Trump hails tourism’s political power with Cuba ban

Can holidaymakers be political pawns? Trump may be wrong but the principle is right – all over the world

You may have thought that tourism was just about people having a good time and enjoying themselves (the cheaper the better – obviously)

You may have thought that places where tourists go always benefit from their visit – the more tourists, obviously the more they benefit.

You may have thought that the massive growth of the tourism industry driven by lower and lower prices was a great thing for everybody – tourists and destinations alike.

You may have thought that tourism shouldn’t be used as a political pawn.

Wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong.

The fact is that tourism has become a great sleight of hand method for companies based in rich places (generally big important rich companies and shareholders) to make the most out of poor people’s assets for their own benefit. The usual formula – the cheaper they buy the more expensive they sell the bigger their profits.

Big global operators (think Booking.com, Airbnb, Tripadvisor etc) use destination names/brands free for powerful marketing.

Poor disempowered inhabitants of famous destinations are given almost slave-labour jobs so they can provide cheap holidays for rich people thus making rich corporations even richer – and keeping the poor in their places. This also has the effect of further empowering local powerful elites who do the deals with big tourism corporations.

Here is the usual conversation: "We want to bring millions of tourists to your country which will give you lots of employment and will boost your economy" "Will these be good jobs, with good pay, training and conditions and will the money your tourism initiative brings stay in our local economy" "No, of course not, but you do want your economy boosted, don’t you?"

Many countries had this sort of conversation in the 1970s with the World Bank including Bali, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, the Dominican Republic, the Gambia, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Kenya. Others later picked up the formula like Thailand and Turkey. PS to my knowledge the World Bank is still left with $5bn of hotel investments from that era.

In return the countries get low cost/low value tourism and very little rewards – except, of course the ruling and commercial elites.

And because tourism appears to be just a commercial populist attraction and immune from politics (except of course when everybody screams at any sort of regulation) – everybody gets their cheap holiday at the cost of the people that work like slaves on less than living wages to deliver them.

There was uproar in the garment industry when child and slave labour was seen to have created cheap clothes and cheap food.

But are tourists really prepared to buy holidays -provided by people in fear and poverty just because they are ‘Good Value’?

Are tourists willing to accept hospitality from people who really can’t afford it?

Do they really want to spend their relaxed days and their money going to a place like the Maldives, Sri Lanka or Turkey or many others with shabby human rights records – just because they are cheap and beautiful?

Do destination communities enjoy their streets and squares and sacred, historical,fragile places being rammed full of unknowing foreigners mainly to benefit overseas shareholders with a little dripping down to their own local elites and a very little for them?

Where are the politicians to address this injustice and benefit both their own local communities and the world?

Politics has its place top of the agenda both in source markets and in destinations – not to bring down prices but to ensure a tourism industry that is FAIR for all.

Valere Tjolle

@ValereTjolle