The speaker asserts that
television and computer connectivity will soon render tourismobsolete. I agree that these technologies might eventually serve to reduce travelfor certain purposes other than tourism. However, I strongly disagree that tourismwill become obsolete, or that it will even decline, as a result.As for the
claim that television will render
tourism obsolete, we already havesufficient empirical evidence that this will simply not happen. For nearly a half-centurywe have been peering through our television sets at other countries and cultures;yet tourism is as popular today as ever. In fact, tourism has been increasingsharply during the last decade, which has seen the advent of television channelscatering exclusively to our interest in other
cultures and countries.The more reasonableconclusion is that television has actually served to spark our interest in visitingother places.It is somewhat more tempting to accept the speaker''s further claim that computerconnectivity will render tourism obsolete. However, the speaker unfairly assumesthat the purpose of tourism is simply to obtain information about other peopleand places. Were this the case, I would entirely agree that the current informationexplosion spells the demise of tourism. But, tourism is not primarily about gatheringinformation. ~nstead,''iits about sensory experience-seeing and hearing firsthand,even touching and smelling. Could anyone honestly claim that seeing a picture oreven an enhanced 3-D movie of the Swiss Alps serves as a suitable substitute forriding a touring motorcycle along narrow roads traversing those mountains? Surelynot.The physical world is laden with a host of such delights that we humans arecompelled to experience firsthand-as tourists.Moreover, in my view tourism will continue to thrive for the same reason thatpeople still go out for dinner or to the movies: we all need to "get away" from ourfamiliar routines and surroundings from time to time. Will computer connectivityalter this basic need? Certainly not. In short, tourism is a manifestation of a basichuman need for variety and for exploration. This basic need is why humans havecome to inhabit every corner of the earth, and will just as surely inhabit other planetsof the solar system.In fact, computer connectivity might actually provide a boon for tourism. Thecosts of
travel and accommodations are likely to decrease due to Internet price competition.Even more significantly, to the extent that the Internet enhances communicationamong the world''s denizens, our level of comfort and trust when it comes todealing with people from other cultures will only increase. As a result, many peoplewho previously would not have felt safe or secure traveling to strange lands will soonventure abroad with a new sense of confidence.Admittedly, travel for purposes other than tourism might eventually decline, asthe
business world becomes increasingly dependent on the Internet. Products thatcan be reduced to digital "bits and bites" can now be shipped anywhere in the worldwithout any human travel. And the volume of business-related trips will surely declinein the future, as teleconferencing becomes more readily available.To the extentthat business travelers "play tourist" during business trips, tourism will decline as aresult.Yet it would be absurd to claim that these phenomena alone will render tourismobsolete.In sum, while business travel might decline as a
result of global connectivity, tourismis likely to increase as a result. Global connectivity, especially the Internet, canonly pique our curiosity about other peoples, cultures, and places. Tourism helpssatisfy that curiosity, as well as satisfying a fundamental human need to experiencenew things first-hand and to explore the world.
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