The World We Share: Preserving Heritage and Sustainability in Tourism

The impacts of tourism go far deeper than they seem. Major destinations such as Venice have enforced restrictions due to overwhelming visitor numbers that threaten its fragile environment. The environmental effects of tourism are momentous : littering, disruption of wildlife, resource depletion, waste dumping, land degradation, and air pollution. Cultural identity and locals’ interests are often overshadowed by the glistening allure of profit.

This year’s MariMUN conference will focus on these issues, as well as the growing problem of tourist scams, widespread, yet insufficiently tackled. Around 10-15% of travellers fall for some form of travel scam every year such as price gouging, fake tourist tours, services and websites, as well as counterfeit products. How can we enforce protections for tourists from authorities who often lack the means to do so? Also, is it ethical to give tourists more privileges than locals for profit gain? How can we best safeguard locals? Lastly, many regions, for instance, the Maldives, rely solely on tourism for their economy. 

Delegates should debate whether there should be a cutoff on the number of tourists in countries to protect local culture and local environment, yet taking into account the economic consequences of such thresholds.

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