Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Worldwrite volunteers filmed this fascinating panel at the Battle of Ideas Festival 2024
We all love a holiday – indeed, the aspiration of ‘seeing the world’ is something many of us still hold as an essential human experience. With cheap flights, social norms more accustomed to international travel and more people seeking out the same destinations, how should we balance the lives of locals with the desires of out-of-towners? What effect did the pandemic have – why did many locals, accustomed to the solitude brought by Covid-19 on their beaches and beauty spots, suddenly become so hostile to tourists? Shouldn't we defend cheap flights, stag do's abroad and seeing the wonders of the world?
The speakers on this panel are:
Dr Jim Butcher - lecturer; researcher; co-author, Volunteer Tourism: the lifestyle politics of international development
Katie Glass - columnist, feature writer and travel journalist
Emma Zaoli - international relations and French student, Durham University
The chair is:
Austin Williams - director, Future Cities Project; honorary research fellow, XJTLU, Suzhou, China; author, China’s Urban Revolution; series editor, Five Critical Essays.
These are the introductory speeches only. To avoid duplication, the full debate will feature on the Academy of Ideas YouTube channel shortly.
WORLDwrite volunteers filmed over 40 sessions at the Battle of Ideas 24. To edit, sound clean and prepare these videos for the Academy & WORLDwrite channels, takes at least 2 days each. With no paid staff the charity needs your help to keep its edit suites switched on.
Please chip in if you can by visiting the charity's JustGiving page at justgiving.com/campaign/worldwriteis30 Thank You.
#Overtourism #greentravel #TourismImpact
Worldwrite volunteers filmed this fascinating panel at the Battle of Ideas Festival 2024
We all love a holiday – indeed, the aspiration of ‘seeing the world’ is something many of us still hold as an essential human experience. With cheap flights, social norms more accustomed to international travel and more people seeking out the same destinations, how should we balance the lives of locals with the desires of out-of-towners? What effect did the pandemic have – why did many locals, accustomed to the solitude brought by Covid-19 on their beaches and beauty spots, suddenly become so hostile to tourists? Shouldn't we defend cheap flights, stag do's abroad and seeing the wonders of the world?
The speakers on this panel are:
Dr Jim Butcher - lecturer; researcher; co-author, Volunteer Tourism: the lifestyle politics of international development
Katie Glass - columnist, feature writer and travel journalist
Emma Zaoli - international relations and French student, Durham University
The chair is:
Austin Williams - director, Future Cities Project; honorary research fellow, XJTLU, Suzhou, China; author, China’s Urban Revolution; series editor, Five Critical Essays.
These are the introductory speeches only. To avoid duplication, the full debate will feature on the Academy of Ideas YouTube channel shortly.
WORLDwrite volunteers filmed over 40 sessions at the Battle of Ideas 24. To edit, sound clean and prepare these videos for the Academy & WORLDwrite channels, takes at least 2 days each. With no paid staff the charity needs your help to keep its edit suites switched on.
Please chip in if you can by visiting the charity's JustGiving page at justgiving.com/campaign/worldwriteis30 Thank You.
#Overtourism #greentravel #TourismImpact
