special report
HOW TOURISM CAN HELP LAST-CHANCE DESTINATIONS
encourage some people to travel, we prefer to focus on messaging that promotes the positive impact travel and tourism can have, rather than focusing on the more negative message of time running out.” Similarly, the chief executive of safari
specialists Somak Holidays prefers to take a positive stance when promoting its offerings. “We don’t use the ‘last chance’ term in our own marketing, but we don’t object to it — in many ways you can’t avoid it. What we’re trying to achieve when we choose our itineraries are destinations that are sustainable and are therefore responsibly managed. That said, places like the Maldives and Glacier National Park are certainly under threat from climate change.” But Naturetrek’s general manager, Andy
The Taj Mahal, India The Taj Mahal attracts around four million visitors a year and frequently pops up on ‘last chance to visit’ lists on the web. That’s because there are serious concerns about pollution, damage from insects and crumbling wooden foundations. But the fact this UNESCO World Heritage Site attracts so many visitors means the authorities are increasingly concerned about ensuring its long-term protection, not least because of the mausoleum’s importance to the economy of Uttar Pradesh.
The black rhino, East Africa Between 1970 and 1992, 96% of Africa’s remaining black rhinos were killed and fewer than 5,000 remain. The species is critically endangered because of the rising demand for rhino horn, which has driven poaching to record levels. Important revenue from tourism, however, is helping to fund ways of combating the illegal wildlife trade and the Kenya Wildlife Service recently re-introduced 20 black rhinos into the Ruma National Park with the express purpose of promoting tourism.
The snows of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania The views from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro will continue to astound tourists who have the stamina to climb the peak, but the legendary ice cap could soon disappear due to global warming. So this destination genuinely deserves to be on ‘last chance’ lists.
Experts reckon that, at the current rate, “there’s a high probability most of the remaining ice cover on Kilimanjaro will disappear by 2040, and it’s highly unlikely that any ice body will remain aſter around 2060”.
The Galapagos Islands Invasive species and human development have caused many problems for the delicate ecosystems of the Galapagos Islands. However, the Galapagos Conservation Trust says that sustainable tourism is crucial for the conservation and protection of the islands, as it’s “an essential source of revenue and a window to the wonders of the islands”. The Trust adds: “As long as these benefits are balanced with ‘responsible tourism’, there’s no reason why the Galapagos Islands shouldn’t be enjoyed by tourists for many more years to come.”
The Great Barrier Reef This massive reef, the size of Italy, is in trouble but that doesn’t mean it’s on its last legs. Last year it suffered a massive ‘bleaching’ event, caused by global- warming induced rises to sea surface temperatures, which led to headlines around the world saying that tourists needed to move fast if they wanted to see the reef before it met doomsday. But Tourism and Events Queensland insists: “It continues to offer exceptional visitor experiences. The tourism industry plays a key role in protecting, and advocating for, the reef.”
Tucker, takes an uncompromising approach. “It’s not a term which we’d associate with any of our tours, nor be keen to be associated with,” he says. “It’s one thing to say ‘come and see the Leaning Tower of Pisa before it topples’, quite another to encourage an Arctic cruise to see polar bears before all the sea ice is lost. What a horribly pessimistic message that is. “We’d be stooping unbelievably low if we were
seen to be using that as a hook to get people on our tours. There are plenty of positive conservation stories that we much prefer to focus on — Spix’s macaws in Brazil, white-winged guans in Peru and the Iberian lynx in Spain, to very quickly pick out three examples.” The problem, as Graham Miller — professor of
sustainability in business at Surrey University — sees it, is that even if tour operators don’t use the term ‘last chance’ explicitly, the overall concept can be “morally objectionable” if the aim of a promotion is, for example, “to make a buck out of watching Venice sink”. Professor Miller argues that simply raising
awareness of the precarious nature of some destinations isn’t a reasonable excuse for ‘last- chance’ type promotions. Something tangible has to be given back to the destination: as in the case of philanthropic tourism where donors may be taken to an endangered species wildlife reserve to explain how their money is being spent. He praises tour operators that go out of their way to highlight destinations that are less well known and not under pressure, for example: “the amazing temples to be seen in Belize rather than the well-trodden Machu Picchu site in Peru.” But why are people drawn to visit these
destinations, when in the normal course of events they wouldn’t have gone there in the first place? The answer is that it’s got a lot to do with what’s trending in the media. Without David Atenborough, many people would never have heard of the snakes of Fernandina Island or the baobab trees of Madagascar.
countrybycountry.com | ABTA Magazine
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IMAGE: GETTY
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