IAFOR continues The Forum discussions on Global Citizenship, with the theme of ‘Global Citizenship and Responsible Tourism’ slated for The Barcelona Conference on Education (BCE2024) and The Barcelona Conference on Arts, Media, and Culture (BAMC2024). Join us during the Wednesday plenaries on November 13, 2024, at 15:45-16:45, to discuss and share insights with delegates from all over the world about this topic, which can be intimately felt within our host city, Barcelona.
Barcelona and other seaside towns like Palma de Mallorca and Málaga are seeing a rise in city-wide protests against mass tourism. Discontented activists are sending the message for tourists to ‘go home’, arguing that mass tourism, and especially the rise of short-term rentals through services such as Airbnb, is driving up housing costs and leading to residents being unable to afford life in the city centre. The problem of mass tourism extends to other European cities as well, with Venice, for example, suffering from cruise ship day-trippers, who visit the city for a few hours and don't contribute to the local economy. While the hospitality sector profits, locals feel the negative impacts, such as aggression and disrespect from tourists, without seeing significant benefits.
These negative sentiments around sustainability and quality of life provoke us to reexamine the commodification of tourism within a consumerist framework. Historically, the purpose of travelling was to expand knowledge, foster multicultural understanding, and enhance international cooperation. Capitalism has altered this definition, while social media has further exacerbated these issues: the role of travel influencers in creating hype around ‘Instagrammable’ spots, for example, leads us to question whether travelling has more to offer than accumulating likes and subscribers.
This prompts a critical discussion on the potential of responsible tourism to promote global citizenship. Can tourism be reimagined not just as an economic activity but as a transformative process that cultivates global awareness and responsibility? How can we ensure that tourists act as global citizens, rather than merely as representatives of their own countries? What is the role of education, the arts, and media in this reimagined context? Finally, how can tourists give back to the local communities of the countries they travel to? Explore these questions and more at The Forum.
Read presenters' biographies