Confessions of a Guilty Tourist

Mass tourism is a hot topic for discussion in development circles. In Caribbean-type holiday destinations, there are many negative impacts resulting from resort-style tourism, and there are few benefits.

I’ll let you in on a deep, dark secret: I am a mass tourist.

In April I spent a week on a beach in Cuba, drinking piña coladas and absorbing some rays. And I am not a one-time offender either – I’ve done the same in the Dominican Republic. What can I say? I love the ocean. I love the beach. I love the sun. I will probably do it again, too.

So, why is this fact such a shameful truth?

In numerous classes I have taken on development and geography, we discussed mass tourism. Sadly, every step of the path is fraught with unsustainable actions: the minute you get on the plane, your carbon footprint skyrockets from the plane’s fuel emissions. The very nature of resorts requires environmental degradation: huge construction projects parallel beaches for kilometers, leaving little undeveloped natural land for local ecosystems. Huge amounts of pesticides are dumped on resort grounds to minimize tourists’ discomfort. Incredible amounts of fresh water are used in pools and by hundreds of thousands of tourists in their suites. Significant amounts of erosion occur when the same hundreds of thousands of tourists decide to go walk the beach. Coral reefs, dolphin and whale pods, and exotic fish are stressed by swimmers, snorkelers, and scuba divers wanting to interact with the beautiful aquatic environment. The list goes on, and on, and on and on and on.

Many argue that this is weighed by the economic gains of tourism. For many Caribbean countries, tourism is the core of the economy and a major source of employment.

There is a downside to that too, though – scholars counter that argument, saying the mass tourism is exploitative of the local people, who work menial jobs as groundskeepers and maids, with little or no education, or need for education. Also, since most of the vacation spots and interchangeable to tourists (we don’t really care whether we visit the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica, etc., as long as there is a beach), the influx of tourists is unreliable and can fluctuate easily. If the evening news reports that instances of tourist muggings are high in Mexico, people will decide to visit somewhere else en masse, and the Mexican economy will suffer. This is a pivotal point for the difference between resort tourism and more destination-oriented tourism, which is location specific (for example, wanting to visit the Sistine Chapel).

Now, how do I reconcile my love of the beach with this knowledge? This is a challenge for me to rise to, by making more informed choices and supporting more environmentally-friendly tourism initiative. It is time for me to put my money where my mouth is and take more responsibility for my actions.