Published on : Friday, July 19, 2019
Fast-growing tourism accounts for about 5% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide while visitor influx is damaging a host of hot spots, said the Environmental Audit Committee, which examines the impact of government policy on the environment.
“Now that summer is here, families are looking forward to a well-earned holiday,” said committee chairwoman Mary Creaghin in a statement. “But when we book a cruise, flights or visit a popular tourist destination, it’s easy to forget about the environmental impact our holidays are having,” she added.
Around 1.4 billion people were international tourists in 2018, 6% going up from the year before, with cheap flights and easy connections assisting mass tourism, according to the UNWTO.
Britain makes billions of pounds from overseas visitors – drawn by everything from royal heritage to cutting-edge culture.
But the cost is also steep, with deep division over whether to expand London Heathrow, already Europe’s busiest airport.
Tags: mass tourism