'Travel and tourism gets a bad rep – it's time we fought back against the negatives'

In the Pacific Asia region, we are seeing more tourism boards putting lesser-known destinations on the map, encouraging tourism dispersal and making community-based tourism more accessible.

For example, popular destinations in Japan such as Osaka and the hot-spring resort town of Hakone are considering new measures to address the uplift in visitor numbers.

Thailand has enacted a range of decisive policies, such as limiting visitor numbers to national parks, while a new marketing strategy highlighting destinations beyond known hotspots has been designed to ease demand for, and pressure on, popular resorts. This encourages wider dispersal of footfall and the economic benefits of tourism.

Hong Kong’s tourist board is also pursuing a regional tourism focus to ease pressure on cities, support local economies and preserve cultural practices.

’Let local voices be heard’

There are also more stringent protocols in place to protect the environment and biodiversity thanks to tourism, which ensure efforts to preserve wildlife become economic positives by making it in the interests of people to do so.

Wildlife tourism is a common thread across the Pata region where there are some amazing conservation projects in place, funded primarily by tourism revenue. When these projects are managed and regulated effectively, tourism can be a force for conservation.

Our message is that it’s not tourism itself that is the enemy, but rather how it’s managed by governments and stakeholders. Responsible and considerate management and development is key.

As more cities and regions seek ways to manage visitor numbers, this must be balanced with the economic reality that tourism as an industry accounts for around 10% of global GDP.

However, we are far too defensive when it comes to overtourism. We too easily accept the fundamental premise that travel is inherently bad. And I can’t stand it. Travel is not a necessary evil.

The way travel and tourism is negatively framed, combined with the industry’s defensive stance, isn’t helping our cause. Nor is the western-centric view on tourism development.

But rather than everyone forcing their – sometimes skewed – views on these matters on each other, industry and governments should be working more collaboratively to move forward in a way that benefits all stakeholders.

Let local voices be heard, let them tell us what they like, what don’t like, what they want more of and need less of. Only then, in full consultation with every part of the chain, can we develop tourism positively and show the world it can truly be a force for good.

’Tourism is a net positive’

We are, for instance, seeing among our membership a growing number of operators selling longer trips to maximise travellers’ time in destination and use their long-haul flights to their full potential by spending more time exploring. Flight shaming is another example of travel and tourism being painted in a negative light.

Lower carbon experiences and small group tours are becoming increasingly popular. DMCs are proactively creating programmes that are less environmentally intensive yet deliver a more considered social impact.

Community-based tourism comprising more authentic, hyperlocal experiences has never been so high on travellers agendas, and operators are responding to this demand for more responsible tourism options.

People are fed up with corporates and commercialism, they want to shop, eat and drink locally and support the little guys, who so often provide a much better experience.

Every aspect of our lives contribute, in some shape or form, to the environmental and social factors we must consider and balance. But there needs to be a lot less shaming of travel and tourism as a whole and more promotion, education and encouragement of the positive impact travel has.

There is so much change for good happening, we should be proud of the progress that is being made and highlight that. Tourism is a net positive that creates opportunities to profoundly benefit individuals, families, communities and countries. Let’s celebrate that.

Chris Crampton is chair of Pata UK and Ireland, the Pacific Asia Travel Association.