Paige McClanahan, a globetrotting journalist, argues for recognizing the potent social force of travel. She highlights how tourism has shaped the world for better and for worse in her new book, "The New Tourist: Waking up to the Power and Perils of Travel."
It's good to see you. Thanks for taking the time to talk about the book. You dive into this term 'the new tourist.' New tourist. What does that mean first? But of course, tourism can do a lot of damage. And this is why it's really important that we take the time to educate ourselves about the impacts of our travels. And so the new tourist, as I see it, is somebody who opens their hearts and minds to the experiences that they have when they travel, and who also takes the time to educate themselves about the implications of their wanderlust.
It was really in the late '80s when the local government in Liverpool turned to tourism very explicitly as a way to revive the city's economy, and it did so in a way that has really worked for locals. It has really revived the Liverpool economy, has completely rebranded the city on the international stage, and has given this whole city a new lease on life.