You have trained for years. You have bought the equipment and the tickets, trekked through the elements and climbed beyond where you thought you ever could… and now you are queuing for your moment at the top of the world. By the time you reach the peak of the mountain, your perma-frosted face is glued into a grimace that only a mother could love, but you’re not going to miss the chance to post this on Instagram. Only the 300th Everest summit selfie that day. #winning…
The world is a big place but with lower cost air travel and the popularisation of bucket lists, we are congregating ever more densely in certain areas in a phenomenon known as “Over-tourism”. Only a decade ago, this was an unknown concept to most. Long haul holidays were few and far between and still considered to be “trips of a lifetime” but that is no longer the case. Through celebrity endorsement, targeted marketing or just through word of mouth, there are parts of the world that receive so much attention, that they become flooded on a regular basis with tourist footfall which has the potential to damage the environment or the culture of those living there. This can lead to conflict between the locals and visitors and in some places around the world, has led to an exodus of the inhabitants who leave the location to the tourist population, having been ignored and downtrodden by local governments who prize the finances brought in by tourism.
So, what can we do? Retreat to our own borders and suppress our collective wanderlust until it subsides? Well we don’t need to be quite so dramatic as there are three simple approaches that could drastically improve the conditions at these beleaguered destinations while quenching our thirst for new experiences.
3. Travel, Enjoy, Respect – This is a mantra that we should adhere to wherever we travel. Firstly, we should respect those who live there, their rules, their property and their routines. As someone who has lived in two capital cities, I can attest to the annoyance of tourists cramming onto my commuter route in the morning. Which is why we should always remember that while we are on holiday, not everyone is and that mutual respect will only enhance our travel experiences. We also need to respect the place that we’re visiting; the environment and heritage which infuses a destination with life for us and for future generations. Try the food, pick up a few words of the language; I promise you that your experience will be richer for it.
Leave only footprints and take only memories. Anon
