Tourism, planet, who adapts?
Overview
Tourism is a booming economic sector, which represents a significant part of the GDP of many countries, and will account for 10% of world GDP in 2020. Between the rise in the world’s standard of living and the relative accessibility of means of transport, tourism, like other sectors, has taken on a mass dimension. However, this change in scale has disastrous environmental impacts (pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, degradation of ecosystems and endangerment of local communities). Tourism is, however, synonymous with escape, rest, discovery and a new level of comfort within the reach of the majority. The tourism sector also employs over 250 million people worldwide. So between tourism and the planet, who is adapting? Is mass tourism doomed to disappear? Can our planet survive our comfort?