As tourism surpasses pre-pandemic levels, can it really be sustainable?

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As tourism surpasses pre-pandemic levels, can it really be sustainable?  The world's largest tourism festival kicked off in Berlin this week. But what are the latest trends for 2025?  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/05/as-tourism-surpasses-pre-pandemic-levels-can-it-really-be-sustainable  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00International tourism is expected to surpass 2024 levels,

00:04which saw a full recovery from pre-pandemic levels.

00:08The travel sector is experiencing a rise in sustainable bookings amid

00:12pushbacks and over-tourism that is seeing several European countries,

00:16such as Spain and Italy, considering raising tourist taxes.

00:19But climate change is also having a major impact on travel,

00:23especially in the Arctic region.

00:25The difference that I've seen personally has been dramatic.

00:28Melting of glaciers, I mean, literally year over year when I'm up there,

00:32you can see the glaciers melting back.

00:34You can see behavior change of the animals as a result,

00:38you know, more polar bears coming to land when there's no sea ice to hunt,

00:41and et cetera, et cetera.

00:42We see it in the Antarctic as well.

00:43There's penguin colonies that are moving to new locations

00:46just because of what we understand to be a climate change impact.

00:50So there's no question that that's happening.

00:52According to a study by the United Nations World Tourism Organization,

00:5795% of tourists explore just 5% of global areas.

01:02Over-tourism is also a huge issue in tourist hotspots that put strain on locals,

01:07but also other tourists who don't enjoy sharing the space with crowds.

01:12Sustainability is now a huge problem because of the number of the tourists.

01:17And so there are many, many ways to manage it.

01:22We are trying to, because 90% of the people in the Dolomites,

01:26they want to see the main spots.

01:28So there are five, six spots, for example, for hiking, and everybody wants to go there.

01:33But we are trying to tell the people that the Dolomites are a huge, huge region,

01:39so you can go where you don't find anyone else.

01:42Tens of thousands of tourism industry participants

01:45gather at the world's largest tourism trade fair, the ITB, in Berlin.

01:50Many companies are experiencing a boom in nature-related activities,

01:54which could be beneficial if travellers look more locally.

01:57But can tourism really be sustainable?

02:00Liv Stroud, reporting in Berlin.

02:27For Euronews.

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