Read time : 3 mins
Level : Advanced
Emese Maczko | Wealth of Geeks undefined
Last year, Phuket, Thailand, was the most overcrowded tourist destination. For each of the island’s 416,000 inhabitants, 118 vacationers showed up, according to a study by MoneyTransfers.com.
In 2019, environmental tracking and analysis site Murmuration noted that 80% of the world’s tourists visit only 10% of global destinations. They predicted if this trend wasn’t reversed, by 2050, tourism would have doubled energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Has travel become a double-edged sword? On one hand, popular tourist destinations groan under the weight of traffic, transforming them into unbearably crowded spectacles. On the other, the allure of undiscovered places comes with the risk of turning them into mass tourism targets we seek to escape.
Is there a middle ground in travel that allows us to explore without exploitation, to enjoy without eroding? Are there destinations that offer the best of both worlds and manage visitors sustainably? Continue reading