Students
Let me paint you a picture…the sound of soft waves lapping over the smooth
white sound reaches your ears as you dig your feet gently into the surf. The
delicate tweeting of birds delights you, bringing a smile to your face. You
gaze out across the vast ocean, pondering the big questions in life whilst
simultaneously relaxing into the light breeze. Nothing could destroy this
beauty, nothing could take away from the idyllic view in front of you. Nothing
except the giant monstrosity at the edge of the sand. The brand new, ultramodern hotel sits proudly, towering over the natural landscape below,
casting it in shadow. But it is a necessity, after all, in order to enjoy the
unspoiled views and locations, tourists will need a place to stay.
John Smith, president of Travel UK, explains ‘we have added over 150
locations to the tourism map this year. This expansion in to areas that have
previously not been used for tourism has necessitated the removal of over
2000 trees and other natural landmarks, the construction of over 500 buildings
including hotels, shops and leisure facilities and footfall in these locations
tripling almost overnight.’ If this is a sign of the modern obsession with
travelling further and faster, then the concept of unspoiled beauty is a thing
of the past. They say you cannot make an omelette without cracking some
eggs, but if those eggs are the offspring of an endangered bird, left alone for
thousands of years to thrive in its natural habitat until we decided that its
home would make a great sunbathing spot, then who really wants an
omelette in the first place?
Imagine a world where a holiday for one person did not mean displacement
from their home for another. A world where we were able to see the joy and
beauty in the world at out doorstep instead of reaching into the worlds of
others and taking their most precious resources. It could be said that tourism
brings life to a town, develops the economy and diversifies the population,
but at what cost? Should we celebrate the destruction of natural beauty in
order to appease the selfishness of those of us who crave a little bit of sun?
Do we honestly need to find more and more remote locations in which to
escape the world? People need to understand that the world they are
leaving behind disappears at the end of their road, they do not need to
travel to the ends of the Earth!
As a society, we need to consider the cost of our wants and needs. We need
to develop our own versions of paradise, a version that does not destroy the
paradise of others. If we consider the impact our travels have on the world
around us, we become more conscious, more globalised, more empathetic
to our fellow man. Surely the need for a little bit of sun should not result in the
destruction of the very beauty we seek to find?
Students