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Overbooked: The Exploding Business Of Travel And Tourism (2013)

by Elizabeth Becker(Favorite Author)

3.63 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1439160996 (ISBN13: 9781439160992)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Simon & Schuster

review 1: My impressions of this book are shaped more by what it turned out not to be. I expected a strong discussion of the destruction that tourism has wrought across the planet, detailing not only environmental abuses, but the exploitation of ethnic minorities and cultural heritage, etc. Instead Elizabeth has managed a very detailed analysis of the current state of the world's least visible and noticed, yet about its largest, industry. There are minor criticisms of the way things run in some parts of the world, but for the most part it's about tourism as a business and an economic opportunity. If you work in the tourism business, you MUST read this book for no other reason than to better understand where your industry has come from, is currently at, and what to expect in the comi... moreng years. Overall very worthwhile read, but I'll have to look elsewhere for the book I'm seeking. Might have to write it myself ;-) Here's a quote from the author's closing comments. "On it's own, travel is neither good nor bad. The travel and tourism industry, however, has good and bad impacts, and governments are central to determining what that outcome is. Tourists aren't neutral either. Individually they make profound choices and when traveling in hordes they can do tremendous damage."Amen.
review 2: As a frequent traveler I approached this book with some trepidation. The title made me fear that I'd be made to feel guilty--not fun. Plus, this is a big book on what sounds like a pretty dry topic. So I was hesitant. But, having traveled over a lot of the planet in the past few years, I wanted to learn more about the business of travel, who benefits, who doesn't, and why. And I'm very glad I did read this book. From the beginning the author's thesis is a powerful one, that travel and tourism are an industry that most of us don't consider as such. And we should, because it's a huge industry with a huge impact that we tend to be blind to. Like it's hiding in plain sight. For example, in the first chapter she points out that, with the exception of the New York Times, the "travel" sections of our newspapers are never critical of travel, never say "this was a bad trip, best to avoid." Only positive, glittery stories are printed. The reason? Unlike the rest of the newspaper, travel sections have no firewall between editorial and advertising. In fact, the trips that newspaper travel writers take are paid for by the industry itself, again, with the exception of the NY Times. So, unlike movie reviews, where you may be warned away from a terrible movie, there are no articles describing terrible trips, places to be avoided. None at all. I had never noticed this! Cynics might say that the travel section is actually just one big advertisement.The author spent five years researching the book, including taking numerous trips that she paid for herself. She gamely covers the immense range of the topic, from mega cruise ships to Cambodia, from ecotourism in Costa Rica to the rise of China. There is so much to say that each chapter or section could be a book in itself. Why has Las Vegas changed from casinos to conventions? What is the effect of so many tourists landing on the Galapagos Islands? Why did Newt Gingrich lead the charge to eliminate the United State Office of Tourism? Read the book and find out! I'm glad she managed to put together this overview. It is a good way to get a sense of the industry that we typically only view through the lens of "how much is that plane ticket going to cost?". I will definitely think about my next trip differently!(This would be a 5-star review but some of the language is a little unwieldy, needed a stronger edit. Still a very good read.) less

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