RT News: Latest Developments in Responsible Tourism: 07/2024
Responsible Tourism News is a newsletter of record carrying the 10 most important RT stories of the month. Please forward to anyone you think may be interested.
The 2022 Responsible Tourism Charter
RT News: Latest Developments in Responsible Tourism 07/2024 Read
Unseen Tours is worthy of our support. They give their guides a platform to tell their own stories on their own terms. This is especially important since those with experience of homelessness are routinely sidelined and overlooked by the tourism industry. Every aspect of their tours has been co-constructed with the guides themselves, making the Unseen Tours experience a genuine joint venture from the ground up. Their training facilitates up-skilling, a pathway to paid work, social confidence and a sustained life outside of homelessness,. Their 2024 summer fundraiser is being match-funded by the Cost of Living Resilience Fund See Unseen Tours on the BBC News
Posts on Travel Tomorrow
The impact of climate change on tourism is getting worse
Balancing tourism growth with housing affordability
Why do we travel?
The politics of overtourism
Is New Tourism emerging?
How to be a new tourist ...
Overtourism - the protests continue
Regulating Tourist Behaviour
Destination Management
Climate Change
Responding to Climate Change
The case for Hydrogen
Overtourism impacts wildlife too
Miscellaneous
“GROUNDBREAKING. The New Tourist waking up to the power and perils of travel will enable you to have much better travel experiences. McClanahan understands that what we make of tourism has to do with the ways we interact and behave when we holiday in other peoples' homes. The choices we make about how, when, and where we travel make a real difference in whether we have positive or negative impacts.”
—Harold Goodwin, Professor Emeritus at Manchester Metropolitan University and Director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership - published by Porchlight
How To Be a “New Tourist,” the Powers and Perils of Tourism With Paige McClanahan interviewed for the Zero to Travel podcast.
Paige McClanahan in conversation with Aziz Abu Sarah
1. Is New Tourism emerging?
Paige McClanahan's The New Tourist has been well-promoted but it has given voice to, and in many ways shaped, a sea change in the way tourism is understood and discussed. For example, Kathleen Rellihan writing on the BBC's travel pages in a piece entitled Why it's time to rethink what it means to be a tourist accepts that she, a travel writer, is a "tourist – but while it's a label to not take lightly, it needn't always be a bad one." In a review of McClanahan's new book, she writes "in the post-pandemic travel boom – last summer in particular – tourists behaving badly seem to have reached a tipping point. ... we need to shift how we view tourism, and tourists, now more than ever."
The Times in the News Review, not the travel pages, on Sunday, July 21st, Katie Gatens, wrote a piece entitled "Continent in revolt: why tourism rage is sweeping Europe" and asked, "Is the backlash righteous or self-defeating?" Gatens reminds us that "it wasn’t until Thomas Cook developed the package tour in the 1870s — taking small groups to France, Germany and Italy — that the idea of the “holiday” was brought to the masses. It inevitably aroused snobbery among the leisure classes towards fellow “Brits abroad” that endures to this day." As Gatens points out "The vocal anti-tourism movements in Europe have a populist flavour, reflecting frustrations over the cost of living and especially housing. Younger Europeans seem especially unhappy about their continent turning into a giant museum." In Mallorca the campaign group "Less Tourism, More Life" echoes a movement in the Canary Islands.
In Gujarat mid-day published "To travel or not? Decoding the overtourism and irresponsible tourism catastrophe". In The Atlantic Chelsea Leu wrote Don’t Give Up on Tourism. Just Do It Better. The Bangkok Post
reports on Thailand's Socialgiver’s Meaningful Travel campaign. " Through the Meaningful Travel campaign, every journey to Thailand can now support the noble cause of preserving the nation’s lush landscapes and majestic trees, marking a step forward towards a more sustainable and responsible global tourism ethos."
Emer McDevitt of marketing agency Social Chain on GenZ "rejecting aspirational trips in favor of more authentic and culturally rich experiences." "They want a unique, personalized experience that won’t impact the local community.... hey’re a generation of sustainable travel seekers - 56% of Gen Z travelers believe that choosing an eco-friendly travel option is important for ensuring a positive experience for local people and tourists."
Sebastian Ebel, chief executive of TUI speaking in Madrid argues that only tourism that is accepted and supported by local people can be sustainable. "Social sustainability is particularly about the living spaces of local people – education, training, jobs, local culture, affordable housing."
2. How to be a new tourist ...
First the problem: tourists behaving badly. Lynn Brown has written a long piece on BBC Travel addressing the question "Why do tourists behave badly on holiday?"
Michelle Singletary wrote in the Washington Post about "How to be a better tourist and not annoy locals ... Locals in cities around the world are getting fed up with tourists, and I don’t blame them." Nora Biette-Timmons writing in Conde Nast Traveller titles her piece "This New Book Is Reframing How We Think About Tourism" an interview review of McClanahan's book. Asked whether there are other books for people who want to read more about "thoughtful tourism" McClanahan recommends The Last Resort: A Chronicle of Paradise, Profit, and Peril at the Beach, by Sarah Stodola. Polly Pattullo's Last Resorts, the cost of tourism in the Caribbean published in 1996, and the second edition in 2005, did not have the advantage of the mounting content about overtourism which is with us now. Claire Irvin, Travel Editor at The Times wrote on 14th July "Having a great time on holiday means choosing your destination wisely and respecting the place and people you’re visiting. Here’s how" She concludes her article "As a tourist you can help drive change by considering the effects of your choice of accommodation, and who will benefit from your money. The easiest option is to pick a hotel. Yes, it may cost more, but your choice will sustain livelihoods not only for those working on the premises but also along the entire supply chain, from towel attendants to taxi drivers. Water pistol manufacturers may be the only casualty."
In Northumberland "A responsible tourism campaign is being relaunched in Northumberland - just days after two people had to be rescued, along with a dog, when their campervan became stranded by the tide on the Holy Island causeway. ... Love It Like It’s Yours aims to ensure that visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience while minimising the impact on the environment along with clean-up costs."
Switzerland: "A new alpine garden in Zermatt aims to educate visitors about the local flora and prevent them from destroying rare plants"
Prague “Respect Prague” aims to harmonize the city’s thriving tourism sector with the preservation of its historic charm and natural environment. .. crucial for maintaining Prague’s allure amidst its growing popularity."
Copenhagen is incentivising tourists to become new tourists, rewarding climate-friendly tourists with pastries and perks. CopenPay is now closed and will be evaluated. It may relaunch in 2025. More here in the Washington Post.
The Algarve as part of its Futourism drive is asking tourists to save six suitcases of water during their stay, "using snappy catchphrases such as “fewer pools, more oceans” and “fewer showers, more diving”. According to Lídia Monteiro, a Board Member for Turismo de Portugal, “this campaign could have focused more on the more restricted issues of water availability, but we deliberately chose to encourage the adoption of behaviours in a surprising, intriguing way, with a bit of humour and that could also arouse curiosity about the Algarve destination. It seeks to highlight what is most relevant in this destination: the ocean.”
Mallorca has launched a new campaign “Diviértete con Respeto” (Have fun with respect). " The focus is on the protection, regeneration and preservation of the island."
Barcelona is rebranding from “Visit Barcelona” to “This is Barcelona”. Mateu Hernández, General Director Turisme de Barcelona: "visit” has reached its ceiling and it was time to change it." Today, Turisme de Barcelona makes an affirmation of the importance of our identity as a city and that is why we have gone from Visit to This is Barcelona. Watch the video
3. Overtourism
James, a Kiwi living in Spain with a Spanish wife, is on a mission "to help you experience this wonderful country deeply. With 253K followers, his 15-minute video addressing the question "Is Spain Sick of Tourists? is worth watching.
On July 7th the demonstration in Barcelona when residents turned water pistols on the tourists was carried in the mainstream media around the world. Isambard Wilkinson and Simon Hunter wrote in The Times about the demonstration in Mallorca "under slogans including: “Let’s change course and set limits on tourism.” Other banners read: “Stop destroying Mallorca”; “Your luxury, our misery”; and “This isn’t tourismophobia, it’s numbers: 1,232,014 residents, 18 million tourists” Demonstrators were concerned about housing, the impact on natural resources and the stretched public services. Also in The Times Katie Gatens points out that "The global middle class is flooding places that are growing resentful of their money and selfie sticks. " and asks "Is the backlash righteous or self-defeating?" As Gatens reminds us "The vocal anti-tourism movements in Europe have a populist flavour, reflecting frustrations over the cost of living and especially housing. Younger Europeans seem especially unhappy about their continent turning into a giant museum."
Nick Beake, Europe Correspondent at the BBC interviewed 25-year-old Pere Joan Femenia in Majorca, part of a movement called "Menys Turisme, Més Vida", or "Less Tourism, More Life". "“Businesses are changing from ones selling traditional products to multi-nationals selling ice cream and we are losing our identity. We want to preserve our culture," "He says it is a myth that Majorca needs ever-expanding tourism to survive and that the reality is many locals are preparing to leave for good because they can no longer afford it here.
The Tourist Trap is a series of programmes/podcasts from BBC Radion addressing the question How can we stop over-tourism and protect the planet from its impact on the environment?
4. Regulations
Barcelona: the biggest problem the city has is the housing crisis, the Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni announced plans to ban short-term rentals in the city starting in November 2028. The 10,000 apartments currently listed as short-term rentals on Airbnb and other platforms in the city will return to the housing market. Laura Hall has written on BBC Travel about how bans like this will affect how we travel.
Japan: has introduced a £5 per bag over 160cm fee on trains (locals prefer to courier their bags ahead of them); there are ¥10,000 (£50) fines for anyone taking a photo of a geisha without her consent, locals-only nights are being introduced in some restaurants and other restaurants are giving a discount to locals. In Kyoto tourist-only bus routes have been introduced and a “Mind Your Manners” campaign will remind English-speaking visitors of local customs. Mt. Fuji has capped visitor numbers at 4,000 per day and introduced a fee of ¥2,000 / £10) for those walking the Yoshida Trail. The Studio Ghibli Museum in Tokyo limits visitor numbers to 3,500 during the week and 4,000 at weekends. The Japan Rail Pass much used by tourists does not provide access to the high-speed Nozomi and Mizuho services.
Lake Tahoe is promoting “Rules to Lake By” for visitors and locals alike.
Denmark: The combination of holidaymakers seeking cooler climes and the increasing popularity of camper van breaks and “van life” culture has resulted in a 27% increase in camper vans in Denmark in the last five years, some municipalities are introducing new regulations to restrict "wild parking" with the attendant litter and dame to the view for others.
Calpe, on Spain’s Costa Blanca "setting up chairs, sunbeds and parasols before 9:30 am has been banned under a Municipal Ordinance for the Use and Management of the Coastline. The council is not looking to take sides in the night-owl versus early-bird battle royale, but it does want its beach cleaners to be able to do their job properly, it says. Leaving unattended paraphernalia on the beach “makes it difficult to clean the beaches, so the ordinance establishes that all items installed on the beaches before 9:30 am may be removed and the owners denounced. ... the new measure means anything left unattended on the beach for three hours or more at other times of day can be confiscated too.
Barcelona city councillor Jordi Coronas explains "“Barcelona, through its ‘souvenirs’, is also projected to the world. Penises with the Barcelona brand or t-shirts with sexist and homophobic messages do not project the values of the capital of Catalonia. We ask for regulatory changes to improve the image of the city and its commerce. " Jordi Valls, the city’s deputy mayor for the economy, who also supports the measure, noted another potential barrier to implementation, remarking that it will be “difficult to standardise it because what is considered in bad taste is a matter of very high subjectivity.”
Tenerife e-coli contamination in the water means visitors will not be able to go for a dip at the Playa Jardin one of Tenerife's most popular beaches
Greece 70% of beaches must be sunbed-free, a percentage that could go up depending on whether or not the area is protected (85%) or ecologically sensitive (100%). In order to allow access to the sea to everyone at all times, sunbeds also need to be placed at least 4 metres away from the shoreline, as do umbrellas. Drones are being deployed to monitor compliance and a MyCoast App enables reporting of infringements.
