Looking back on the journey | Press

Traveling is a privilege.

That is always true, but there may be more these days. If you start planning your vacation like me, you may not be discouraged by the price of gas, car rental, accommodation … it’s a pain, an epidemic tourism recovery in full inflation.

Privilege problem, I know it. Many Quebecs cannot afford the luxury of cruise… but in spite of my jealousy, I agree that with such costs, I must reconsider my relationship with tourism.

Either travel less or travel differently.

Great order, in a community that values ​​the subject greatly!

It feels good to walk in the West … In fact, Dominic Lapoint, Chairman of the Committee on Tourism, Territory and Community Research and Intervention (GRITTS), explained to me that travel is a form of legal consumption.

That is, it speaks to our status in society.

“If anyone goes to the Maldives, they make sure to put photos of their hotel in a pool on Instagram, he continues,” but these islands will disappear with climate change. We are stuck in all this, what to do next? ⁇

Because, in addition to financial problems, the climate crisis and the power relationship between tourists and citizens should be taken into account … but the idea is not to stop walking. Travel plays a role in our identity, meeting others, learning, and our mental health.

Among the factors that motivate us to escape is the desire to break our daily lives, explained Isabelle Falardeau, professor of leisure, culture and tourism studies at the Université du Québec Trois-Rivières (UQTR).

“Our daily lives are a little strange! It comes with pressure and restraints … The all-encompassing model was created to respond to this desire, so we can break the norm and live easily. […] We contribute to our well-being through our tourism practices. That is why our results are not entirely based on the exchange rate or inflation! ⁇

So, rather than stopping the journey, the researcher explains that we are adapting. To save money, some people go the short distance. Others do not like to go to restaurants or visit relatives to avoid the cost of accommodation.

Some also choose non-explicit consumption, Isabelle Falardeau tells me. It is a movement that encourages tourists to consume less: travel less; Or spend less (this can be a problem when you are in a backward country because you do not support its citizens); Or choose a place with a social career, such as the Monaster des Augustines in Quebec.

“There are family camps, too,” he continues. Saint-Urbain Family Camp is a form of all-inclusive pricing based on income. ⁇

Excellent resource for making travel more accessible. That’s important because they have a chance to grow. For many, travel is even a right. (Thanks to the labor movements for allowing workers access to paid leave …)

Our thirst for movement has negative effects on the environment and many communities. How to follow healthy practices?

There may be a glimmer of hope in Quebec’s new tourism policy, which will make us leaders in sustainable tourism.

“For example we say: ‘Dear tourists, we want to see you again, but why not travel less often?’, Isabelle Falardeau succinctly says, ‘This is an interesting strategy! Let’s see how much it costs.

However, it is important to avoid that all the responsibilities of sustainable tourism rest on the shoulders of travelers … such as traveling long distances, repaying the carbon emissions of air travel, or staying at an eco-hotel.

“Who are we to judge someone who encompasses everything or wants to see the Eiffel Tower? Asks Isabel Flardo.

nobody is here.

So the state has a full share. For example, according to Dominic Lapoint, it may invite us to find another place near us.

Local tourism in Quebec is already important, but according to him we can do better. Let’s start by emphasizing our specific lifestyles in line with space.

“We must stop occupying our territories and start living in them. Dato ‘Zak, which is vacant in the winter, does not live in the territory … it is occupying it.”

Betting on regional specifications throughout the year, it wants to get everything out of the house.

(Bracket: In this thirst for authenticity, the Tourism Office in Dunkirk, France invites all visitors to live the “regular northern adventure”. [faisant] A chip shop ”… In short, it’s about ordering a chip out of a cache. My successful holiday, it’s true.)

“For me, changing our relationship for travel is like changing the window,” Dominic Lapoint continues. We have focused on tourism in tourism development. We must now bring tourism back to the needs of the communities. ⁇

How do we do that?

“I’m quoting Emma Lee, a tribal researcher from Tasmania, who reminds us that there is a right to tourism, not tourism.

He throws me an idea: What if we build models, in regions, we use a portion of the profits made by tourist hotels to build and maintain rental units at affordable prices for residents?

There is a new world to design.

And, at the very least, some good tracks on the drawing board.