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AS PART OF this month’s theme of Tourism and the SME, we’ve taken a look at Elizabeth Becker’s Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism.
When the author’s mother took off on a late-life travel adventure, it was the mid-1980s and she was one of 250 million tourists travelling internationally every year.
“Today that figure is one billion and growing,” writes Becker, as she sets off to examine how travelling became arguably the biggest industry in the world – and who can gain, or lose, from that phenomenon.
Who should read this book?
Anyone with a business on which tourist numbers impact – but also anyone in government who has the power to mould how tourism can shape a country’s culture, environment and economy, for better or worse.
What will it tell me?
How the tourism industry has grown by encouraging the notion of leisure travel from what was once a “privilege” to “a basic right”. (And how this should bring with it an increasing sense of responsibility from both tourists and the industry on the sometimes negative impacts of this growth, eg, environmental, exploitation, property prices for locals.)
From an industry perspective, Becker’s illustration of various forms of tourism through case studies is fascinating and comprehensive. She looks at cultural tourism via France, Venice, Camobodia; consumer via cruises, Dubai; nature via Zambia, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka. And she looks at how the old giant of tourism – the US – compares to how it’s being approached in what she terms “the new giant”, China.
Becker, as a prize-winning US journalist, has a particular interest in the effect of travel journalism on the industry. She finds the relationship between the tourism industry and travel writers to be insidious, with “rave reviews” the return for “free trips, meals, hotels and nights on the town”. This, she argues, serves neither overhyped destinations nor the traveller well.
Instead, she points to the example of Costa Rica which she says “is a laboratory for ecotourism, trying to protect the wilderness and all the wild things that live there and still have a profitable tourism business”.
This almost-400 page leap into the tourism sector concludes that sustainability has to be more than a marketing buzzword on a glossy brochure for countries to protect the very cultural, natural and other attractions that bring in visitors.
In a nutshell: Both tourists and those who make a living from them have a stake in resisting ‘fast’ tourism and cultivating more long-term goals. Is it elitist to wish for ‘better’ tourism – or just good economic sense?
If you liked this, you’ll love:
The Naked Tourist: In search of Adventure and Beauty in the Age of the Airport Mall>
No Frills: The Truth Behind the Low-Cost Revolution in the Skies>
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Good that disaster was averted but are they certain it wasn’t some old charleville cheese? Had to carry out a similar exercise one time when the wife left some really odourous stuff in the fridge.
Why does this seem to becoming such a frequent thing now in schools. The ABD unit seems to be spending a lot of time dealing with unstable chemicals in schools.
The chemical, Dinitrophenylhydrazine, is a chemical reagent routinely used in labs
If this happened in Iran, the US would use it as more evidence of a chemical weapons program!!!!! Just as well those ‘chemistry sets, of da 80′s are no
Longer on da market
Who is responsible?
Hmmmm…. We’l say Anglo for this one?
Cool suit.
You’ve got to be kidding.
Anyone got any info on this stuff still being issued to chemistry labs in schools or was this something done many years ago and now seized. It would somewhat explain why the BDU are called out after routine audits if this stuff is found on the premise which could be decade or more old, leaving a chance its less stable. Its a know carcinogenic and from its data sheet,
Section 11: Toxicological Information
Routes of Entry: Dermal contact. Eye contact. Inhalation. Ingestion.
Toxicity to Animals: Acute oral toxicity (LD50): 654 mg/kg [Rat].
Chronic Effects on Humans: The substance is toxic to lungs, the nervous system, mucous membranes.
Other Toxic Effects on Humans:
Very hazardous in case of ingestion, of inhalation. Hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant, permeator)
Hm, you’re right. Our schools should be safe, we should remove all hazardous “learning” tools at once! Lets remove this next:
Section 56B: Crapology catalog:
Name: Car
Description: Dangerous metal object responsible for over 1.2 million deaths last year alone.
Toxicity: Toxic to both humans and animals may also leak flammable and toxic substances.
Chronic Effects on Humans: The entity is toxic, may cause weight gain on use, known to cause back pain and blood clots.
Won’t somebody PLEASE think of the children!
Wow, No need to be a dick Aidan!
I simply asked if it’s still used in school as I personally don’t recall it being used when I did chemistry but it’s been a while. Its the 4th time in a year its been found during a routine audit and needed to be removed by Bomb Disposal, so I’m still asking, is it deemed a danger due to its age or for what reason required the BDU to be called? What conditions trigger this response from the auditor?
Any answer or do you prefer to be a narky smartass?
Seems like a picture of that robot bomb yoke pops up on here every day in some capacity
If I had known that stuff was in the lab when I was there, I would have had great craic! LOL
I hope this unstable chemical was not Beamish (a drink I love).
have your say