'Our market leaders have tanked package prices, and we're all suffering'

Such extra capacity may keep revenues high, but cheap discounted holidays simply cause resentment in destinations. The clientele, using last-minute discounts to enable them to afford an overseas holiday, often don’t have any money to spend while on holiday.

Destinations, understandably, don’t want this cheap tourism, while the mass-market airlines and operators simply want to fill aircraft. They care little for the effect caused overseas.

Yet more capacity is being planned for 2025 at exactly the same time public opinion in Majorca, the Canaries, Barcelona, Venice, Amsterdam, Mykonos, Santorini and Dubrovnik, and other honeypot destinations, is turning against this tidal wave of cheap tourism that airlines and cruise ships disgorge daily.

In these circumstances, it’s hard to continue believing tourism is still a force for good.

I’m unaware of any airline or cruise line openly reporting the extra carbon emissions resulting from the marked increase in capacity this year. Doubtless they’d rather keep quiet.

However, if we keep increasing capacity annually for the next 15 years – after which, hopefully, technology will kick in to help – and cannot, in the meantime, discover a method by which to lower our carbon footprint to compensate, then by 2035 the air, cruise and travel industries will become one of the biggest polluters in the world.

Are we embarrassed? It seems not, we just turn a blind eye.

I doubt the UK government will do anything to stem demand. More expensive holidays don’t generate votes. So overseas destinations need to look after themselves, and it will be interesting to see what their governments do.

Tourism ministers love to announce increased arrival figures. Unfortunately, they seldom know how tourism works. The likes of Airbnb and the OTAs have been allowed to grow unchecked, antagonising both the local residents and the hoteliers they serve.

I have never been so disappointed at the state of our industry. In the 54 years I’ve worked in travel, we have – collectively and repeatedly – continued to make exactly the same mistakes.

Noel Josephides is chair of tour operator Sunvil, which specialises in tailor-made breaks to Greece, Portugal, Croatia, Scandinavia, lesser-known Andalucia and the Costa Brava in Spain, as well as Italy, Cyprus and Latin America.