Wildlife and tourism

The sheer scale of mass tourism – its reach, economic benefits and social and cultural impacts – is among the most profound societal changes of the past 60 years. Travel through any of the many hub airports around the world and you can’t help but be amazed at the buzzing throngs of pleasure-seeking tourists crisscrossing the planet. While it’s hard to unravel the differences between travel and tourism, which, post-Covid, bounced back to be worth nearly US$8 trillion, most experts think that the leisure sector accounts for almost US$3 trillion of that spend. It’s a seriously big industry. But wrapped up in Instagram dreams and brochure gloss, we tend to ignore some of the big global challenges that this poses and focus instead on the personal delights it offers. Occasionally, the extremes can be mocked in television satires such as White Lotus and there is, of course, a growing awareness of the carbon cost of air travel. However, the sector continues to grow relentlessly as more and more countries support cash-rich middle classes eager to join us around the infinity pool. This month, we look at one of the booming sectors of the booming travel industry – wildlife tourism ( Page 28). Everyone, it seems, wants to swim with dolphins, see a lion hunt or even ride an elephant. However, the burgeoning demand, coupled with sometimes lax regulation and unscrupulous operators, can result in some shocking abuses. Thankfully, many activities, such as elephant rides, are now frowned upon and in the UK and some other countries it’s now illegal to sell package tours that include activities, such as visits to dolphinariums, that would be illegal back home. This is a subject we plan to return to, particularly to highlight the best practice found in an ever-growing band of responsible operators.