism has rebounded, reaching about 90% of pre-pandemic levels in 2023.
The number of international tourists is estimated to have reached 1.3 billion this year, a third more than in 2022.
Revenues from global tourism traffic are expected to reach $1.4 trillion in 2023, representing a recovery of almost 93% from the $1.5 trillion recorded in 2019.
Despite economic and geopolitical challenges, such as rising prices for services such as accommodation and passenger transport – due to rising oil prices, uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, and other rising geopolitical tensions – still pose additional risks that could affect the recovery rate. Number of arrivals and revenue.
The UN has 160 member governments or member states, associate members, 466 members, and associate members, and is reserved for provinces that do not have independent representation of foreign affairs and are included in the list of Non-Self-Governing Territories in the United Nations.
UNWTO membership is open to intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, destination management organizations, tourism promotion entities, tourism professional organizations, institutions and associations, tourism-related education, training and research entities, as well as tourism businesses and business entities.
The Department in Riyadh promotes cooperation in the field of tourism between the public and private sectors through its members, through the establishment of a network of 470 members among private companies, organizations, unions, educational institutions and destination management entities. This network provides a unique opportunity to integrate in the exchange of experiences and increase cooperation to support the development of the tourism sector and contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
We offer many benefits to members, for example by providing communication between members and each other through our online platform AMConnected is an interactive virtual space for members where they can communicate, collaborate and share experiences. We also offer greater opportunities to expand member networks, where they can interact and exchange information in order to address tourism issues of common interest in all fields. Giving members the opportunity to participate in the events and meetings held by the organization through which members can present their initiatives or benefit from the best practices in the field of tourism.
Membership also provides more visibility through the newsletter, which is a monthly newsletter that highlights and promotes member initiatives and projects among associate members, and allows them to communicate with potential business partners to promote the services they can provide.
On the other hand, members can obtain the right to use the logo and trademark of the organization, both on their websites and on their daily correspondence, in order to indicate membership of the United Nations Tourism Organization, thus enhancing the effectiveness and visibility of the member's activities.
Last but not least, the membership provides access to the UNWTO e-Tourism Library, which includes more than 1,100 tourism publications and research, as well as access to periodic reports and statistical bulletins issued by the Organization, which represent unique research and information coverage in the field of tourism.
We currently have 466 members, of which 39 are from the Middle East, of which 15 are from Saudi Arabia, and we are proud to have been able to double the number of members from the Middle East over the past year, as a result of the successful implementation of the new expansion strategy that seeks to achieve a more balanced geographical distribution of members.
Looking ahead, we expect additional responses from our target entities from the Middle East, and we are convinced that percentage will grow in the future.
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Efforts to promote responsible tourism include reducing sector emissions, expanding global collaboration, and sharing best practices to address overtourism and ensure long-term sustainability.

Overtourism can occur due to the appeal of stories behind attractions or word of mouth on social media, turning any location into a potential tourist destination.

Title:

Content: Point of view
Lin Chi-yin
Lin Chi-yin: "Traveling Everywhere" and "Over-Travel"
Earlier, the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Hsia Baolong, advocated the concept of “travel everywhere ” to fully explore Hong Kong ’ s tourism resources.
To speed up the implementation of the concept, the authorities are planning to set up a "special class" to bring together people inside and outside the Government for in-depth discussions.
In recent days, officials and legislators have expressed their views on the development of "red tourism", exploring new spots in the community, beautifying the streets, and presenting some scenes in the movies.
Simply put, it may be the story behind the attraction, or the accumulated word of mouth on social media, and every tree and grass anywhere can become a tourist attraction.
Of course, the author hopes that the "class" can launch various new ideas; and since the task of the class is to implement the concept of "travel everywhere", then how to implement the concept is the best for Hong Kong, the industry, the community and the public, the class can not ignore.
The University of Hong Kong campus has been forced by tourists, and the school has implemented reservation measures this month.
HKU itself has a complete management structure, and the university can still implement crowd control according to the situation. However, if some scenic spots that go deep into the community or even close to residential buildings are really "red hot", it may not be easy to implement crowd control.
“Everywhere travel ” is a concept, the key to implementation lies in the ability of the authorities to foresee problems. If you rely only on“ see and see ”, it is very likely that good things will turn into bad things.
“Aggressive ” Travel
In 2018, the word “overtourism ” was chosen as the Oxford English Dictionary ’ s word of the year, referring to the negative effects of overloading the area, declining quality of life and environmental damage caused by the influx of tourists to tourist attractions.
For example, Venice, Italy, which has long been affected by “overtourism ”, is not a“ once in a lifetime ” – the local population is only 50,000, and the number of daily tourists has exceeded the local population; during peak season, the number of daily visitors has even doubled.
I have friends who visited the place more than a decade ago, and they all agreed to say that people are crowded and will not go again.
In addition to Venice, some European cities or small islands with a tourism-led economy (such as the Canarias in Spain) also face the problem of job opportunities, high prices, and a homogenization of shops. Multinational companies invest heavily in hotels and holiday cottages, which also lead to higher rents, which locals can ’ t afford.
Even if tourism brings a lot of jobs to the region, it does not mean that the average person can earn a living wage.
People in these places understand the importance of tourism to the local economy, but they do not want the tourism industry to be unlimited, resulting in the resources of the whole place are only for the service of tourists.
"Tourism Hazards" and How to Deal with them
In Japanese society after the epidemic, a similar term, "tourism nuisance", has also appeared to describe problems such as traffic, noise, nuisance, and garbage pollution caused by too many tourists.
This phenomenon, in addition to the popularity of exchange rates, affordable air tickets, and people's desire to travel after the epidemic, social media will also have the effect of focusing on specific hot spots.
In the era of image-led, everyone can follow the picture, some places that were not originally planned as tourist attractions have begun to face sudden overcrowding.
Hong Kong people who love to visit Japan will not be unfamiliar with two “attractions ”: the Daokou near Enojima Electric Railway ’ s Kamakura University Station, and a Lawson convenience store in Kawaguchi-cho.
The former is the "holy place" of the popular manga "When Men are in the bottle". In recent years, the crossing has been congested with traffic due to frequent visits by tourists to "punch", local people can not get on the electric train, and some tourists are dangerous for taking good photos. Lawson is also a "punch" attraction, and the picture is a convenience store with a beautiful view of Mount Fuji. of tourists are constantly crossing the road and parking without permission, causing local residents to feel troubled.
Too many tourists can also lead to a decline in the quality of service, even in Japan, which values the spirit of “work people ”.
When I visited Japan last year, I saw some shops find ways to deal with “tourism hazards ” on their own, such as not allowing diners to take photos in the store, so that after the photos are uploaded to social media, it will cause more people to come and see them; limiting the number of diners to the number of people that the staff can serve, even if the seats are not full.
However, some tourists always find it difficult to understand the intentions behind these arrangements, and I have heard some tourists complain: "Obviously there is still a place, why not let us sit?"
When these conflicts can no longer be handled by businesses and residents themselves, how to strike a balance between “tourism ” and“ public nuisance ” will gradually become a policy issue.
The most extreme way to deal with it is to “eliminate ” popular attractions – coincidentally, the authorities of Kawaguchiko recently erected a 20-meter-long and 2.5-meter-high“ black curtain ” in front of Lawson to drive away tourists who came to take photos.
The reason why the authorities have to take extreme measures is that management alone can not prevent tourists from rushing out of the road, which is actually to "play the spot".
In addition, there are more and more tourist cities and hotspots charging tourists "admission fees" or "admission fees", but this method can not play a large role.
In Venice, for example, the city has been charging a 5 euro entry fee (about HK $42) to “overnight ” travelers since last month.
However, these fees simply cannot curb the huge demand for tourists, and the revenue is mainly used as a financial source to cope with "excessive travel", which can only cure the symptoms, not the root cause.
The Real Meaning of “Travel Everywhere ”
At this point, some people may point out that the above problems will only become problems if we succeed in attracting tourists to Hong Kong; what we have to focus on is how to get more people to come to Hong Kong.
However, how much tourism can bring to a city depends on the management and policies of the city, not on the remedial measures that can be taken.
Although the share of tourism industry in Hong Kong's economy is far less than that of the "tourist city" mentioned above, Hong Kong can't wait to see that other places are looking for countermeasures for the "tourism nuisance", and even start to turn to attack, redefine the tourism industry from the planning level and actively promote tourist education.
In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for example, the government announced last month that it would ban new hotels and limit the number of cruise ships to return the city to a livable and tourism-friendly city. In Kamakura, Japan, people are no longer concentrated at certain points by decentralizing transportation (such as the launch of electric tricycle rental business) and proactively promoting multiple circumnavigation routes (such as the travel routes at 13 locations of Kamakura Shogunate).
The main disadvantage of post-event remediation is that the difficulty and cost of solving the problem are greatly increased, which will also affect the experience of tourists. More than 10 years ago, the North District of Hong Kong also experienced a pharmacy every few steps, and the situation of residents in the North District driving out water consignors on their own, which hurt the feelings of the people of the two places.
In particular, there are many policy issues that can be foreseen in advance, and we do not have to go through them personally before we know what the problem is (for example, the legal problems faced by cleaners under the garbage levy will not be known until the moment of trial).
Since there is a great deal of experience and policy measures in various places to refer to, the “Special Class ” must also strike a balance between tourism and city operations when formulating tourist routes and supporting packages, otherwise the attraction will only lead to losses. After the city of Kamakura solved the problem of overcrowding of tourists, the tourism industry representative of Kanagawa Prefecture (that is, the seat of Kamakura City) pointed out:“ Attraction is not tourism. ” The amount of time it takes to win is certainly not appropriate.
“Travel Everywhere ” is not just about adding tourist attractions, but promoting quality tourism in a more nuanced and proactive way to avoid problems.
The author is a public policy consultant.
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When scenic spots are located deep within communities or near residential areas, it becomes difficult to manage and control visiting crowds.

Tourism activities that focus only on sightseeing can risk turning positive developments into negative outcomes.

Although tourism boosts job creation in many regions, it does not always ensure that local residents earn a living wage.

Excessive numbers of tourists can lead to a reduction in quality of service, even in hospitality-driven places like Japan.

Concerns about overtourism sometimes receive insufficient attention in places more focused on increasing tourist arrivals than managing current impacts.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, parts of the tourism industry have lost their competitive edge and are facing market pressures and restructuring.

Title:

Content: According to the statistics of the Tourism Bureau, the number of tourists visiting scenic spots last year was about 211 million, a decline of 35.2% compared with the previous year. Based on the recession, the annual domestic tourism output value of about 400 billion yuan was only about 270 billion yuan last year. "We need to put more effort into reimagining tourist attractions, adjusting tourism products, and building a new style," says Cheng.
After the outbreak of the epidemic, some of the lack of competition in the tourism industry is facing a tidal wave, and the market has a mechanism for exiting. For example, in terms of the frequency of travel and the level of consumption, it is likely that there will be further improvements, which will be positive factors for boosting domestic tourism as a whole after the epidemic.
In the case that the road ahead is still full of uncertainty, operators can still regard this crisis as an opportunity to adjust their physical fitness, modify the existing business direction model, and review the customer service needs.
For example, in Taitung, for example, Taitung has the advantage of abundant natural and ecological resources. However, due to its location on the border, the long-term transportation difficulties of railways and highways, expensive air tickets, and the inconvenience of overseas transportation, enterprises' investment in Taitung's tourism industry is mostly discouraged due to transportation costs, and the tourism development of Taitung County has been limited for a long time. The lack of uniqueness reduces the incentive for tourists to be willing to stop.
However, in recent years, Taitung has successfully turned hot air balloons, tourism related industries have flourished, and the surrounding livelihood industries have also risen along with the tide. How to create a reason for tourists to "come to Taitung" from the advantages of Taitung, Taitung has made hot air balloons a sustainable tourism industry, revitalizing Taitung's economy and creating real tourism value.
In the medium and long term, increasing the demand for experiential products is the most inevitable, in order to transform through a long time, the off-season will flourish.
In addition, by classifying consumption and travel product demand, emphasizing the experience culture and improving quality, you can increase the price and increase satisfaction.
In addition, for the medium and remote passenger flow, it is necessary to extend the number of days of travel, make differentiated and customized content, and optimize the development of exquisite travel.
Cheng Yuet-tsai also points out that "perfect itinerary planning can make tourists experience the beauty of the place", because tourism can not only be natural scenery, but also must be accompanied by tourism activities to complement each other. Not only can it bring tourists a deeper travel experience, but it can also achieve the goals of cultural inheritance, education and lifelong learning.
Zheng Yuecai also pointed out that many tourist hotels in China claim to be five-star, but many actually do not participate in the government's star rating, but in the media, advertising confusion, there is a suspicion of deceiving consumers, for the law-abiding investment of tourist hotels business is very unfair.
Due to the current shortage of labor in domestic hotels, the government should reward enterprises that have passed the five-star evaluation and introduce tourism migrant workers to help enterprises solve the manpower dilemma, which can indirectly promote five-star hotels to solve the labor manpower problem and pay attention to improving service quality to achieve a win-win situation.
However, it is worth considering that this phenomenon of "retaliatory travel" has caused the tourists to overload the load of tourist attractions, and the people not only do not get the tourism quality that they deserve, but also cause a serious impact on the local social, cultural and ecological environment. And...
Zheng Yuetai also with many years of experience in the operation of tourist resorts put forward suggestions, scenic spots next to do an important work is to attract domestic tourists, first of all to the domestic young ethnic tourists, and then the urban population, foreign long-distance passenger flow gradually back to the border.
He believes that counties and cities need to strengthen the marketing of tourist attractions, change the image of the reshaping attractions, establish a new image of health and vitality, and also re-establish the confidence of tourists to travel, and promote the government to help the outside world to establish a message of health and safety of domestic tourism.
At the same time, counties and cities affected by the epidemic will have more psychological sympathy after the recovery of the epidemic.
Zheng Yucai believes that whether the tourism industry can recover quickly at the end of the year, in addition to whether the government can put forward favorable policies, the most important thing for the industry is to "self-help". In addition to understanding customer needs, it should also establish its own brand value and establish a deep connection with customers.
When the tourism industry can grasp and properly express the fundamental values that are of great significance to consumers, it will ultimately create deep customer loyalty and create momentum for the sustainable growth of tourism.
Zheng Yucai also said that he hopes that the domestic tourism industry can turn the crisis into a turning point in the post-epidemic era and create new tourism peaks.
# Travel # Zheng Yue Cai # Businessman # Taitung # Tourists

Destinations like Taitung hold advantages in abundant natural and ecological resources, attracting significant visitor interest.

Travel authorities and guides such as Fodor Tourism urge tourists to skip particularly fragile destinations in 2024, emphasizing the need to respect local environments and cultures.

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Japan 's Mount Fuji Exposed in 2024 "9 Top Places to Avoid Visiting"
Mount Fuji, Japan. (Photo, Euronews)
2023 / 12 / 10 15: 45
Li Xinjie / Editor-in-Chief
[Real-Time News / Comprehensive Report] As 2024 approaches, many people are already excited to prepare for various plans to travel abroad.
However, the well-known American travel magazine Fodor ’ s Travel (Fodor ’ s Travel) announced next year ’ s “9 Best Places to Visit in the World ”, calling on tourists to carefully consider avoiding these famous but much-needed hot spots, and mentioning that these areas are affected by environmental pollution and tourism hazards.
Among them, Mount Fuji in Japan, which Taiwanese love, is also on the list.
According to a comprehensive foreign media report, among the nine “No List ” listed by Fodor Travel on its official website in 2024, four of them are in Asia and the rest are in Europe and the United States.
According to the official website, the original intention of the evaluation is not to deliberately suppress partial generalization, but to "respect" as the starting point of the declaration, this time to open the list of avoid visits, but also focus on tourists to nine tourist attractions and dependent local communities, resulting in "excessive tourism", "excessive waste generation", "affect water resources" these three major impacts.
At the same time, Fodor Tourism also pointed out that these nine tourist hotspots are deeply affected by the "Instagram effect", because the beauty of these places is circulating around the world, causing tourism.
Finally, Fodor Tourism also calls on tourists around the world to let go of these areas when planning their 2024 travel plans, but also to be careful to protect the local environment and culture, and to respect the people and places everywhere.
Mount Fuji, Japan
The number of climbers at the site has skyrocketed in recent years, but local authorities and people have pointed out that many do not fully understand the risks involved in climbing Mount Fuji, resulting in overcrowding at the top of the sacred mountain and putting themselves at risk.
In addition, many climbers are unwilling to pay 1,000 yen (about NT $200) for safety and environmental maintenance, and even leave a lot of garbage and urine filled bottles, which can only be cleaned by volunteers, causing headaches.
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
The local waters attract a large number of international tourists to vacation, including snorkeling, water sports and fishing activities, which also lead to the local garbage load, the waters are full of garbage and diesel, and the local government ’ s poor implementation of pollution policies, it is very easy to be avoided by operators, so that the natural ecology of the area is facing unbearable pollution.
Koh Samui, Thailand
The island has been plagued by fresh water shortages for nearly a year, and the influx of tourists has consumed up to 70% of the region ’ s precious water resources, seriously exacerbating the island ’ s freshwater shortage.
Ganges, India
The river, regarded as the source of life for the people of India, has faced problems such as reduced flow, garbage pollution, and endangered freshwater dolphins in recent years, which have been exacerbated by the emerging luxury cruise industry.
Athens, Greece
The lack of a tourism hazard management plan by the local government does not mean that the world heritage is in danger of being destroyed, but also that the traditional way of life of the local people is being destroyed by a large number of tourists.
The Acropolis has already implemented a daily visitor limit, which has been reduced from 23,000 to 20,000 per day, and the Parthenon Temple to 17,000.
Italy (Venice)
Venice has long been affected by subsidence, flooding, and the damage caused by the increasing number of tourists, adding to the stress of this ancient and fragile city, and adversely affecting the local environment and residents.
Although the local government has taken several specific measures to try to reduce tourists, including charging a tourist tax of 5 euros (about NT $171) for all visitors over 14 years old who come to the city for a “day trip ” between the end of April and mid-July next year, it is still considered unlikely to improve the problem.
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, California
This “natural oasis ” in Los Angeles County, due to the number of tourists and lack of environmental awareness, not only is the monument graffiti by tourists, but even littering everywhere, causing the local environment to suffer a lot of damage.
Lake Superior (United States – Canada border)
Lake Superior, on the border between the United States and Canada, is the largest freshwater lake on the planet, and its ecology is now exposed to a variety of hazards due to human visits, including species invasion, rapid algal blooms, and fish consumption warnings.
Chile's Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert, on the Pacific coast, is a spectacular natural beauty of deserts, geysers, lagoons, salt mines, cliffs and peaks, but the local environment is polluted by "fast fashion" and unfortunately becomes a landfill.
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Famous sites including Mount Fuji in Japan and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam are among those heavily impacted by tourism pressures.

Tourism professionals seek to reflect on how to keep destinations attractive, inclusive, and sustainable for all.

Identifying and understanding interconnected problems is necessary to uncover broader impacts of overtourism on communities.

One proposed solution to overcrowding at hotspots is to replace day trips with longer, multi-day stays, thereby spreading out visitor numbers.

Title:

Content: Liberty Square replaces retaliatory tourism with sustainable tourism
◎ YANG Wen-ting
Due to the impact of the epidemic, the domestic tourism and accommodation industry has been in a slump for a long time, and many operators are hoping for retaliatory tourism after the epidemic has eased.
However, retaliatory tourism is not a long-term solution, people flood the attractions, the quality of tourism is low, there are a lot of garbage, environmental overload, impact on the lives of local residents and other problems, more importantly, easy to become epidemic prevention.
The author believes that in order to rescue the tourism and accommodation industry in the post-epidemic era, the government should be ahead of schedule; in addition to relief subsidies, the government should also use the power of the public sector to lead the lead, connect with the private tourism industry to help the industry develop in a sustainable direction, so that the relevant departments can better grasp the flow of people under the epidemic.
The following directions may be useful:
1. Slow travel
The author believes that replacing a day trip with a multi-day trip can reduce the phenomenon of tourists crowding into a small number of hot spots at the same time.
Local governments can link up with hostel operators, tour guides, restaurants, and car charters to promote slow travel solutions. First, they can master where travelers are going and miss the influx of tourists; second, multi-day tours can bring more consumption to the local area.
In addition, weekday tours can be encouraged through discounts to prevent all tourists from rushing to the attractions at the same time during the holiday period.
II. Diversification
Many attractions in the country have become homogeneous in recent years, and many package promotions are point-and-click gameplay, lacking deeper interaction with the local area.
The author believes that for young people, such a traditional travel mode is more difficult to attract, and it is recommended that when companies launch travel plans, they think in the direction of diversified and in-depth travel.
Similar to Hualien, Lanyu and other areas of the business combined with local businesses, launched floating shallow, canoeing and other tourism packages, this approach is worth promoting, can be led by the local government, promote tourism, tourism, culture, service industry, and promote cultural tourism, and even different counties and cities can cooperate with each other to develop cross-county, (semi-island) tourism.
3. Individualization
Different types of travelers, different travel patterns and preferences.
For lovers of outdoor activities, activities such as river tracing, mountaineering, cycling, etc., the attraction is relatively high.
Family trips, such as handwork and painting, may be more popular.
Operators can consider combining local businesses to develop different types of tourism options for more different ethnic groups, such as couples, silver-haired people, business people, and environmental enthusiasts.
(The author is a graduate student at the Law School of Leiden University in the Netherlands)
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Tourist cities can suffer from overreliance on peak routes and repetitive group travel, leaving them vulnerable to overtourism’s negative impacts.

Title:

Content: Tourists and groups are routed tourist cities can not withstand repeated "toss"
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Source: New Beijing News
Author: Yang Jinsong
A number of incidents involving the loss of the rights and interests of tourists have aroused widespread concern among the Chinese public.
In the Beihai Sea, tourists ate four cauliflower 1,500 yuan (RMB, the same below, about 300 Singapore dollars) in silver beach; in Guilin, tourists did not give room cards because of shopping standards, and recently, in Heilongjiang snow village, there are media reports, tourists in addition to the verbal stimulation of tour guides, the original free scenic spots are also listed by travel agencies on the charge of the item.
In the relatively concentrated period of time, across the north and south, violations of the rights and interests of tourists occurred one after another, not only hit the hearts of people eager to travel after the epidemic, but also significantly affected the local image and the recovery process of the tourism industry.
In particular, the snowy countryside, after many rectification, has now exploded such incidents that damage the rights and interests of tourists, and the damage to local tourism brands can not be underestimated.
The recovery of the tourism market, its tourism obstinate disease can not also follow the "return to the river".
At present, it is the key window for rebuilding the imagination and experience of tourism, reshaping the tourism market and industry, and it is also an important stage for the "backlog" of tourism consumption demand to start to release.
Improving the tourism experience requires all-round "strict control"
In fact, over the past three years, many changes have taken place, but the high quality requirements of tourists for tourism products and services have not changed.
Only by fully understanding and meeting the high requirements of tourists, can we form a good "first impression" after opening up, giving tourists more confidence, but also giving the tourism industry more development of the bottom and space to move.
Snow countryside and other events, is not simply to take a single measure can be completely resolved, to better curb the harm of tourists' rights and interests of the incident, should start from many aspects, with comprehensive measures to deal with.
The first basic work is the comprehensive and complete "strict control" of the whole process.
After these recent incidents that harm the rights and interests of tourists, relevant departments in various places have promptly investigated and punished illegal acts.
The management responded positively, sending a good signal and also responding to public expectations.
At the same time, the successive occurrence of these incidents also shows that there is still a lot of room for improvement in "strict control".
In particular, some places are the focus of attention, which is more likely to trigger people's associations.
For example, the scene of tourist activities is diverse, there are scenic spots, there are hotels, there are restaurants, there are stations, airports, and there are shops and theaters.
It can be said that as a foreign lifestyle, tourists inevitably involve all aspects of the destination.
Among them, no matter which aspect of the short board, it is likely to affect the experience of tourists.
This means that in addition to the tourism management department, many departments such as industry and commerce, transportation, and public security are also required to participate in it and work together for a better living space shared by residents and tourists.
Especially at a time when the proportion of individual travelers and free travel is increasing.
For the tourism sector, although it is responsible for guarding the soil, its powers are limited and it is often powerless.
There is a need for closer coordination, information-sharing and joint action among management.
In the process of supervision, it is also necessary to fight ahead of time and do a good job of prevention.
Especially before the peak season, clarify and eliminate the risk points of problems, formulate a perfect plan to quickly deal with the negative impact, and realize the allocation of sufficient resources.
The guide service evaluation should be determined by the tourists.
The operation mode of the travel agency and the handling of the relationship between the tour guide of the travel agency are also closely related to the experience of the tourists.
If the travel agency lacks product innovation ability, the product homogeneity is serious, and mainly relies on the price war to attract tourists.
At that low price, some tour guides have to earn income through tourist shopping and self-funded projects.
In order to achieve the expected revenue target, the high level of service quality is naturally impossible to talk about, and even some more extreme cases will appear.
Of course, both the Tourism Law and the Action Plan for Strengthening the Construction and Management of Tour Guides (2021-2023), issued in 2021, are committed to improving the service quality of travel agencies and improving the ecology of the tour guide industry.
It is necessary to break the "mutual injury" game between travel agencies, tour guides and tourists, on the one hand, implement the existing laws and policies, and take back the time delayed by the epidemic, and on the other hand, create a tourism evaluation system based on tourists' evaluation.
Do a good job in optimizing the employment environment, protecting legitimate rights and interests, improving the incentive mechanism and enhancing professional identity, so that tourism practitioners can truly get rid of the dependence on low-price competition and return commission as the main channel of profit.
To better protect the legitimate rights and interests of tourists and tour guides, it is also necessary to further eliminate information asymmetry, promote credit supervision, and strive to build a good tourism industry, so as to promote tourism to compete at a high level and at a high level.
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Effective supervision and proactive prevention are essential components of tourism management.

There is criticism that some destinations lack sufficient outdoor or nature culture, which can undermine the depth and value of tourism activities.

Title:

Content: "Climbing a Humanistic Mountain": Taiwan people lack "outdoor culture", hiking groups to lack of connotation of tourism
Photo Credit: iStock
What we want you to know is
Since the martial law began, the two parties that have taken turns in power and even the rest of the small parties do not care much about this issue, and it can even be said that they do not want to wade into the water.
Why is SpaceX planning to colonize Mars in 2020, but Taiwan still doesn ’ t have an outdoor activity authority?
Text: Dong Weiyan (City Mountain People)
A turning point in Taiwan's mountaineering culture
Our mountaineering culture has always had the characteristics of a minority. One reason is that the strictly controlled mountains after the war made it difficult for people to get close to them, and the other reason is the restrictions on transportation, equipment and information in the early years.
However, the advantage of the minority is that the members of the community are closely related and highly motivated, and everyone shares the same interests. The most important education for mountain climbing safety can be passed down in the form of teacher training, and even expand cultural and educational activities beyond this.
However, looking at the current mountaineering movement in Taiwan, mountaineering societies have declined, and hereditary education has also been cut off, resulting in most people now having no access to the stories and experiences of their predecessors, entering a huge cultural fault.
As for the new forces in place, they are self-organizing teams and commercial mountaineering service providers. The former ’ s problem is that novices often encounter difficulties in mountaineering, and the latter ’ s problem is that they are not subject to government control, and the second is that the quality is uneven.
Although it is still possible to see the number of national parks entering the park increasing year by year from the mountaineering atmosphere, but behind the prosperity, hidden is the general lack of education of the public, often turned into the unexploded bomb of mountain disasters without knowing it.
How did it all begin?
I believe that the lifting of the application system in 2001 is a watershed moment for Taiwan's mountaineering culture.
Before December 2001, because of the government's mountain management regulations, climbing mountains above 3,000 meters was an application system for a society, and must be led by someone with a "mountain guide card", so it is conceivable that there was no distinction between self-organized groups and commercial groups at that time.
However, according to the data, there have been operating societies since 1980, and such operators who travel between non-profit organizations and businesses collect money to handle procedures for customers and lead mountaineering trips without compensation.
In other words, the business behavior has always been there, but it seems to be an association from the surface.
Since then, the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of the Interior have revised the law, in addition to greatly lifting the control of rural areas, and also abolishing the high mountain application system. Since then, self-organized teams and business groups have sprung up like mushrooms. The stage of transformation.
The end of the application system itself is well-intentioned, but the hereditary mountaineering education that has been running in the community system for many years has followed the end of the road, fearing that it is the evil effect that no one could have foreseen at the beginning.
Since then, the government has not cooperated with the development of the mountaineering industry and the lack of outdoor education to formulate supporting measures, laying down the long-term causes of many problems in the future, such as the frequent mountain trouble, unreasonable guide certification system, commercial chaos, and the most extreme reaction: the "mountaineering activity management autonomy Ordinance".
According to the current tourism regulations, hiking is a kind of travel service, when it is legal for a registered travel agency to undertake business, but the nature of tourism and outdoor activities are very different, do not meet the practical needs, forcing some operators to "rely on the way" with the travel agency, and the outdated regulations even occasionally become a handle for the industry to attack each other.
In the absence of a clear legal definition, I will use my personal experience to explain the method of distinguishing between teams, business groups and associations: profitability and membership.
First of all, I go hiking with my family and friends on the basis of friendship or affection. The rationality of the cost sharing can be easily achieved through agreement, and even the organizer often only charges a large amount of money (shuttle bus, food, etc.), and the rest is borne by the individual.
However, with the rise of social networking sites and communication software, there has been a wave of online solicitation of strangers to form teams, which is known as "self-organizing teams" or "cohorts" that only ask for a small number of people.
This new type of team, even if the cost is evenly divided, but it is easy because the members do not trust each other, the organizer is not well planned, individual concept differences, etc., so that the security of the team is extremely variable, once the accident, the complex responsibility attribution problem can only be solved by law.
To put it more bluntly, if the slang is “the Internet makes up the forest birds, and each flies in the event of a disaster ”, you will probably understand the problem. On the contrary, if it is a business tour, it is not important that the team members do not know each other – because the administrative, logistical, and risk management responsibilities fall on the professional guides and the team.
Fast forward to March 2020, when the international pandemic began to ravage, Taiwan was experiencing the highest wave of outdoor recreation in its history.
From the well-developed areas with convenient transportation to the mountain spots that must be reached for several days of hiking, there are reports of environmental damage of varying degrees, which not only exhausted the local authorities, but also taught the public a bloody lesson - the quality of Taiwanese people does not seem to be the most beautiful scenery.
From north to south, from the beginning of Taiwan to the end of Taiwan, a huge wave of recreational people poured into the mountain forests, affecting the natural environment and the outdated mountain forest management system.
The long-distance "tribe of God" Simakus, who used to be a challenge to drive alone, has now spread the news that there are too many one-day visitors, forcing the tribe's residents to spend the day picking up garbage.
The famous mountain spot in Taitung, Jiaming Lake, has also become popular due to the fact that there is no total control of the alternative route "Qu Maos", and the convenient food and billing services of the collaborators, resulting in a "tent city" of tourists queuing for meals near the sister pool.
Take a look at Hohuan Mountain (Creek Camp), Taiping Mountain, Tefuno, Xiacharo, Karo Lake, Songluo Lake, Jianlong Rim, Sleeping Moon Line and other places. What is the difference in the problem caused by excessive visitor volume?
National parks rely on the total amount of control and strict law enforcement, but can not prevent the people who are not prepared to choose the "one-day attack", let alone the national forest outside the park.
To be fair, this wave was an accident, with limited links to the “mountain forest release ” policy.
Under normal circumstances, the number of people engaged in outdoor activities should increase year by year, but the epidemic of 2020-21 has killed the option of traveling abroad, and the summer vacation is originally the peak season, making tourists like a tsunami to various tourist spots. Since the martial law began, the two parties that have taken turns in power and even the rest of the small parties do not care much about this issue, and it can even be said that they do not want to wade into the water.
Why is SpaceX planning to colonize Mars in 2020, but Taiwan still doesn ’ t have an outdoor activity authority?
The reason is simple, our people lack “outdoor culture. ”
Without the common values at the spiritual level, how can the system keep up with the will of the people? It is precisely because of this that our mountaineering and hiking communities are moving towards tourism that lacks the connotation; it is also because of this that the Taiwanese have only seafood culture, and no marine culture that the island people should have.
If you want to understand why Taiwan ’ s outdoor culture is so lost, you can look at the world ’ s outdoor powers. One example is the United States on the other side of the Pacific.
The United States did not have a long history, but at the end of the 19th century, it considered natural heritage as one of the important recreational resources.
Although the early colonists often went to outdoor spaces as a matter of necessity, and Puritan law discouraged such entertainment, people still had fun in work-related activities such as hunting, fishing, shooting competitions, horse racing, and so on.
In the middle of the 19th century, there was a wave of “muscular Christianity ”, combining religious teachings and physical training, which made people more willing to engage in outdoor activities.
Then, in the aftermath of the second industrial revolution at the beginning of the 20th century, with the gradual reduction of working hours, the introduction of railways, steamboats and mass production of automobiles, the Great Depression ushered in a period of high development of outdoor activities.
By the end of World War II, millions of servicemen and women had returned to their country to return to normal life, spurring a post-war baby boom and stimulating the development of outdoor activities.
Because of the quality of cars, roads, cheaper fuel, shorter working hours and other factors, low- and middle-income people are finally able to go outdoors.
Then the above factors continued to ferment, which led to a wave of outdoor activities in the United States in the 1960s.
Another factor is the early spread of romantic ideas, such as the writings of Rousseau, Byron, and Cooper, which gradually led to the recognition of the value of nature's barbarism and primitive way of life.
Later, American transcendentalists, such as Emerson, Muir, and Thoreau, who wrote The Essays on the Lake, believed that the deity existed in nature, and therefore believed that the value of wilderness was the preservation of civilization.
Influenced by this trend, the American people and government have increasingly focused on the need for outdoor recreation. The national park system was born, and even the United States Forest Service, whose main function is forestry, has not ignored the right of people to leisure and entertainment.
Compared with the United States, Taiwan did not begin to develop recreational activities in mountain areas until Japan pacified the indigenous peoples of the island in 1926.
However, because the government has never relaxed its vigilance and strict access control, the distance between mountain forests and the public is extremely remote.
After the Kuomintang government came to Taiwan, it was not easy to control the mountain area, and the same mountain control regulations were adopted, and the people had to apply through the society to enter.
It was not until 1972 that the "Hundred Yue Club" was established, and even to tie in with the development of tourism, that the restrictions on mountain areas were gradually relaxed.
It may be difficult to believe that the freedom to climb mountains above 3,000 meters will not be officially returned to the people until the abolition of the mountain guide permit system in 2001.
The policy of lifting the ban on mountain forests in 2019 is the culmination of a series of opening up measures in the past. Since then, climbers have taken responsibility for their own safety, and the government has no longer banned people from climbing mountains because of their protective mentality.
Analyzing the history of outdoor activities in Taiwan and the United States, it is not difficult to find that the United States is moving from freedom to management, but Taiwan is moving from regulation to openness; the former is led by public opinion, the latter is limited by the government, and the formation of outdoor culture is also very different.
From the beginning, the Americans saw the outdoors as a recreational area, and the public became popular very early, until modern times because the environment was unbearable, only to initiate planning and management measures; Taiwan, on the contrary, led by Japan and the national government, mountain control, severely curtailed the recreational function of mountain forests, making the relationship between the people and the natural environment increasingly distant, fueling rejection and fear.
In the early days, the ancestors of Taiwan were afraid of the indigenous peoples who had developed their customs, so that the mountains became a breeding ground for fear, supplemented by mandrill and demon god in folk legends, which still attach to the imagination of the people, and constitute a spiritual invisible obstacle.
In addition, Taiwan's mountainous terrain is generally high and deep, the hinterland is difficult to find, the climate creates dense vegetation, the weather changes rapidly, and the slope is prone to collapse, in which action has inherent difficulties.
If it is not through the appropriate human development of roads, trails, and indicator systems, it is indeed difficult for ordinary people to get close.
After the war, climbers were able to use the forest roads deep into the mountains to shorten their walk, but at that time the activity of the practitioners was only small compared to the general population.
Later, due to policy changes, many forest roads embarked on the fate of destruction, but the mature path opened by the predecessors and the rise of the mountaineering industry, became the main driving force to reduce the threshold of activities.
Especially the latter, where food, lodging, connecting, and guiding are all taken care of, today for most people, even the mountain walk is just a physical excursion.
If people want to go in groups on their own, it is far less difficult than it was in the early years because of the freedom of application, Internet information and convenient transportation.
Even if the previous generations of mountaineering have made countless achievements, it is only a minority culture within the Mountain Association and the University Mountaineering Society system. As such organizations gradually disappear, sooner or later they will withdraw from the historical stage.
People are the carrier of culture, Taiwan society lacks the historical and cultural trends that deeply affect the American people, and once the torch of inherited education is cut off, the only remaining mountaineering culture will not be able to continue.
When Yang Nan-chun, an expert in post-war academic research, wrote the preface to his second book, The Diary of Tanda, published in 1999, he bluntly stated:
In recent years, mountaineering has become a bottleneck for Taiwan ’ s mountaineering community. Of course, the five mountains and the three tips are old events, and the completion of the hundred mountains is no longer a matter of public attention.
At the same time, in order to ensure the success of the summit, everyone seems to be only interested in repeating the existing climbing routes, thus losing the backbone of the old mountain climbing era. [...] At that time, the most talked about topic was the trend of overseas mountaineering, and teams of students often shouldered the mission of academic investigation.
For example, in mountaineering activities in the Himalayas, when the climbers strive to reach the top, the team members at the base camp are also accustomed to carrying out various investigations and research on astronomy, climate, geography, plants, animals, indigenous culture, etc. [...] Once the bottleneck of mountaineering is broken, the sea and the sky will be everywhere is worth exploring.
Indeed, from his previous experience working in Taiwan and the United States, he signed up for his first mountain trip because his American peers loved outdoor activities and had access to the monthly magazine of the Sierra Club, creating an ideologically leading climber.
But why do Americans have such a strong tendency? In fact, as early as the late 19th century and early 20th century, folk hiking organizations across the United States formed a unique outdoor culture, even in the turbulent and economic collapse years still insist on going outdoors.
They believe that the meaning of hiking is twofold: to worship God and to truly regenerate people ’ s hearts, courage, and love.
I just don ’ t know if Yang Nan County saw the current plight of the University Mountaineering Society, what kind of thinking would it be?
Looking to the future, self-learning society is bound to shape a new culture.
If the government and society continue to face outdoor education with a lukewarm attitude, and do not promote the inclusion of the state education and related business systems, the future development is indeed worrying.
Now is the transitional period for shaping outdoor culture after the popularization, and it is also a good opportunity for the government to take a serious look at outdoor recreation activities and shift from regulation to proper management and advanced deployment.
The establishment of the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission (ORRRC) by the US Congress in 1958 is a good example for Taiwan.
The primary objectives of this inter-ministerial organization include establishing the needs of the people for outdoor recreation, establishing the available recreational resources in the country, and proposing policies and plans to meet current and future needs.
It is worth noting that the goal given to the committee by the US Congress at that time was not just to propose immediate needs and improvement plans, but to assess trends and needs over the next half century (up to the year 2000).
The milestones achieved by this committee can be seen in the subsequent establishment of the Land and Water Conservation Fund in 1965, the Wilderness Preservation System in 1964, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1968, and the National Trails System in 1968. Example.
The epidemic will slow down one day, but I think that even after the peak, we will only see a brief decline.
In line with the trend of international development, the demand for mountain recreation resources will only increase. Instead of watching the natural environment continue to deteriorate due to the huge recreational pressure, it is better to urge the central government to set up a similar inter-ministerial committee to review the national outdoor resources, and put forward a proposal with a sustainable spirit to ensure that Taiwan ’ s future children can still have a wonderful natural experience. Outdoor culture is a fertile land.
Book Introduction
This excerpt is from "Climbing a Humanistic Mountain: A Natural Humanities General Education Course Dedicated to All Outsiders through Ancient and Modern China, Civilization and Wilderness", Qiguang Publishing
Author: Dong Weiyan (City Mountain People)
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We consider ourselves a member of nature, and live in the "island of mountains" Taiwan.
Have you ever had a good understanding of your relationship with wilderness, nature and mountains?
From the West to the Han culture,
A journey through time and space in the relationship between human civilization and the natural environment.
This book offers reflections: What is wilderness and how does man ’ s relationship with nature evolve?
How do we view our mountains and our environment?
And try to find answers to the chaos of mountain forest activities.
The wilderness provides the air that nourishes the soul, and the mountains provide the nourishment that soothes the spirit.
Any journey into nature is a precious reboot for the people of the city.
But when you enter the mountains and wilderness of Taiwan, you will not only meet your own goals of physical training, collecting hundreds of mountains, and finding spiritual comfort.
It ’ s time to think about what we can do for the next generation. ”
Taiwan is a small mountainous island, about 70% of the land is classified as a mountain area, and the mountain density of more than 3,000 meters is amazing.
As the ambitious British mountaineer George Mallory said, "because the mountain is there," people will climb, the meaning is not so important.
Not only the mountains of Taiwan, but also the great mountains of the world. People with various purposes, dreams, and ambitions have succumbed to each other, and in the past two hundred years have composed a grand symphonic movement of mountains and people, with the first chapter of the dawn of the Alps, the second chapter of the expedition to the great mountains of the world, the third chapter of the challenge of the limit of mankind, and the fourth chapter of our present. Definitely defined, or may be called the final chapter of tourism and diverse mountaineering.
In foreign countries, wilderness philosophy, environmental protection and outdoor culture are one and the same.
If we compare the American wilderness concept with the process of the formation of the environmental movement, we will find that it can be divided into three stages: the relationship between people and nature changes, people enter the natural environment, and people start to protect the natural environment.
In this view, we have to think from the background of Taiwan's mountaineering movement and its era: why do we like to go into the wilderness of a group of climbers, but do not reflect on the relationship between people and the environment?
Under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, people from all over the world have traveled to the countryside to enjoy free air, triggering a global outdoor storm, and Taiwan is no exception.
But with the influx of people into the wild, there are many problems and chaos, and it is also a good opportunity to reflect.
We live in a mountainous island that accounts for about 70% of the island, and the density of mountains above 3,000 meters is the highest in the world, but the people do not know the mountains, waste the unique natural environment, and can not have a deeper connection with the land that nurtures the Taiwanese.
This book will use the diverse perspectives of history, philosophy, culture, social economy, and outdoor recreation activities to reposition, analyze, and interpret Taiwan ’ s unique natural environment through in-depth comparison with the West, so that we can use a new perspective to look at the past, present and future of Taiwan ’ s mountain areas.
Book Features
• This book is based on the diverse perspectives of history, philosophy, culture, social economy, and outdoor recreation. Through in-depth comparison with the West, the book redefines, analyzes and interprets Taiwan ’ s unique natural environment, allowing us to explore the past, present and future of Taiwan ’ s mountains with a new perspective.
• There are few books on outdoor culture in the Chinese world, and it is rare to comprehensively analyze the western wilderness philosophy, environmental protection, the history of international mountaineering, and social changes. In an era when everyone loves to run outdoors, this book can help you establish a framework for thinking about various outdoor issues and international connections.
• This book also provides answers to the many disturbances caused by mountain activities since the lifting of the ban on mountain forests and the outbreak of the epidemic. It covers systems, policies, and education. It is hoped that people can get close to nature and build a mature and rational mountain culture, and become outdoor citizens who cherish the environment and take responsibility for themselves.
Editor-in-Chief: Pang Bohan
Editor ： Weng Shihang
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A renewed approach to outdoor, mountain, and marine culture is seen as vital for sustainable tourism and environmental appreciation.

Title:

Content: Ecology and Development Ocean Recreation Can Be Sustainable
As the COVID-19 pandemic slows, people return to social and natural environments, including recreational and sightseeing activities.
In Taiwan, surrounded by the sea, the popularity of water recreation activities can be expected.
In a world where isolation has ended, people have gone out in waves, and the term “retaliatory travel ” has emerged, representing not only a doubling of recreational activities that could not be done during the past epidemic, but also the sudden impact of recreational activities on the economic, social and ecological environment.
The beautiful ocean attracts people to get close to each other, but with the rising tide of ocean recreation, how to maintain the balance between economic development and marine ecology is an important issue.
The pollution generated by a large number of marine recreational activities includes garbage and sewage. Can the basic services in coastal areas handle and accommodate this pollution? What is the impact on marine ecology?
Whether it is from the perspective of passenger experience, environmental protection, or local residents, it will not be a happy situation.
Since the epidemic slowed in 2022, popular marine activities such as Hsiao Liuchiu are facing an unprecedented influx of tourists. Visitors to the intertidal zone and water sports are almost filling the sea, not to mention the impact on the marine habitats in this area.
For example, millions of tourists visit Penghu Island, which has exceeded the water consumption that the local area can provide; a large number of tourists go into the water activities, but do not pay attention to whether sunscreen or cosmetics ingredients are friendly to the marine environment, and the crowd has led to more stampedes on coral reefs.
According to Greenpeace ’ s August survey in Little Ryukyu, the coral around Little Ryukyu and its associated populations are gradually declining.
Take snorkeling for all ages, for example, tourists are full of expectations to prepare for snorkeling, but they can see the water is full of people.
It was hard to squeeze into the water but found that the water only saw the hands and feet of other tourists, garbage and bleached dead coral; in the beautiful coral reef, the fish did not see a few, what is the mood? It must be a bad experience.
In addition to increasing development opportunities for local residents, the hotel also attracts external investment, such as a corporate group planning to build an international hotel in Hsiao Ryukyu. However, because the land area does not meet the standard of environmental evaluation, causing local residents to protest, and its impact on the marine ecology is also a hidden concern.
In order to take into account the development of marine recreation and marine ecology, it is necessary to carry out appropriate policy planning and implement management measures in existing marine protected areas or marine recreation spots.
In the case of Keelung Tidal Amusement Park, for example, because of the rapid increase in recreational population, marine recreational activities were started in 2023; for example, diving requires an international license and prior application to launch, and the total number of people allowed to swim is controlled.
In areas that do not have a clear management area, marine protection zones can be planned and relevant regulatory measures can be formulated to effectively manage pro-sea activities, avoid tourists from returning home, and reduce the damage to the living environment of local residents, so that the marine ecosystem can be sustainable.
It is important to develop marine education and cultivate the concept of ocean friendliness for all people to be close to the ocean in order to jointly safeguard the marine ecological environment.
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