From dystopia, utopia: COVID-19, collapse, and new hope for tourism’s future

Through the lens of science fiction, his own writings about travel & tourism, and the musings of contemporary thinkers, tourism futurist Ian Yeoman wonders whether the COVID-19 pandemic represents a turning point for our industry. If so, which path will we take? Dr Yeoman is hopeful.

It’s a “Good Tourism” Insight.

COVID-19 has brought the real prospect of collapsing societies to our consciousness with hospitals overwhelmed, supply chains disrupted, and a social disorder and civil unrest that could escalate into a dystopian future; a future of fear, loss, death, unfairness, despair, disbelief, evil …

But against that dark background, stories of humanity, hope, love, and belief are brought into sharp relief.

From evil, good always emerges.

So, as bad as it has been for many tourism stakeholders, does the COVID-19 pandemic represent new hope for tourism?

From dystopia emerges utopia
Utopias paint a picture of perfect worlds — ideal worlds in which people feel happy and comfortable — and so they are often seen as a form of pure escapism.

Indeed, in terms of the tourist gaze, as prospective escapes from the everyday, tourism destinations are often portrayed as a paradises; beautiful beaches, stunning landscapes, perfect hosts.

On the other hand, dystopias portray a negative (and so, unwanted) image of future societies. They are worlds of contingency, conflict, and uncertainty.

We associate dystopian futures with misery and cruelty. In fiction, dystopias are depicted as troublesome worlds where nobody wants to live; except those who gain pleasure from inflicting, witnessing, and/or experiencing pain and misery.

The origin stories of dystopian science fiction futures often involve a warning of imminent danger, and a call for action and behaviour change that is either ignored or fails.

It is notable that the production and consumption of dystopian science fiction in the form of films, fables, and novels, has been long been mushrooming.

Consequently, when a disaster or crisis happens in the real world, it is easy to make connotations and connections between the ‘predictive’ power of such art works with the catastrophic reality.

For example, as the COVID-19 outbreak emerged, it was like reading Koontz’s science fiction novel The Eyes of Darkness which ... continue reading this "GT" Insight in full and for free at https://goodtourismblog.com/2022/01/from-dystopia-utopia-covid-19-collapse-and-new-hope-for-tourisms-future/ ... There are many more like it at The "Good Tourism" Blog.