Travel and tourism now accounts for a whopping tenth of the global GDP and there exist more than two-hundred and ninety million tourism jobs at present. This scenario will only expand thanks to a rising middle class and improved physical and digital connectivity. Ideally for the planet, if all such travelers spread out evenly across the globe, it would be easier to absorb. However, that is unlikely to ever be the case as a study conducted jointly by McKinsey and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) states that, traffic to the top twenty countries will rise to more than that of the rest of the world combined. The list of the top twenty includes the likes of France, Spain, USA, UK and UAE. Sports such as Koh Samui in Thailand, Machu Picchu in Peru and the city of Venice in Italy are suffering immensely due to over-crowding. The report suggests four broad policies to bring long-term environmental balance combined with economic prosperity. For a start, a fact base needs to be prepared and updated regularly. With this, a sustainable growth strategy needs to be devised with involvement from all sections of society and constant search for new sources of funding. Places already facing these issues, have been suggested to spread visitors across sites, encourage visitors to also visit during off-peak season and adjust pricing to balance demand and supply. In addition, the regulations on lodges and rooms must be enforced strictly and access must be limited to preserve cultural and natural capital.

Sourcehttps://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-transport-and-logistics/our-insights/coping-with-success-managing-overcrowding-in-tourism-destinations?cid=other-soc-twi-mip-mck-oth-1712&kui=9a_CRnj7bhVxhl9bfbgljA

Uploaded Date:09 January 2018