Here we have a little patch of the middle of nowhere called Mallacoota. Our patch is characterized by hectare upon hectare of coastal forest and kilometers of beach and an extensive estuary system. It is quiet and beautiful for most of the year except summer. What happens thousands of people converge here from hundreds of K’s away and jam into tiny camp sites in the shire caravan park. They huddle in the heat destroying the natural peace of the place, damaging the environment and paying top dollar for food and drink. They tow (in many cases) huge vans and boats, burning huge amounts of hydrocarbons and creating road rage and dangerous driving conditions. When the weather is hot they complain about the heat and when it is cold or wet they complain about that. Now if they expended the money and energy in working in their own communities to improve the civic life style and facilities – lobbying government for better community facilities and volunteered in community organizations then there would be no need to travel.
Local traders say that the community depends on tourism to survive. However the people who depend on tourism came to Mallacoota to exploit the tourists and when they have made their pile go away somewhere else leaving the devastation behind them. Without tourism Mallacoota might be able to concentrate on developing a local economy that supports real jobs that are ethical and socially responsible.
International tourism is even worse. Comparetivly wealthy national can take advantage of the poverty stricken countries by obtaining cheaper goods and services than are available at home. This destroys the local culture, massively degrade the natural environment, corrupts the bureaucracies and forces the very poor and desperate into sex slavery, drug addictions, slum living and all the diseases these bring.
Tourism is not only weird it is evil.
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