Trapped by Tourism: Sustainability Questions for a World Fueled by Travelers

Travel was once a way in which the world changed us. Now, it is a way in which we change the world.

Twenty-five years ago, two things made mass tourism possible: cheap air travel and the credit card. The world has come a long way since then--and very quickly--from the need for either travel agents or traveler's checks. From the now-vast cruise ship industry to a myriad of niche areas such as do-good tourism, self-improvement tourism, sex tourism, and adventure tourism, travel--as an industry and an activity--reaches into corners and has developed on scales not hitherto imagined.

In Trapped by Tourism: Sustainability Questions for a World Fueled by Travelers, Larry Krotz explores the tensions that formed with the rise of mass tourism, focusing on what travelers want vs what travelers do and the sustainability of tourism itself, both as it plays out in economies and as a factor impacting natural and cultural environments. We will never shut down tourism. We are destined to have it and to participate in it. But what truly are its implications for the world we live in? If communities and governments seek economic benefits, they must also look at the trade-offs: commodification of cultures, economic unfairness, environmental stresses, and much more. By delving into examples ranging from the wine industry to Indigenous communities, Krotz looks at how what we do and how we do it affects important corners of the world, and how awareness has developed about steering the impacts in ways that work for everybody.

Trapped by Tourism takes readers around the world to locations such as the old cities of Europe, Indigenous communities in North America and Africa, wine growing regions in Canada, the island of Cuba, and Cathedral towns in England; places where tourism as an economic driver come up against environmental or cultural forces that push in exactly the opposite direction, creating tensions within today's mass tourism. The result is a thoughtful and provocative framework that encourages readers and travelers alike to consider an ever-growing component of our culture--the way we travel and the impact we leave behind.

Larry Krotz is a journalist, documentary filmmaker, and author of more than a dozen books on topical issues. He was the Manitoba correspondent for The Globe & Mail, turning out almost a hundred columns for the Saturday edition of the newspaper. His work has appeared in the National Post, Walrus, Harrowsmith, Weekend Magazine, Western Living, Quest, the United Church Observer, Canadian Geographic, Saturday Night, Equinox, and Border Crossings, among others. With his production studio, Karante Productions, he made the independent films Rising to Dance (1987), South Indian Lake (1987), and Searching for Hawa's Secret (1998). His books include Indian Country: Inside Another Canada (1990), Tourists: How Our Fastest Growing Industry Is Changing the World (1996), Piecing the Puzzle (2012) and Nothing Ordinary (2021). Krotz resides in Toronto, Canada.