Don’t Go There

In an increasingly crowded world, travelers find it more difficult to find remote and natural settings. “Thanks to globalization and cheap transportation, there aren't many places where you can travel today to avoid the masses of adventure or relaxation-seekers who seem to alight at every conceivable site,” writes Elizabeth Becker for the Washington Post. The industrial nature of modern global tourism destroys habitats, overwhelms culture, disrupts economies and contributes to problems ranging from corruption to pollution, she argues. In the past, traveling was about adventure, discovery, escape – about relishing other cultures and not about competitive marketing and profit. Tourism increasingly highlights income equality as visitors can afford hunting, fishing or other resources that local residents cannot. Becker predicts that more nations will target the tourism industry with environmental and other regulations. – YaleGlobal