Tourism: the ultimate culture killer?
Long stretches of time spent swimming and sunbathing and slothful sleeping on beaches, Instagram-able tan lines and shopping for souvenirs. Holidays are what we spend the winters wishing for, the spring planning, and the autumn reminiscing over. But holidays aren’t always so fun for everyone involved. Whilst we may spend a fortnight there in August, the negative effects of tourism are felt all-year round for the people who live there.
It’d be lovely if we could holiday like ghosts, skimming the surface of the country and the culture without leaving imprints behind us. Yet many of the most visited countries, such as Morocco and Egypt, are deeply religious. The behaviour of the stereotypical British tourist (and there’s a lot of truth in that stereotype), such as swearing and wearing revealing clothing (e.g. bikinis), is strongly opposed to the Islamic culture of these countries. In behaving this way, tourists force countries to choose between their religion and their economy. Isn’t it unethical to impose our more relaxed cultural values on others, when we are visitors?
There’s also cultural dangers from tourist misinformation or ignorance. Uluru (or Ayers Rock) in Australia is a sacred site for the Aboriginal people. They believe that it was formed by their ancestors, and the forms within rocks around Uluru are said to be ancestral spirits’ representations. The Aboriginals only allowed initiated senior men to climb Uluru, yet tourists climb it every day. It’s the equivalent of using saints’ relics to stir your tea! Arguably, when the Aboriginal culture has been oppressed so far already, to destroy their religiously significant areas is incredibly cruel. Most of the people climbing Uluru have no idea that they’re (literally) eroding Aboriginal heritage, but it’s imperative to be informed about where you’re travelling to. To have the ability to travel and see other countries is a privilege, not a right, and we must use it as such.
It’s not only individual sites that feel the strain of tourism. The entire city of Venice is suffering. In complete contrast to the rest of the world, Venice’s population is decreasing, forced out by the increased cost of living and the decreased quality of life. This is caused by local activities and shops being replaced with tacky souvenir stores. The cruise ships airily traversing the canals pollute the air that has sustained thousands of years of Venetians and erode the foundations of buildings. The heritage of the Venetians’ ancestors, a city which has sheltered their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents, is being crumbled by greedy holiday-makers who construct Instagram likes out of the destruction of inveterate and beloved monuments to the past.
Tourism doesn’t always seem too bad for the environment. When we think of climate change, factories puffing plumes of toxic smoke into the air come into our heads first. Yet if every family in the UK flew abroad on holiday, there’d be millions of aeroplane journeys, using tonnes of fossil fuels and emitting massive amounts of smoke. Once you’ve arrived, most hotels will have air-conditioning running constantly and a lot of time is spent in heated pools. This both uses energy and wastes water which, in a hot climate, is often in short supply already. From a selfish point of view, this sort of tourism will only destroy the wonders you came to see.
The real issue for many places is that tourism is both their downfall and their biggest income source. Incredible places such as Venice are trapped in a mesh that benefits tourists and cripples the city; if they keep the tourists, the city crumbles physically but if they lose the tourists, the city crumbles socially as people are forced to leave to find work. Tourism creates an addiction and the only way to end it to be sustainable and ethical in our holidays. Seeing the world has prodigious benefits for everyone; after all, it’s much harder to buy palm oil products when you’ve seen the Borneo orangutans who are losing their lives because of it. Additionally, learning about other cultures is integral to having a multi-ethnic society. Even despite its economic issues, tourism does provide a very important backbone to many nations’ economies, supplying jobs and taxes that help countries pull themselves out of poverty.
The most important idea when visiting other countries is to try to understand and appreciate their culture. Trek to historical sites rather than staying at a hotel in the pool, ask the shopkeeper the price of something in her native language. However bad your pronunciation, it will always be appreciated! It’s also important to avoid harming the environment in any way possible by walking or taking public transport if you can, rather than a car or plane. Try to leave no imprints for the local people to have to struggle with when you’re back at home, only having to struggle over your maths homework. This way, all the amazing sites in the world will be seen by the next generation, and the one after, instead of just being dusty photos in history books.
By Becky Hamilton, Year 12
Are there ways to travel sustainably?
Travel is a great experience for all. It helps us to grow as individuals, create precious memories and experience other cultures. However, is travelling harmful to our planet? Inevitably, when you travel you are going to create a bigger environmental impact compared to when you’re just staying at home. Travelling can be destructive to the environment and, ironically, destroy the places that we travel miles to see! However, there are ways we can prevent this! In this article, I give tips on how you can minimise your impact and make a positive difference by travelling sustainably. We need to do everything we can to preserve our planet for ourselves and for future generations!
1) Let’s talk about transportation: We need to consider how we are going to travel. Travelling by plane is detrimental to the environment and the Earth’s atmosphere. According to research, it accounts for over 40% of the carbon footprint of the entire tourism industry as well as accounting for 2% of global human-induced greenhouse gas emissions - this is despite newer planes being more fuel efficient and using bio fuels. Nevertheless, planes are polluting our skies. The demand for air travel is increasing and it would probably be extremely beneficial if humans did not fly at all! But, sometimes, it is more accessible and convenient so if you do need to travel by plane, consider these options:
-You might want to consider carbon offset when you next travel by plane. Carbon offsetting allows passengers to pay extra to help balance out their carbon emissions from their flight. This money is then put towards environmental projects.
-Opt for a non-stop flight as this uses less fuel compared to stopping in various locations.
-Use public transport instead! Travelling by bus or train has fewer emissions than planes and travelling by train or Eurostar is often a cheaper way to travel.
2) Consider sun cream: Scientists have revealed that many sun creams have chemicals in them that are harmful to our oceans. Sun creams contain small amounts of microscopic metals that can prevent marine life from developing normally. By simply walking into the water whilst wearing harmful sun cream you can expose the marine life to these metal particles and harm them. Always ensure that the sun cream you use isn’t harmful to the ocean (it should say if it’s kind to the environment on the packaging!).
3) Bring your own reusable items: Whether it’s a reusable coffee cup, water bottle, Tupperware, shopping bags, cutlery or straws – make sure you carry these with you everywhere! This way you won’t have to dispose of anything.
4) Limit your expenditures: When we travel, we are all guilty of buying lots of souvenirs or other stuff that you want but don’t actually need. Next time you travel, try to be more mindful and think about whether it is an impulse buy or if you’ll actually use it within the next year. Make sure that it’s not useless tat that will probably end up in landfill.
5) Have a staycation: Why not stay home? You don’t need to go abroad to have a good time! You could visit local places near your home town and just relax in the comfort of your own home! During your “staycation”, remember that you’re saving lots of money, fuel and resources.
I hope these tips were helpful and offer assistance to those who want to be eco-friendly and sustainable while they travel but weren’t sure how to do so.
Lottie Macro Year 10
It’d be lovely if we could holiday like ghosts, skimming the surface of the country and the culture without leaving imprints behind us. Yet many of the most visited countries, such as Morocco and Egypt, are deeply religious. The behaviour of the stereotypical British tourist (and there’s a lot of truth in that stereotype), such as swearing and wearing revealing clothing (e.g. bikinis), is strongly opposed to the Islamic culture of these countries. In behaving this way, tourists force countries to choose between their religion and their economy. Isn’t it unethical to impose our more relaxed cultural values on others, when we are visitors?
There’s also cultural dangers from tourist misinformation or ignorance. Uluru (or Ayers Rock) in Australia is a sacred site for the Aboriginal people. They believe that it was formed by their ancestors, and the forms within rocks around Uluru are said to be ancestral spirits’ representations. The Aboriginals only allowed initiated senior men to climb Uluru, yet tourists climb it every day. It’s the equivalent of using saints’ relics to stir your tea! Arguably, when the Aboriginal culture has been oppressed so far already, to destroy their religiously significant areas is incredibly cruel. Most of the people climbing Uluru have no idea that they’re (literally) eroding Aboriginal heritage, but it’s imperative to be informed about where you’re travelling to. To have the ability to travel and see other countries is a privilege, not a right, and we must use it as such.
It’s not only individual sites that feel the strain of tourism. The entire city of Venice is suffering. In complete contrast to the rest of the world, Venice’s population is decreasing, forced out by the increased cost of living and the decreased quality of life. This is caused by local activities and shops being replaced with tacky souvenir stores. The cruise ships airily traversing the canals pollute the air that has sustained thousands of years of Venetians and erode the foundations of buildings. The heritage of the Venetians’ ancestors, a city which has sheltered their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents, is being crumbled by greedy holiday-makers who construct Instagram likes out of the destruction of inveterate and beloved monuments to the past.
Tourism doesn’t always seem too bad for the environment. When we think of climate change, factories puffing plumes of toxic smoke into the air come into our heads first. Yet if every family in the UK flew abroad on holiday, there’d be millions of aeroplane journeys, using tonnes of fossil fuels and emitting massive amounts of smoke. Once you’ve arrived, most hotels will have air-conditioning running constantly and a lot of time is spent in heated pools. This both uses energy and wastes water which, in a hot climate, is often in short supply already. From a selfish point of view, this sort of tourism will only destroy the wonders you came to see.
The real issue for many places is that tourism is both their downfall and their biggest income source. Incredible places such as Venice are trapped in a mesh that benefits tourists and cripples the city; if they keep the tourists, the city crumbles physically but if they lose the tourists, the city crumbles socially as people are forced to leave to find work. Tourism creates an addiction and the only way to end it to be sustainable and ethical in our holidays. Seeing the world has prodigious benefits for everyone; after all, it’s much harder to buy palm oil products when you’ve seen the Borneo orangutans who are losing their lives because of it. Additionally, learning about other cultures is integral to having a multi-ethnic society. Even despite its economic issues, tourism does provide a very important backbone to many nations’ economies, supplying jobs and taxes that help countries pull themselves out of poverty.
The most important idea when visiting other countries is to try to understand and appreciate their culture. Trek to historical sites rather than staying at a hotel in the pool, ask the shopkeeper the price of something in her native language. However bad your pronunciation, it will always be appreciated! It’s also important to avoid harming the environment in any way possible by walking or taking public transport if you can, rather than a car or plane. Try to leave no imprints for the local people to have to struggle with when you’re back at home, only having to struggle over your maths homework. This way, all the amazing sites in the world will be seen by the next generation, and the one after, instead of just being dusty photos in history books.
By Becky Hamilton, Year 12
Are there ways to travel sustainably?
Travel is a great experience for all. It helps us to grow as individuals, create precious memories and experience other cultures. However, is travelling harmful to our planet? Inevitably, when you travel you are going to create a bigger environmental impact compared to when you’re just staying at home. Travelling can be destructive to the environment and, ironically, destroy the places that we travel miles to see! However, there are ways we can prevent this! In this article, I give tips on how you can minimise your impact and make a positive difference by travelling sustainably. We need to do everything we can to preserve our planet for ourselves and for future generations!
1) Let’s talk about transportation: We need to consider how we are going to travel. Travelling by plane is detrimental to the environment and the Earth’s atmosphere. According to research, it accounts for over 40% of the carbon footprint of the entire tourism industry as well as accounting for 2% of global human-induced greenhouse gas emissions - this is despite newer planes being more fuel efficient and using bio fuels. Nevertheless, planes are polluting our skies. The demand for air travel is increasing and it would probably be extremely beneficial if humans did not fly at all! But, sometimes, it is more accessible and convenient so if you do need to travel by plane, consider these options:
-You might want to consider carbon offset when you next travel by plane. Carbon offsetting allows passengers to pay extra to help balance out their carbon emissions from their flight. This money is then put towards environmental projects.
-Opt for a non-stop flight as this uses less fuel compared to stopping in various locations.
-Use public transport instead! Travelling by bus or train has fewer emissions than planes and travelling by train or Eurostar is often a cheaper way to travel.
2) Consider sun cream: Scientists have revealed that many sun creams have chemicals in them that are harmful to our oceans. Sun creams contain small amounts of microscopic metals that can prevent marine life from developing normally. By simply walking into the water whilst wearing harmful sun cream you can expose the marine life to these metal particles and harm them. Always ensure that the sun cream you use isn’t harmful to the ocean (it should say if it’s kind to the environment on the packaging!).
3) Bring your own reusable items: Whether it’s a reusable coffee cup, water bottle, Tupperware, shopping bags, cutlery or straws – make sure you carry these with you everywhere! This way you won’t have to dispose of anything.
4) Limit your expenditures: When we travel, we are all guilty of buying lots of souvenirs or other stuff that you want but don’t actually need. Next time you travel, try to be more mindful and think about whether it is an impulse buy or if you’ll actually use it within the next year. Make sure that it’s not useless tat that will probably end up in landfill.
5) Have a staycation: Why not stay home? You don’t need to go abroad to have a good time! You could visit local places near your home town and just relax in the comfort of your own home! During your “staycation”, remember that you’re saving lots of money, fuel and resources.
I hope these tips were helpful and offer assistance to those who want to be eco-friendly and sustainable while they travel but weren’t sure how to do so.
Lottie Macro Year 10