minefield

Minefield
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/theminefield/ https://twitter.com/rntheminefield

[|Do our ethical convictions need to go on holiday when we do?]

Comments

We need a deep dive into tourism and your conversation certainly broke the surface.

The element missing from discussion was the point of view from locals hosting tourism experiences. If there is a movement toward local travel, responsible and conscious tourism, then our conversation needs to include more local voices talking about hosting in addition to the visitors talking about what it means to experience another culture.

Ten years ago I was invited to Australia to give workshops for Aboriginal Tourism Australia. Ten years later it's still difficult to hear directly from the mom and pop operations, the community museums, the operators that want domestic and international visitors. Nor do we hear the warts-and-all coverage that admits when there are problems caused by visitors. By the way, this myopia is not limited to Australia. Do we hear about how tourism is viewed by locals in Las Vegas or Mexico City? Rarely unless they are political or business leaders.

Perhaps we can do better in 2017, the UN-declared International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. Your conversation comes at the right time to explore these topics in depth. I'll be writing more about the International Year online http://planeta.com/iy2017