Matthew Upchurch, chairman and chief executive of US luxury agency Virtuoso, said the industry had “pivoted from the challenges of overtourism to the disaster of under-tourism” during Covid, which was affecting communities globally.
Speaking on a WTM sustainable tourism panel, he said a total shutdown of tourism would mean “the worst environmental disaster in the history of the planet” because of the knock-on effects on communities, wildlife and the landscape.
Fiona Jeffery, founder and chairman, Just a Drop, said under-tourism had a knock-on effect on the charity’s work, with falling tourism income in developing countries meaning less investment for basic infrastructure.
