The Final Call: In Search of the True Cost of Our Holidays

by Leo Hickman

We are all excited tourists. And tourism is the biggest service industry in the world. It employs one in every 11 workers on the planet. Yet while it is built on the sale of fantasies, the unsettling truth is that behind the sunny façade of swimming pools, smiling locals, stunning sights, and exquisite cuisine, there is all too often an ugly, damaging reality and it is spreading unchecked to all corners of the globe. This is an investigative travelogue written as Hickman journeys around the world, from theme park to golf course, from sunlounger to ecolodge. At each destination we hear from the key protagonists: the holidaymaker, waiter, hotelier, souvenir-seller, prostitute, environmentalist, tour guide, chambermaid, and local politician. All of them want us to ask ourselves some hard questions: Who really pays for our trip away? And is it even possible to have a "good" vacation? Here is the story of what they don’t tell you in the glossy brochures.

Genres: Travel

416 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2007

Reviews

[Malvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read that will definitely cast a different light on tourism, in understanding some of the true costs associated with developing and maintaining such an industry. Tourism is generally considered a desirable industry as it helps foster cultural understanding, while delivering economic benefits to the host communities. Unfortunately, that's not the complete story as the author reveals some rather concerning facts, highlighting the social and environmental issues by travelling to the various hotspots covering France, Spain, United Arab Emirates, India, China, Thailand, United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Estonia. Primarily due to overdevelopment, lack of planning and in some cases, lack of law enforcement by the relevant authorities, there are a wide range of negative impacts which includes maintenance of golf courses and artificial generation of snow when there is a shortage of water, illegal waste discharge to sea by cruisers, inappropriate dumping of inland waste, illegal prostitution and inflationary property prices due to the building of large resorts.
Naturally, tourism also leads to anthropogenic climate change(assuming you agree) due to the rise of low-cost airlines in the last 15 years. The increased level of travelling exacerbate the issues and not to mention, the associated increased level of carbon emissions. With interviews including
those out at the coalface, it provides a real perspective and a level of appreciation for true eco-tourism. Published 4 years ago, some of the content may need to be revised but the main points
should remain relevant. By the end of it, while one may be occupied with some mixed emotions regarding one's frequency on travelling abroad for pleasure, it does deliver a positive sense of awareness, making it a worthwhile read. Highly recommended and not just for travel monkeys or Friends of the Earth members!

[Antonio]

E' un saggio sui risvolti ambientali e sociali dei viaggi. Essendo un saggio a tratti la lettura si fa un po' pesante, per un certo intasamento di percentuali, sigle e cifre. Comunque rassegnatevi, per quanto il vostro modo di viaggiare possa essere eco-compatibile e rispettoso delle comunità locali, almeno un'attività devastante per la cultura o per la fauna locale, scoprirete di averla praticata anche voi. Io mi sono sentito in colpa, ad esempio, per l'avvistamento delle balene in Patagonia.

[Robert Day · Rating 1 out of 5]

could only stand the first 10 pages, and the chapter about The Sex Trade in Vietnam and a couple of pages about Spain and a few more about India and then I thought to myself that there's enough bad news about without me seeking it out.
The basic premise seems to be that going in holiday is destroying the planet.
Sheesh.