Mass tourism is thriving. According to the documentary The Last Tourist, the tourism industry is an important economic driver: 80% of countries place tourism among their top five sources of income. Several countries receive more tourists in a year than they have inhabitants.
By the end of 2023, tourism will have returned to pre-pandemic levels. We should rejoice that the beauties of the world are now accessible to the multitude rather than reserved for the worldly elites as in the last century. Throughout the ages, contemplation and fascination have always driven creativity, progress or a simple but unforgettable happiness for the visitor behind the camera.
From an economic point of view, tourism is an important lever, generating jobs and exports. We create a link, sometimes long-lasting, with the visitor who returns home with our products.
However, the shock testimonies of citizens invaded and reluctantly fleeing the centers of Rome, Barcelona, ​​Venice, Paris arise daily in our media. Tourist sites are looted, places of memory are desecrated, local restaurants and their underlying culture are giving way to the big American fast-food chains.
Even peaks like Everest flaunt our pathological habit of flooding our path with trash. The uninhibited antics of some sound the alarm, pushing towards a fed up with a backdrop of a deluge of tourism, hence the expression “overtourism”.
Accounting for the obvious environmental and social costs of mass tourism, one wonders what its real economic value is. In the busiest places, it can be assumed that it is negative.
The height of misfortune for our environment and citizens, one of the main adversaries and pet peeves of this phenomenon operates in a parallel world. It does not own any establishment and demonstrates no responsibility for the notions of preservation and conservation. Worse, he does not hesitate to make fun of governments, going so far as to snub appearances in parliamentary committees.
We can both admire the genius of the entrepreneurs who gave birth to these GAFAMs and their ilk, just as we can deplore their arrogance and the consequences thereof.
However, pointing the finger at these stateless multinationals does not absolve us of our local, individual and collective responsibilities. Allow me this irony: If German General and Governor of Paris von Choltitz was able to save the wonders of Paris from the vengeance of invaders fleeing the city 80 years ago, how could we stand idly by as our nature, our cities and their historic sites by hordes of tourists armed with iPhones and state-of-the-art flip flops?
The health crisis has forced us to rediscover the importance of managing our borders and protecting the territory and its residents. While so-called progressive activists and politicians call for the end of nations, it nevertheless seems that the task of finding a balance leading to sustainable tourism will fall to them. Beyond the great slick and hollow principles, it is urgent that the management of the territory and housing become a priority again and that we tackle the disastrous consequences of the exodus of residents and neighborhood businesses, fleeing towns they no longer recognize. And leaving behind citizens suddenly too poor to stay in their homes.
Finally, upstream, it is desirable that our educational institutions teach our children that by traveling, we become privileged witnesses of sites, panoramas and works that are transmitted to us. Elsewhere, we are guests, not global citizens with rights of appropriation and plunder.