Mass Tourism

 
 
 

Vocabulary

local	view (3)	hot spot (2)
fed up	resident	inflate (2)
palace	hospice	centuries
go on	push (2)	destination
earn	treat (2)	overwhelm
afford	take over	breaking point
rent	push out	generate (2)
rapid	face (2)	in the face of
sector	employ	underline
GDP	spoil (2)	take care of
riches	spread	follow (2)
bustle		enough is enough

 
 
 
 

Video: Mass Tourism

 
 
 
 

Transcript

They may look like tourists, bustling around Venice’s hot spots . . . but look closer: these local residents are fed up with their city being taken over by travelers.

Protester One: “Stop with hotels, we want houses. Each palace that becomes available in Venice including this one behind me that’s been a hospice for eight centuries is becoming a hotel.

It can’t go on like that.”

Popular holiday destinations are increasingly being pushed to breaking point. Travelers are choosing the likes of Spain and Italy over Turkey and Tunisia following terrorist attacks in those countries.

Here in Spain, tourism is a big employer. But mass tourism is inflating prices in destinations like Barcelona and Mallorca.

Locals say they’re being pushed out.

Local Resident: “I don’t know where I’ll go after September. I can’t find anywhere I can afford. I can’t pay more than six-hundred euros (€600) because I don’t earn enough.

Tourism is good; it generates money and people can work — but it’s not acceptable that locals can’t afford rent.”

They feel overwhelmed in the face of rapid changes around them. But Spain’s prime minister underlines the economic importance of the industry.

Mariano Rajoy, Spanish Prime Minister: “Tourism today employs over thirteen percent (13%) of people who work in Spain; more than 2.5 million Spaniards work in the tourism sector; it’s more than twelve percent (12%) of our GDP.

And we have to take care of tourists, spoil them and treat them well.”

The riches from tourism are not being spread equally. And angry locals are making their views clear: enough is enough!

 

 

Questions

1. Everyone in Venice is proud and happy that their city is so famous and popular. True or false? Were they expressing themselves (only) on social media?

2. What did the protester say about historical buildings in Venice?

3. The video talked about geopolitics and geo-economics. Is this right or wrong?

4. How do some or many locals feel about (mass) tourism? Are they entirely positive, mostly positive, in the middle, both positive and negative, mostly negative or totally negative?

5. How does the government feel about tourism? What is their position?

6. Have some locals taken “extreme” measures?

7. Everyone benefits equally from tourism. Is this correct or incorrect?

 

A. Many tourists visit my city or country. Yes or no? If yes what do they do?

B. Is there “mass tourism” in your country?

C. Have you visited places that were packed with tourists? Have you been to places that were overcrowd?

D. Do businesses, residents and the government want more, less or the same amount of tourists? Is everyone in agreement?

E. What will happen in the future?

F. What is the “solution” to mass tourism?