Tourism trend might define future of industry
Permission-based travel
As tourist levels gradually recover in many regions around the world, including South Africa, some countries have reassessed their approach to tourism.
Yamkela Mdaka - Covid-19 has left a clear mark on the tourism sector and has changed the way people and governments think about the industry.As tourist levels gradually recover in many regions around the world, including South Africa, some countries have reassessed their approach to tourism, and one can’t help but wonder the direction tourism might evolve into as a result.
One tourism specialist has an intriguing perspective on where the world of travel is moving towards.
Sabine Lehmann, an attractions and tourism foresight specialist who’s also the founder of tourism consultancy firm Curiositas, introduces an approach where destinations put barriers to entry by focusing on attracting “quality tourists” rather than focusing on the volume of tourists coming in.
“Visa restrictions are an efficient method for governments to restrict access in advance of travel, and we largely accept their criteria: verifications of health status like yellow fever and TB vaccine cards, proof of financial position, age, purpose and length of travel,” she said.
“Covid pushed all of this to new extremes with requirements for proof of negative viral tests, further vaccination requirements and wearing a mask, reinforcing the idea that travel is highly conditional and jumping through extra hoops is simply part and parcel of this experience.”
‘Quality tourist’
With this in mind, she introduces the concept of “permission-based travelling” – a trend she foresees growing – where a traveller would need to show that they would be a “quality tourist”, someone that the destination would significantly benefit from.
This approach would involve attracting tourists who align with the specific needs, identity and ethos of a destination – someone that would be the “right fit”.
By doing so, governments would be aiming to ensure tourism contributes significantly to the local economy without compromising the quality of life for locals.
She explains that while the moratorium on travel cost many economies during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the lack of tourists in some regions brought some relief for "chronically over-touristed regions" such as Hawaii, where Lehmann says 60% of residents expressed serious concerns over tourist numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels.
She said: “[Hawaii] has since begun looking seriously at the trade-offs of a booming tourism industry and are thinking hard about how to better manage its impacts going forward.”
Right balance
At its core, this would be about finding the right balance between tourism traffic not causing harm to the locals or the environment, while also bringing in wins for the local economy.
There are already some places in the world that have enacted a version of this kind of approach.
According to Lehmann, the Kingdom of Bhutan controls visitor numbers by mandating a minimum daily spend, which limits annual tourist arrivals and protects the country from over-tourism.
Another example is the Republic of Palau which requires visitors to sign a mandatory eco-pledge before entry, emphasising the importance of sustainable practices.
Similarly, Iceland – wanting to attract high-earning professionals – grants individuals that earn more than a million Icelandic krona a month (R144 264) a six-month visa.
“The hope is that this visa regime will entice high-earning tourists to stay longer, travel slower, visit less popular Icelandic attractions and consider travelling out of the peak tourism season,” she explained.
Ultimately, permission-based travelling would represent a redefinition of countries’ relationships with tourism, but it raises some serious ethical questions.
Democratising or limiting access?
"Permission-based travel" as a concept raises important questions about inclusivity and fairness.
Would this further entrench travel as an activity of the elite since the privilege of travel seems like it would be tied to personal qualifications, or would it democratise it?
Lehmann reckons it's hard to tell.
“Of course, it’s hard to say whether a shift to a system that requires us to demonstrate our individual value to destinations will democratise travel or entrench it further as the prerogative of the elite,” she said.
“[But] the fact that ease of travel in the future may no longer be tied to our passports of origin could certainly unlock the world for South Africans and citizens of other nations hamstrung by geopolitical relations beyond our control.” – Fin24