This is jaw-dropping stuff, for people (such as me) who’ve travelled a great deal in my 75 years with minimal concern for the environment, until the realisation began to dawn in the 1980s. Have you put it in front of Booking for a response?
I read this bit and wondered if those academics’ names were genuine:
“Many are academics—including Dr. Susanne Becken, Dr. Xavier Font, and Professor Paul Peeters—all whose stuff I’ve been pouring over for my Masters, thank you all!”
And the editor in me says it should be “poring over”, not “pouring”, which is an entirely different verb! A typo, no doubt, or dastardly autocorrect.
I’m going to call myself Dr Dom Peignoir in a future life - as the uninitiated will mistake it for Perignon!
Thank you always for the really depressing accounts of the state of tourism. Actually I do very much appreciate your effort and research. May these, please, have an affect. I’ll take you along on my next bike trip, and you can do a blow by blow, travel low on the food chain. Sadly most of small hotels, in ‘along the way’ towns, anywhere se Asia, isn’t too often thinking sustainability. Though some practices, for economic reasons, do contribute to being less consumptive. Thanx again. Enjoy the getting there.
Dec 13, 2023·edited Dec 13, 2023Liked by Stuart McDonald
Another great blog of critical thinking. Though, when I did my masters I actually got fed up of myself being critical, and wanted to focus on positive purpose, hence Earth Changers. I do think the OTAs can and should do much, much better. But I'm also aware how hard it is for anyone, with no precedents, big data or data standards, consumers not putting money where mouth is, no trajectories acceptable to investors, thus support, or even a knowledgable let alone experienced staff pool, in the sector. So let OTAs develop it at a low level: that's no excuse for greenwash, but I see their role as one of introducing it to the mass market, reaching parts that others can't, and not expecting them to be the be-all and end-all for sustainable tourism, rather enabling specialists to be there for that. So if you want specialist info, go to specalists. The danger is in consumers thinking they are, when they're not, which is a whole holistic type of BS greenwash!
Sorry missed this! Yeah I hear you, but I do think that Booking does have the resources to have made a far better first stab at this, and I do think that it’s a very fox hen house thing as their entire business model is reliant on having every possible hotel listed, They’re in a position of such power and influence that they could easily say (for eg) “you cannot be listed on Booking if you do/don’t do X”. This sort of force feeding is the only way to get action at the speed needed IMO.
This is jaw-dropping stuff, for people (such as me) who’ve travelled a great deal in my 75 years with minimal concern for the environment, until the realisation began to dawn in the 1980s. Have you put it in front of Booking for a response?
I read this bit and wondered if those academics’ names were genuine:
“Many are academics—including Dr. Susanne Becken, Dr. Xavier Font, and Professor Paul Peeters—all whose stuff I’ve been pouring over for my Masters, thank you all!”
And the editor in me says it should be “poring over”, not “pouring”, which is an entirely different verb! A typo, no doubt, or dastardly autocorrect.
I’m going to call myself Dr Dom Peignoir in a future life - as the uninitiated will mistake it for Perignon!
Ack! Fixed! Thank you. Yes, I emailed questions to both Booking and Travalyst but heard back nothing. No great surprise there sadly.
Well, I for one will be far more questioning and scrutinising than ever before after reading your piece. Thank you again. Great writing.
Thank you always for the really depressing accounts of the state of tourism. Actually I do very much appreciate your effort and research. May these, please, have an affect. I’ll take you along on my next bike trip, and you can do a blow by blow, travel low on the food chain. Sadly most of small hotels, in ‘along the way’ towns, anywhere se Asia, isn’t too often thinking sustainability. Though some practices, for economic reasons, do contribute to being less consumptive. Thanx again. Enjoy the getting there.
Thanks Lani, much work to do, but I think the next one of these posts will have to be a positive one—all this bad news getting me down! Cheers!
And thank you for doing this work. Important. Do I dare go out to travel again.
For sure! Keep travelling, just try to do it the best way you can. 👍🏻
Another great blog of critical thinking. Though, when I did my masters I actually got fed up of myself being critical, and wanted to focus on positive purpose, hence Earth Changers. I do think the OTAs can and should do much, much better. But I'm also aware how hard it is for anyone, with no precedents, big data or data standards, consumers not putting money where mouth is, no trajectories acceptable to investors, thus support, or even a knowledgable let alone experienced staff pool, in the sector. So let OTAs develop it at a low level: that's no excuse for greenwash, but I see their role as one of introducing it to the mass market, reaching parts that others can't, and not expecting them to be the be-all and end-all for sustainable tourism, rather enabling specialists to be there for that. So if you want specialist info, go to specalists. The danger is in consumers thinking they are, when they're not, which is a whole holistic type of BS greenwash!
Sorry missed this! Yeah I hear you, but I do think that Booking does have the resources to have made a far better first stab at this, and I do think that it’s a very fox hen house thing as their entire business model is reliant on having every possible hotel listed, They’re in a position of such power and influence that they could easily say (for eg) “you cannot be listed on Booking if you do/don’t do X”. This sort of force feeding is the only way to get action at the speed needed IMO.
Thanks Martin, glad you enjoyed the piece.