The Two Tourisms

There are two tourisms.

There is the tourism that I speak about when I meet with other people in the tourism industry. This tourism brings prosperity. It enriches individuals and communities. It protects special places by ensuring that people can see their beauty and learn how important it is to preserve and protect their beauty for future generations.

The second tourism is quite different. It is the tourism that brings overcrowding and pollution. It brings exploitation. It destroys special places and ruins local cultures.

Unfortunately sometimes when I am talking about the first tourism the people I am speaking to think I am speaking about the second tourism.

The problem of the two tourisms is one of the biggest problems facing our industry and we have much to do to ensure the second tourism vanishes. We must work today to ensure in the future the second tourism is remembered only as the way we did things in the old days - before we knew better.