Monday, August 19, 2024 Tourism has always had a complicated reputation, with the term “tourist” often carrying negative connotations. It conjures images of superficial interest and a lack of understanding of the places visited. This perception has worsened in recent years as anti-tourism movements have gained momentum worldwide.
From protest marches in Barcelona with signs demanding “Tourists go home” to Venice’s newly introduced visitor fees and Amsterdam’s decision to close its cruise ship terminal, the backlash against tourism is palpable. The sheer volume of tourists is part of the problem. In 2023, 1.
3 billion people crossed international borders as tourists, marking a significant rebound post-COVID and a nearly 25-fold increase since the 1950s. This surge has been driven by the affordability of flights and the convenience of online booking platforms. However, the environmental and social costs are often borne by the destinations themselves.
Tourism accounts for over 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and short-term holiday rentals have disrupted housing markets, forcing locals to make sacrifices, as seen in places like Ibiza. The impact of tourism extends beyond these aggregate effects. Cities like Dubrovnik have had to implement rules to curb tourist behavior, such as banning jumping in fountains or walking shirtless.
Amsterdam’s “stay away” campaign specifically targets British tourists, while cities like Budapest, Munich, Dusseldorf, and Prague have banned “beer-bikes,” often used by rowdy stag parties. Even the Italian culture minister has voiced frustration over tourists defacing historic sites like the Colosseum. Against this backdrop, travel journalist Paige McClanahan offers a different perspective in her book, The New Tourist .
McClanahan argues that travel can still be a force for good, but it requires a new approach. She contrasts the “old tourist,” who treats destinations as mere backdrops for Instagram photos or bucket-list items, with the “new tourist,” who seeks meaningful connections with different cultures and is open to learning from them. McClanahan believes that travel can promote global understanding, especially in a world facing challenges that transcend national borders, such as pandemics, AI advancements, and climate change.
She emphasizes the need for “high-quality, meaningful interactions” that broaden perspectives and deepen our understanding of humanity’s interconnectedness. However, McClanahan acknowledges that we can’t continue to travel as we have. The term “overtourism,” coined in 2016 by the travel news outlet Skift, encapsulates the challenges faced by popular destinations like Iceland, where tourism surged after the 2008 financial crisis.
While tourism helped the country pay off its IMF loan, it also led to environmental degradation and strained infrastructure. McClanahan shares a telling anecdote from Eliza Reid, the former first lady of Iceland, who recalled walking through Reykjavik in 2017 and realizing that the city was overrun by tourists, making it unrecognizable to locals. The pandemic further highlighted the downsides of mass tourism.
In places like Hawaii, the absence of tourists during international travel bans revealed just how much locals had sacrificed for the tourism industry. Contrary to expectations, many residents did not long for the return of tourists; instead, they valued the peace and quiet that the pandemic had brought. McClanahan recounts attending a Hawaii tourism conference where a participant boldly declared, “Tourism is colonialism.
Tourists need to go home now.” This sentiment reflects a growing awareness that tourism, in its current form, often exploits rather than benefits local communities. McClanahan’s book explores the tension between the economic benefits of tourism and its social costs.
She argues that if tourism drives a low-wage culture or if intermediaries like cruise companies and Airbnb siphon off the profits, the traditional economic justification for tourism collapses, leading to resentment on both sides. She recalls her own experience in Tulum, Mexico, where the stark economic disparity between tourists and locals was evident. She emphasizes that being a responsible tourist means spending more time in a place, avoiding peak seasons, and supporting local businesses.
The origins of modern tourism, as McClanahan outlines, can be traced back to the 1970s when Tony and Maureen Wheeler founded Lonely Planet, a travel guidebook empire. The Wheelers popularized budget travel and the idea of seeking “authentic” experiences off the beaten path. However, McClanahan critiques this approach, noting that these “travellers” often had the same environmental impact as traditional tourists but contributed less economically to the destinations they visited.
McClanahan contrasts the approach of Bhutan, which has maintained a low-volume, high-quality tourism model since 1974, with Nepal, a backpacker’s paradise. In Bhutan, tourists must join organized tours led by local guides and pay a sustainable development fee, ensuring that tourism benefits the local economy and preserves the country’s cultural heritage. In contrast, Nepal’s influx of visitors has strained its resources, making it harder to preserve the very landscapes that attract tourists.
McClanahan’s first rule of new tourism is simple: “Travel to fewer places, and spend longer there.” She encourages travelers to cherish the uniqueness of each destination, recognizing that they may never return. This mindset, she argues, adds a bittersweet depth to the travel experience.
However, McClanahan warns against “last chance” tourism, where people rush to visit endangered sites like the Great Barrier Reef or Venice before they are irrevocably damaged. She finds this trend depressing and self-defeating, emphasizing that tourism should not be about capturing a perfect selfie but about fostering meaningful connections and understanding. Some countries are experimenting with ways to make tourism more sustainable.
In Palau, tourists who use reef-safe sunscreen receive special access to certain areas, while Denmark’s Copenpay initiative rewards environmentally conscious behavior, such as picking up litter or cycling instead of driving. While these initiatives are creative, McClanahan points out that they are not enough to offset the carbon footprint of air travel, the most significant environmental impact of tourism. McClanahan remains optimistic about the potential for technological innovations in aviation to reduce carbon emissions, but she stresses that widespread adoption is necessary to make a meaningful difference.
She urges consumers and voters to push for faster implementation of carbon-free travel technologies, whether through electric or hydrogen-powered flights or synthetic fuels made from atmospheric carbon dioxide. In the face of the climate crisis and other ethical challenges, McClanahan calls for a more thoughtful approach to travel. She reminds us that we are not just in traffic; we are the traffic.
As travelers, we need to recognize our role in overtourism and learn to do things differently. The New Tourist by Paige McClanahan is available now, published by Simon & Schuster..
