Month: November 2020

Overtourism has been a growing concern within the industry and one that has been slowly taking resources away from the locals of these cities, communities, and towns. I agree that tourism does not have the needed policies, procedures, and boundaries to protect destinations, and needs to be subjected to new regulations that look after the local populations in regards to affordable and permanent accommodation, food and water, and the preservation of character and local culture. As Marinna Purisiol explains in the Crowded Out: Overtourism Documentary, the authenticity, and identity that people travel to Venice for has been slowly fading away from existence and it is not only Venice that suffers from this loss of identity, any destination can suffer from the effects of overoturism and over-saturation if the demand is high enough. Key contributors to the growth of overtourism are (1) Cheap Flights, (2) Travel Writing, (3) Honeypot Sites, (4) Cruise Liners, (5) Holiday Apartments, and (6) Demographics. Referring to the UNWTO and Sanda Carvao’s comment of “we always say there is not overtoruism, there is bad management” and though I agree with there being bad or untrained management, there is still going to be overtourism even with a filtering system that displaces visitor concentration or better ways of producing more economic growth within this destinations. The sheer number of guests will be overwhelming and more so post-Covid-19, so I believe tourism managers need to be trained in these areas to deal with these numbers while regulations need to be made within the industry to defend local populations and landscapes from destruction.

Though not all is bad. Referring to Kelly Corbett’s article around Covid-19 impacts on the city of Venice she states that dolphins and swans have returned to the canals after years of absence meaning that the lockdowns and reduction in international travel has given the city a break to recuperate. It will be interesting to see what the city plans to do post-covid and if they plan on opening up completely or staying locked-down for the sake of the environment.

The Atlas Experience Map was an excellent and enjoyable resource to look at and because of the variety, it offered it felt very inclusive. When I was originally looking at it I had chosen the minor city of Homesick because I wanted to be able to see family and friends. Though I still have these feelings I am looking back at it now I have grown fond of the capital city of change with a want to journey to the town of self-knowing. Despite the stress and homesickness, I feel right currently I have to remind myself that these will pass with time so I must look forward to the next year and finish my schooling off strong to put myself on the path of self-awareness and discovery, to look forward to change as a whole.

On that note, Destination Canada’s Signature Experiences Toolkit provides a very helpful and easy to understand guideline/outline for readers to follow. Though I believe that there are some issues in regards to overtourism and sustainability, the process of creating a unique experiential tourism experience is amazing and offers new hands-on experiences for guests and teaching opportunities for locals. Looking specifically at culturally rich communities with Indigenous history and traditions, though there are some concerns about authenticity being lost with overcrowding, the revival and awareness of these cultural practices and groups is what I believe is important and would benefit these communities. With the current state of Canada and the disturbing racism towards Indeingouns peoples, there needs to be more Indigenous representation and general awareness brought to the Indigenous population and though experiential experiences may not be the answer it will help educate visitors.

Policies are constantly being updated and modified to better suit the changing world around us. This year has been especially rough with Covid-19 being the forerunner of it, though to combat that TOTA has offered their assistance to tourism operators big and small throughout the region with financial or development support. Not only that but they have created, in collaboration with and in reference to the Indigenous Seven Generations Principles which states that an individual’s decision can have an impact for seven generations to come, a pledge to support the growing efforts for tourism recovery in the Thompson Okanagan Region and British Columbia. Both TOTA, Destination BC, and the UNWTO have provided information and programs that will help tourism operators during confusing these times, to make sure that no one is forgotten or refused.

In regards to the Lavazza video on racism and inequality, they made a point, and like many other company’s who have created a video or posted about the rampant inequality and racism within the world, whether it is genuine or a marketing scheme, they have made a point that they do not support these acts of hate. It is shown in the video that no matter who you are, who you identify as, who you love, and how old you are everybody is to be treated equally and that the world needs to accept these facts as true because hiding is no longer an option nor should it have been in the first place.

Policies within the tourism industry and the product development world have changed a lot within the last few years and continue to do so to adapt and include everyone so no one is left out and forgotten. Again, this past year has been a rough one and it is important during these times to be helpful, accepting, and open-minded to move forward.