Hello, I'm Lucy Hockings. From the BBC World Service, this is The Global Story. 2024 is expected to be a record-breaking year for tourism, with more travellers going on holiday than ever before. Many beautiful destinations like Barcelona, Paris, Hawaii, or Bali are struggling with overtourism. Too many visitors in one place can have a negative impact on local people and cause lasting environmental damage.
So today we're asking how does this relentless rise in global tourism impact the people who actually live in these sought-after locations? The tourism industry is the third largest in the world, with 330 million people employed and a billion and a half tourists. However, local people are being priced out of their own homes due to short-term rentals, and water scarcity is a big issue in many destinations. The leakage of money from these tourist centres is also a problem, as a lot of the money made doesn't stay within the local economy.
In conclusion, while tourism can be a wonderful experience, it's essential to be more conscious of the host community and have more respect for the places we visit. We should try to disperse tourists to other destinations and encourage sustainable tourism practices. By doing so, we can help mitigate the negative impacts of tourism and ensure that local people can still afford to live in their own homes.
