What is the future of tourism?

While tourism can provide incredible economic incentives, it can be harmful to the environment and put pressure on local populations and their quality of life. Locals in many tourist destinations are questioning whether the costs of travel outweigh the rewards. Tourism is an industry that will continue to thrive in this era of globalization. As transportation improves, the world will become smaller and people around the world will mobilize massively for the purpose of travel. This will lead to a phenomenon known as “overtourism”.

Overtourism is not just a thing of the future, it is happening right now as we talk about it. Many of the world's most visited cities, such as Venice, Palau, Barcelona, ??Spain, Italy, Croatia, Iceland, and even Mount Everest, are victims of overtourism. Overtourism leads to what we call the “tourism paradox,” a phenomenon in which tourism destroys the natural or cultural environment necessary for local tourism.

After the release of the movie 3 Idiots in Bollywood, which showcased the beautiful places of Ladakh, this place became very famous among tourists and became one of the most popular tourist attractions . Nature, clean environment and beautiful mountains are the unique selling points of that place. While the mountains remain intact, the cleanliness of the destination has changed dramatically. Tourists throw their garbage wherever they go, resulting in the degradation of the beauty of the place. As overtourism began to upset local residents, the Ladakh government moved quickly to address the problem.

Driven by changing expectations, growing demand, dwindling resources and increasing environmental pressures, experts believe the travel industry is approaching a tipping point. But on the bright side, it provides a valuable opportunity for policymakers, businesses and relevant sectors to understand and innovate new models to ensure the long-term development of this important field.

Experts say technology has the potential to disrupt the tourism industry, with developments in artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) set to prevail. Technology also has the potential to effectively manage tourist attractions. Disney is using technology to control crowds through a NASA-like chain of command. If the control room detects that a large number of people are gathering in a particular location, it can deploy an attention-grabbing element nearby, such as Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck, to distract visitors to another attraction.

While innovation is necessary, so is responsible travel, which brings us to “protecting tourism from its own commitments, leaving only washed-out footprints.

”