Wider travel aspirations avoids overtourism
Itook this photograph of the Taj Mahal last year. It would have been a perfectly framed shot, had I taken one step to the left. I would have, if I could. What this photo didn’t show was the throngs of camerawielding locals and tourists on either side of me, and behind me, all jostling for space, all trying to find that perfect angle, that Instagram-worthy selfie, that ridiculously framed shot where it looks like they’re pinching the top of this iconic marble tomb.
This monument to love in Agra can attract up to 50,000 visitors a day on busy weekends.
With more affordable and accessible travel comes an unfortunate consequence – overtourism.
Global international tourist arrivals increased 6 per cent to 1.4 billion last year, a whole two years ahead of schedule.
‘‘Overtourism is an existential issue for the tourism industry,’’ Darrell Wade, cofounder of Intrepid Travel said.
‘‘If travellers and the travel industry don’t get our response right, we’ll kill the very thing that makes us all love travel."
As travel companies and governments around the world work to combat this, we’re hearing about tourist bans and caps, crowd-control mechanisms, steeper fees and the promotion of more ethical and sustainable tourism.
The good news is there are still plenty of countries around the world that are reliant on your tourist dollar. Some, such as Nepal, are recovering from the effects of a devastating earthquake. Some, such as Jordan, have suffered because of its proximity to conflict.
In our cover story on pages 4 and 5 this week, Louise Southerden picks eight unsung destinations from across the world.
These are destinations where you’ll be assured of a warm welcome, and destinations where your travel dollar will do more good than you can imagine.