Tourism: what ethical impact?

Throughout the Western Hemisphere, schools are closing for the summer holidays and people everywhere are readying to hit the beaches, mountains or vacation destinations for a well deserved break. Pope Benedict says everyone needs some time off and that “free time and regular vacations are an opportunity as well as a right."
The Pope made that remark in a message to participants at a recent (April 2012) World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Tourism in Cancun, Mexico, in which he reiterated the Church’s advocacy for making this right “become a reality for all people, especially for less fortunate communities."
“Tourism, together with vacations and free time,” the Holy Father wrote, “is a privileged occasion for physical and spiritual renewal; it facilitates the coming together of people from different cultural backgrounds and offers the opportunity of drawing close to nature and hence opening the way to listening and contemplation, tolerance and peace, dialogue and harmony in the midst of diversity.”
But while tourism is widely thought to benefit local communities, it can have negative repercussions that travelers are unaware of. To find out more, Tracey McClure talked to Mark Watson, the Executive Director of Tourism Concern, a U.K. based charity which raises awareness about the need for ethical and sustainable tourism. She began by asking what should travelers be thinking about as they head off on holiday this season?
listen to the interview with Mark Watson: