(…) How much culture do we want tourists to absorb? In the dawn of modern tourism back in the 19thcentury, culture was high on the lists of all travelers. Visiting foreign countries was linked to educationand intellectual enlightenment. Then came a time when tourists were basically interested in leisure and relaxation.

I believe we're making a comeback to a more weighted view. Today, we acknowledge the existence of a specialized cultural market together with the so-called massive tourism. Travelers want to know more about the destinations they'll be heading for, things other than swimming pools and beaches. Nowadays, there are countless news media, the Internet has expanded dramatically, and there's universal, transparent and hassle-free access to tourism-related information. This is a positive sign because consumers could find themselves more aware of the allures those places have to offer. Yet it can also be negative because massive tourism make holidaymakers cluster in much larger, better known, much older or more spectacular travel destinations.

As a result, major travel destinations draw long lines of tourists, while the more specialized locations are just ignored or put on a virtual back burner, some kind of second-tier shelf for culture. Travel destinations are both privileged and vulnerable. They're privileged because almost effortlessly they lure inflows of tourists from the turf and overseas. Visitors drop by historic landmarks by the hand of tourist guides, not by the echoes of advertisement campaigns.

However, those sightseeing spots are also highly vulnerable to the side effects of massive tourism, hit hard by pollution and deterioration, as well as by the negative impact that marketing certainly has on the local population. (…)

FRANCESCO FRANGIALLI PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION (UNWTO). CULTURAL TOURISM IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN.