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  • Casas sin familias

    “Casas sin familias” was produced to explore the issue of mass tourism in Barcelona and its impact on the housing crisis. With 30 million tourists descending on Barcelona each year, vastly outnumbered, 1.6 million residents face increasing challenges. Renowned for its’ warm welcome, Barcelona wrestles with this complex issue, caught between a desire to receive […]

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  • Demand that London hotels treat their staff fairly and pay a living wage

    It is a national scandal that London, in terms of hotel workers, is now one of the most ‘unethical’ tourist destinations in the world. In comparison in New York, which has many similarities to London, the hotel workers have safe, secure and very well paid employment. There is no reason why the big names in […]

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  • YOUR HOLIDAYS, THEIR HOMES

    Knowing that local people are happy to have you stay is the secret of an enjoyable holiday Your holiday destination is a place where people live; people who may have different values and sensibilities to your own. Opening your mind to new cultures and traditions is part of the joy of a holiday. Learn a […]

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  • SHOULD YOU VISIT AN ORPHANAGE?

    Visiting an orphanage has become part of the itinerary for many travellers, especially in places such as Cambodia, where some orphanages even promote themselves as  ‘tourist attractions’. Luke Gracie, Alternative Care Manager from Friends International explains some of the issues travellers should consider: There are quite a lot of orphanages across Cambodia. There are also quite […]

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  • SHOULD YOU GO ON A CRUISE?

    More and more people are going on a cruise – whether on small ships around Scotland or the gigantic new cruise ships that dominate the Caribbean seas. But is this form of tourism ethical and sustainable? Is it acceptable ethically  to take a cruise? The briefing below sets out the issues you need to consider.  It was […]

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  • SHOULD YOU RIDE AN ELEPHANT?

    An elephant ride is a popular tourist activity, especially in Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal and other parts of Asia. It is also becoming popular in some regions of Africa. The appeal of such treks is clear – the elephant is the largest land mammal, it’s intelligent, social and emotional. In many ways it is the equivalent […]

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Featured Issues

London Hotels to Treat Their Staff Fairly and Pay a Living Wage

It is a national scandal that London, in terms of hotel workers, is now one of the most ‘unethical’ tourist destinations in the world. In comparison in New York, which has many similarities to London, the hotel workers have safe, secure and very well paid employment. There is no reason why the big names in […]

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Water injustice and tourism

Tourism is a thirsty business. Peak tourist seasons are generally during the driest months of the year. Tourism development is most intense in coastal areas and on islands, where potable water is typically scarce. Vast amounts of water are needed during the construction phase, as well as once the tourists have started to arrive. However, […]

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Sun, Sand, Sea and Sweatshops

Making the world’s biggest industry fair While we relax in the sunshine around the world, life is far from paradise for the waiters, cleaners, cooks, porters, drivers, receptionists and other staff working to make our holidays enjoyable. Tourism is the world’s biggest industry, employing an estimated 220 million people worldwide. It is an industry that […]

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Blog

Tourism Concern: Closure

September 28, 2018

Following a report from our Treasurer, the trustees of Tourism Concern have taken the difficult decision to close the charity. The vote was unanimous. The charity has struggled financially for a number of years and cut costs to the barest minimum but despite the best efforts of talented executive directors and generations of enthusiastic and […]

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12th Annual Native Spirit Film Festival 11-21 October 2018: Indigenous People and Activism Through Art

September 17, 2018

Five per cent of the world’s population belong to so-called Tribal Peoples, First Nations, Native Peoples, and Indigenous Peoples. Examples of Indigenous Peoples include Inuit communities in the Arctic, the White Mountain Apache of Arizona, the Yanomami and the Tupi people of the Amazon, Maasai pastoralists in East Africa and many more. These are just […]

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Causing More Harm Than Good – The Truth Behind Volunteering With Orphans

September 4, 2018

In recent years the popularity of ‘voluntourism’ has exploded and a huge number of people are now combining a holiday with the feel good factor of ‘giving back’ to the places they visit. At face value it is a hard thing to criticise – what could be wrong with giving up some of your time […]

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Tourism Concern: closure

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Tourism Concern is no longer an active organisation, but this website has been kept open for the benefit of activists, students and researchers – just bear in mind that most content has not been changed since the trustees’ closure announcement in September 2018. 

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Our Facebook page continues to highlight issues of concern about today’s tourism impacts and trends.

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  • Travindy.com – a website which promotes sustainable tourism. You can download our reports from there free of charge.