Ken Shapiro’s Tourism of Doom, Tourists Travel While Supplies Last

Travel agents are noticing a rising trend of tourists wanting to see new places before environmental negligence takes its toll.  Dennis and Stacie Woods of Seattle plan their vacations by how environmentally endangered it is.  Woods went to the Amazon “to try to see it in its natural state before it was turned into a cattle ranch or logged or burned to thee ground.”  They plan to travel to the Artic next before the ice melts.

The Woods are not alone in feeling like they have to see the world before its gone.  Quark Expeditions has seen a dramatic increase in interest for trips to the north and south of the globe.  Many people are desperately trying to see places that just might not be around another generation.  The editor in chief o f TravelAge West, Ken Shaprio, refers to this new behavior as the “tourism of doom.”

While intentions are innocent, environmentalists say that the sudden boost in travel is only furthering each destination’s destruction.  Taking those trips only mean more planes, boats and construction in the already hurting areas.  Bringing new tourists on a regular basis will only hurt the environment.  Some blame the travel industry, accusing them of abusing the latest trends for financial benefit.  Jonathan Raben states “its about the world being spoiled and the impulse of the tourist industry to sell us on getting there before its too late, before other people spoil it.”