The ethical paradoxes of tourism

Abstract

It would appear that tourism has lost its meaning. For some it is synonymous with free time, leisure and far niente or idleness, for others it signifies economic hope; but the purpose of tourism was never meant to amount to the production of people travelling in an anonymous mass. However, this is what we have achieved and with the tangible results there for all to see. The increasing number of methods of transport (ever growing in size, such as the Airbus 380 or the floating palace ferries) and types of accommodation, growing to huge proportions, have helped to establish this era of mass tourism. Where it was Benidorm and Las Vegas yesterday, Saida and Dubai have now taken over as the materialization of the tourist landscape, the new theme parks, and true artificial paradises. We introduce here the term ‘aporia’. The aporias or ‘logic’ problems with no solution (the most famous of which is probably when a Cretan declares that all Cretans are liars) are multiplying everywhere and among the players on a path that was promised to lead to such a bright future.