20 Nov Traveling more

The growth in travel has been mind-boggling. The change has taken place in front of our eyes and we are only starting to come to terms with what it means. To put it all in perspective, let me share the numbers in terms of my life so far.

I did my first international trip as a student in grade 10. It was 1980 and we went to New Caledonia on a school trip. It was awesome – and started my lifelong love of tourism. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) In 1980, about 277 million people traveled internationally.

I started my first managerial job in 1990. The number of international travelers that year was 435 million. By 2000 it was 669 million, way more than double the number of people traveling when I made my first trip in 1980.

Next year, 2020 the number of international travelers will be 1.4 billion. That’s 1,400,000,000 people traveling internationally. There are more than 5 times the number of people traveling internationally today than when I first traveled to New Caledonia. And it’s important to remember, these numbers don’t include all the travel we do within the country. They are just international travel numbers.

While this growth seems to have happened while I wasn’t paying attention, I believe it is important that we become more mindful of our impact as travelers.

Everyone makes an impact when they travel. 1.4 billion people, each making an impact. Some impacts are good, some impacts are bad.

Recognizing the types of impacts we are making and committing to making a positive contribution to the planet and its people has never been more important. As Jane Goodall says, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”. Travel responsibly.