Why it's time to rethink what it means to be a tourist
"Does tourism build up our world or tear it apart? The only answer to both of these questions is 'Yes’,” writes McClanahan in The New Tourist
Whereas in years past being called a tourist might have been a bit hard to swallow, the term is now it's associated with destroying the souls of cities and pushing out its residents, trampling natural wonders, defaming ancient ruins and even ramping up the warming of our fragile planet.
From the controversy (and opportunity) of last-chance tourism amidst our climate crisis, to how social media can both amplify diverse voices as well as fuel superficial skims of complicated places, she notes that tourism has the power to bring countries out of economic disaster (hello, Iceland) but too much of it can drive its very appeal to devastation as its nature and local residents are overburdened.
Get the full story at the BBC