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Mass Tourism Is Destroying the Planet

Dec 12, 2019 | 16 videos video by the atlantic.

Last year, 1.4 billion people traveled the world. That’s up from just 25 million in 1950. In China alone, overseas trips have risen from 10 million to 150 million in less than two decades.

This dramatic surge in mass tourism can be attributed to the emergence of the global middle class, and in some ways, it’s a good thing. But the consequences are grave—particularly for the planet. In a new episode of The Idea File , the staff writer Annie Lowrey explains how overtourism has contributed to large-scale environmental degradation, dangerous conditions, and the immiseration and pricing-out of locals.

“Tourists can alter the experience of visiting something such that they ruin the very experience that they’ve been trying to have,” Lowrey says in the video. “That’s the essential definition of overtourism.”

For more, read Lowrey’s article, “ Too Many People Want to Travel .”

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to [email protected].

Authors: Catherine Spangler , Vishakha Darbha , Jackie Lay

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The "Good Tourism" Blog

For diverse perspectives on sustainable tourism & responsible travel ... because travel & tourism is everyone's business., what is ‘mass tourism’ and what’s the problem.

What is ‘mass tour­ism’? How do we think about it and talk about it? Do we con­sider all of its con­texts, costs, and benefits?

Does mass tour­ism con­trib­ute to good lives? Or do ‘the masses’ only rep­res­ent threat?

Does leis­ure travel for the many have its place in a ‘green’ future for us all? Or will it remain the priv­ilege of a few?

Vil­helmi­ina Vain­ikka shared this “Good Tour­ism” Insight at the invit­a­tion of Tour­is­m’s Hori­zon: Travel for the Mil­lions , a “GT” Part­ner. (You too can write a “GT” Insight .)

Table of contents

What is ‘mass tourism’ .

Why would any­one ask such a ques­tion? Isn’t the answer obvious? 

Pre­sum­ably every­one using the term — in industry, aca­demia, and in gen­er­al — has some idea of what mass tour­ism might be. After all, it’s likely we have been tour­ists ourselves, many of us live in places that attract tour­ists, and many work in tourism. 

Mass tour­ism is integ­ral to our cul­ture. But, as Ray­mond Wil­li­ams argued in rela­tion to the term ’cul­ture’ itself, its ubi­quity masks a range of con­tested understandings. 

Don’t miss oth­er “GT” posts tagged ‘Car­ry­ing capa­city, mass tour­ism, & overtourism’

Research­ers of tour­ism have prob­ably had to define mass tour­ism in their pub­lic­a­tions. Tour­ism stu­dents have prob­ably had to learn one or more defin­i­tions. We can say that most people — aca­dem­ics too, des­pite claimed expert­ise and author­ity — hold socially-con­struc­ted views of mass tourism. 

There are many dif­fer­ent defin­i­tions of and per­spect­ives on mass tour­ism. My own doc­tor­al research con­cen­trated on the dif­fer­ent ways pro­fes­sion­als — aca­dem­ic research­ers, pack­age tour agents, and tour guides — think of mass tourism. 

What is ‘mass tourism’? Quantitative vs qualitative definitions

When we define some­thing, we are sim­ul­tan­eously part of cre­at­ing that phe­nomen­on. Lan­guage con­veys mean­ing, but also con­structs it. Defin­i­tions make some­thing an under­stand­able entity, draw­ing lines where it ends and some­thing else begins. 

One way to define mass tour­ism is as a quant­it­at­ive notion. ‘Mass’ implies a large scale, involving many people (in rela­tion to the glob­al, region­al, or loc­al con­text in which mass tour­ism is perceived). 

This quant­it­at­ive notion is often tied to qual­it­at­ive char­ac­ter­ist­ics. Large num­bers of tour­ists may be under­stood in a pos­it­ive, neut­ral, or neg­at­ive way. Today it is often under­stood as prob­lem­at­ic, for example in the debates on ’over­tour­ism’.

Mass tour­ism can also be approached in oth­er, more qual­it­at­ive ways:

• It can refer to a mode of production/consumption . So, for example, we might think of Ford­ist mass pro­duc­tion, or eco­nom­ies of scale of mass production. 
• It can refer to spa­tial spe­cial­isa­tion . The resort as a space for mass tour­ism is an example of this. 
• It can also carry a strong asso­ci­ation with demo­crat­isa­tion , such as access to tour­ism by sec­tions of soci­ety; by social class , for example. 

All of the cat­egor­ies men­tioned above have changed — none are stat­ic — adding to the real­ity that mass tour­ism really needs think­ing through. 

Equally, mass tour­ism can also be under­stood as a ’super-umbrella term’ for tour­ism for ’the masses’, which com­bines the afore­men­tioned per­spect­ives. This sug­gests that num­bers of tour­ists, the mode of pro­duc­tion, the polit­ics of con­sump­tion, phys­ic­al mani­fest­a­tions such as the resort, and demo­crat­isa­tion, are all part of a wider ideo­lo­gic­al and polit­ic­al infra­struc­ture that we might call ’mass soci­ety’ or ’mass culture’. 

The super-umbrella approach con­nects tour­ism to all of its his­tor­ic­al, eco­nom­ic, and polit­ic­al con­texts: the devel­op­ment of indus­tri­al soci­ety, polit­ic­al change, growth, (in)equality, tech­no­lo­gic­al advances, and infrastructures. 

Not­ably in this fram­ing, the niche modes of tour­ism (eco­tour­ism, for example), which are often aes­thet­ic­ally and cul­tur­ally coun­ter­posed to mass tour­ism, can be seen as being part of the mass phe­nomen­on of tour­ism, just like the resort. This under­lines the com­plex­ity of the phe­nomen­on today.

Also read Sudip­ta K Sarkar’s “Good Tour­ism” Insight ‘Eco­tour­ism for the masses, not the elite classes!’

Contexts for mass tourism: The ‘good life’

Con­text is import­ant. Mass tour­ism is con­tex­tu­al­ised on spa­tial, tem­por­al, and scal­ar terms; we exper­i­ence it in space, time, and at a scale. There­fore, it is neces­sary to zoom in on dif­fer­ent loc­al, region­al, and nation­al con­texts in which mass tour­ism is tak­ing place. The his­tor­ies of dif­fer­ent com­munit­ies with mass tour­ism, wheth­er as des­tin­a­tions or as sources of tour­ists, are mean­ing­ful in under­stand­ing con­tem­por­ary life­styles and ideas of what con­sti­tutes a ’good life’.

Is mass tourism a singularity or a plurality?

The ‘mass’ in mass tour­ism is both a sin­gu­lar and a plur­al . The rela­tion­ship between the two is key. In dis­cus­sions of mass tour­ism, char­ac­ter­isa­tions of the sin­gu­lar mass, or ’the masses’, can obscure the plur­al­ity of indi­vidu­als, and indi­vidu­al­ity itself. 

I have argued in my research that the use­ful­ness of mass tour­ism as a concept is embed­ded in address­ing this very rela­tion; reflect­ing on what the ‘mass’ sym­bol­ises and what con­sequences it has for how we see our fel­low humans. 

Erik Cohen has urged more research on mass tour­ist exper­i­ences and under­lined the pos­sib­il­ity for both col­lect­ive and indi­vidu­al exper­i­ences. We should allow space for both the sin­gu­lar­ity and the plur­al­ity in the dis­cus­sions we have of mass tourism.

Are the masses a threat?

See­ing large num­bers of people as a threat is not new, nor is it only a fea­ture of debates about tour­ism. Chris­ti­an Borch noted that crowds have often been per­ceived more as a threat than a solu­tion in soci­ety .  

Clas­sic­al crowd the­or­ies hold that indi­vidu­al agency and indi­vidu­al­ity are lost in the mass mind, and that crowds threaten the social order. These the­or­ies emerged in part as an elite fear of unrest among the urb­an work­ing masses. One could argue that these fears are sus­tained through con­tem­por­ary prejudices. 

Also read Jim Butcher­’s “GT” Insight ‘Was this the European sum­mer of ter­rible tour­ists? Give us a break, media!’

These ideas, and their mod­ern mani­fest­a­tion, are often reduct­ive. Rather than threat­en­ing, the crowd can be the very thing that is attract­ive about tour­ism exper­i­ences. For example, Jill­ian Rickly reminds us that part of the appeal in tour­ism are the events in which crowds gath­er and cre­ate an authen­t­ic experience. 

Cer­tainly, tour­ism is a form of com­pet­it­ive con­sump­tion. Often we wish there were no oth­er tour­ists, and cer­tainly no crowds, at the places we wish to admire and enjoy. But equally, in oth­er con­texts, crowds can be excit­ing, fun, human; the very essence of what anthro­po­lo­gists refer to as com­munitas .

Let’s talk about mass tourism … deterministically or flexibly?

Wheth­er we are research­ers, author­it­ies, or tour­ism industry pro­fes­sion­als, it mat­ters how we dis­cuss mass tour­ism . If we use a determ­in­ist­ic dis­course, we liken mass tour­ism to a mould. Into that mould we pour the exper­i­ences of mil­lions, but turn out a single, uni­form entity: ste­reo­typ­ic­al mass tourism. 

How­ever, if we use a flex­ible dis­course on mass tour­ism, we recog­nise that the phe­nomen­on, includ­ing its pro­duc­tion and con­sump­tion, changes over time and as tech­no­lo­gies and know­ledge are developed. This acknow­ledge­ment requires us to take a more dynam­ic con­cep­tu­al­isa­tion and wider per­spect­ive on mass tour­ism. As a res­ult, we get a more real­ist­ic por­tray­al of the phe­nomen­on, which can lead to more fruit­ful dis­cus­sions on its status and future.

Mass tourism vs the green transition

When we fol­low the dis­cus­sion on the green trans­ition for a sus­tain­able future, we are chal­lenged by the issue of ’qual­ity over quant­ity’; a bet­ter type of tour­ism . It sounds reas­on­able because, of course, we wish tour­ism stand­ards to be high in rela­tion to the envir­on­ment and loc­al communities. 

But as des­tin­a­tions seek to optim­ise bene­fits from tour­ism, ’qual­ity over quant­ity’ can mean in prac­tice ’the upper classes versus the masses’; ’qual­ity’ tour­ism for the rich and bet­ter edu­cated; ’quant­ity’ for the less enlightened ’mass tour­ist’ stereotype.

Also read Peter Smith’s “GT” Insight ‘For the sake of the world’s poor, might the risk of over­tour­ism be worth it?’

Per­haps we should invest more in find­ing ways to accom­mod­ate as many as pos­sible, while con­sid­er­ing that tour­ism could be some­thing dif­fer­ent from what we have prac­ticed so far. This may also make it easi­er to win sup­port from ‘the masses’ — indi­vidu­als seek­ing their own ver­sions of the ‘good life’ — for redu­cing car­bon emis­sions and address­ing envir­on­ment­al concerns. 

Ulti­mately, the masses vote, pro­duce, and con­sume. Pro­gress­ive, sus­tain­able change needs to come through them. Cari­ca­tures of mass tour­ism are unlikely to win friends and influ­ence people.

Mass mobilities

Finally, research­ers have begun to invest­ig­ate how cli­mate change influ­ences the mobil­it­ies of people, nam­ing it ‘ cli­mate mobil­it­ies ’. It is likely that we will face a blur­ring of the pre­vi­ous cat­egor­ies of mobility.

Cli­mate change, and the impacts it has on dif­fer­ent places, will likely increase migra­tion and affect tour­ism. Cat­egor­ies of travel — voluntary/involuntary, leisure/residential, migration/refugee, short-ter­m/long-term, etc — will be fur­ther complicated. 

There­fore, we need to dis­cuss how soci­et­ies and mobil­it­ies will be con­struc­ted and for whom. Through it all we should remem­ber that ‘the masses’ are the ’we’ and the ’us’; the ‘you’ and ‘I’; the pro­spect­ive bene­fi­ciar­ies of true sus­tain­able development.

What do you think? 

What is ‘mass tour­ism’ to you? Share your own thoughts   in a com­ment below. Or  write a deep­er “GT” Insight .  The “Good Tour­ism” Blog  wel­comes diversity of opin­ion and per­spect­ive about travel & tour­ism, because travel & tour­ism is everyone’s busi­ness .

“GT” is where free thought travels.

About the author

Vil­helmi­ina Vain­ikka is a post-doc­tor­al research fel­low at Tampere Uni­ver­sity , Fin­land. She is work­ing on the HUMANE-CLIMATE pro­ject (2022 – 2026), “the civic poten­tial of cli­mate mobil­ity”, which is fun­ded by the Academy of Finland.

Dr Vain­ikka con­trib­uted this “Good Tour­ism” Insight at the invit­a­tion of  Tourism’s Hori­zon: Travel for the Mil­lions , a “GT” Partner.

Featured image (top of post)

What is ‘mass tour­ism’? Is it, as this graf­fiti asserts, “human pol­lu­tion”? Image by Mark de Jong (CC0) via Unsplash . “GT” cropped the image and added the dangling ‘?’.

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Over seven million people visit "La Joconde," or the Mona Lisa, by Leonardo Da Vinci at the Louvre Museum in Paris each year.

Overtourism: too much of a good thing

The global tourism boom isn’t slowing down. What can travelers do to keep things in balance and aid in sustainability?

Reykjavík isn’t what it used to be. The Icelandic capital’s main shopping street, Laugavegur, now belongs to tourism. Shops bill themselves in English, not Icelandic: Icemart, Chuck Norris Grill, a “Woolcano” gift shop. A lone hardware store has survived the wave of touristification.

The term “ overtourism ”—too many tourists—has been moving from travel-industry jargon into the mainstream, propelled by such flash points as Venice , Amsterdam , and Barcelona , where exasperated locals unfurled “TOURIST GO HOME” banners in 2017.

The phenomenon is global and has even reached chilly, expensive Iceland—a relative newcomer to travelers’ bucket lists. Travel media have affixed the overtourism label not just to Reykjavík but to the whole country. So when I arrive after eight years away, I am apprehensive. How bad will it be? And how can travelers be part of the solution, not part of the problem? [Find amazing alternatives to destinations experiencing overtourism.]

I first explored Iceland as a recent college grad in 1973, entranced by vast scenery, the modern culture with its Old Norse language, and the in-your-face volcanic geology. I kept coming back, making my previous visit in 2010, right before the tourism boom. By 2017, Iceland was drawing over two million visitors annually—six times its national population.

The Blue Lagoon may be one of Iceland’s most popular attractions, but author Jonathan Tourtellot says it’s actually the one place in Iceland he’s not worried about. “It’s entirely artificial, well managed, handy to the airport, and expensive,” he says.

When does such a fast-rising tide become an unacceptable tsunami? For Icelanders who are not making money from tourism—and even for those who are—overtourism means disruption to their lives and their city. “The Reykjavík center is all hotels and Airbnbs now,” says my friend Ingibjörg Eliasdóttir. “Downtown is out of hand. Real estate prices have gone up so high that students can’t afford to live here anymore.”

The tourism flood would have arrived sooner or later. The number of international trips taken each year worldwide has gone from some 25 million in the 1950s, right before the commercial jet age began, to 1.3 billion in 2017. International arrivals are projected to reach a possible three billion by 2050. Yet the sights and places all these people visit remain the same size.

Causes of the tourism surge reportedly range from easier border crossings and cheap regional carriers to subsidized airline fuel and Airbnb, which increases a destination’s accommodations capacity. Look deeper, though, and you find three powerful trends. First, Earth’s population has nearly tripled since the 1950s, when mass tourism was just getting started. Second, affluence is growing even faster, with the world’s middle class expected to reach 4.2 billion by 2022. Third, technological changes from GPS and social media to wide-body jets and towering cruise ships carrying town-size populations have revolutionized travel.

I once complained to the CEO of a major cruise line about how each ship disgorges thousands of passengers into the confined medieval streets of Dubrovnik , Croatia . “Don’t people have a right to visit Dubrovnik?” he countered. Perhaps, but when people keep arriving in groups of 3,000, it profoundly changes a place.

Airlines can boost heavy traffic as well. Icelandair’s free-stopover offers put hundreds of tourists daily on the accessible Golden Circle route, which takes in the historic site of Thingvellir, the Gullfoss waterfall, and geothermal Geysir. The first two are large enough to handle several hundred visitors, but compact Geysir shows signs of overtourism—trash, overcrowding, and a tourist-trap sprawl mall right across the road.

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This fast-growing mass travel poses real threats to natural and cultural treasures. Wear and tear on fragile sites is one issue. So is cultural disruption for local people. And visitors receive a degraded experience. [Discover 6 ways to be a more sustainable traveler.]

Pressure for change comes less from tourists than from locals and preservationists. Officials in Barcelona, one of the world’s busiest cruise ports, have promised tighter controls on mass tourism, short-term apartment rentals, hotel development, and other challenges. Dubrovnik has plans to restrict the number of ships that can dock. Italy ’s Cinque Terre has put limits on hikers. Amsterdam is focusing on tourist redistribution techniques. In Asia , where tourism growth is rampant, governments have closed entire islands to allow recovery, such as on overbuilt Boracay in the Philippines and overtrodden Koh Tachai in Thailand . As for Iceland, the government has launched a Tourist Site Protection Fund, and Reykjavík has banned permits for new hotel construction downtown.

The low sun casts long shadows, revealing the magnitude of the crowd size around the Strokkur Geyser in Iceland.

Destination stakeholders are not the only ones who can take action. What can a smart traveler do?

Adopt a wise-travel mindset.

When you arrive in a place, you become part of that place. Where you go, what you do, how you spend, whom you talk to: It all makes a difference. Try to get out of the tourist bubble and see how locals live. Treat every purchase as a vote. In Iceland, María Reynisdóttir of the national tourism bureau suggests looking for the official quality label Vakinn when buying souvenirs or booking lodgings.

Avoid peak times.

Hit museums and sights early, before crowds arrive. Avoid peak seasons as well. [Visit the world's best museums.]

Stay in homes.

Booking an Airbnb listing with a friendly host can add depth to your stay, but avoid hosts who peddle multiple units bought just for short-term rentals. That practice can boost property values beyond what locals can afford.

Tell tourism authorities what you think. They worry about reputation. Post online reviews about whether you think the destination is doing a good job of managing tourism.

Earth is a big place, and much of it is still undervisited. In Iceland this past August, my wife and I headed north to see where a sign-posted route called the Arctic Coast Way will open in June 2019. Here, far from Reykjavík and well beyond the tour buses relentlessly plying Route 1, we drive past fjords touched by fingers of fog and mountainsides laced with waterfalls.

Just short of the Arctic Circle we stop at the Guest-house Gimbur, empty except for us. “Mid-August is the end of the season,” explains our hostess, Sjöfn Guðmundsdóttir. Relaxing in her hot tub, watching a lingering sunset at the southernmost reaches of the Arctic Ocean, I reflect on something else she said: “Slow tourism is my motto.” It can be yours too.

Related Topics

• SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
• HIGHWAYS AND ROADS

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INTRODUCTION  |  MOTT UPDATES   |  INDUSTRY NEWS   |  WHAT’S NEW   |  PUBLIC RELATIONS & MEDIA OUTREACH  

Happy March!

The momentum is building here at MOTT as we move toward the Governor’s Conference, spring trade show season, and the 2024 tourism season. I am incredibly grateful to Charlie, Daniela, Phyllis, and Sheila for leading the organizational charge that will bring us an exceptional conference on April 2. It’s going to be a great day of learning, networking, and celebrating of our essential tourism industry.

We are delighted to be welcoming Bob Van Dam to the MOTT team as our new Research Director. Bob brings extensive experience in research and data to the agency, and I am looking forward to expanding our knowledge under his leadership.

The MA250 initiative is about to kick into high gear. We have hired Proverb as the marketing agency that will develop a marketing and communications strategy. The new logo, website, and social channels will launch on April 2 in conjunction with the Governor’s Conference, and that will be just the beginning. We look forward to sharing this multi-year commemoration of our rich history and celebration of the future of Massachusetts.

Be sure to check out VisitMA.com to find new blog content , events , things to do across the state. We are working on a new website strategy that will improve the user experience and navigation of the site and look forward to sharing that with you soon.

I’ve been out and about this month, attending meetings and exploring North Central Massachusetts, Hampshire County, Cape Cod, and MetroWest. Thanks for everyone’s hospitality! I’ve created an Instagram account, @katefox_MOTT , where I post my travels, so please follow along! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at the Governor’s Conference on Tuesday!

All the best,

Kate Fox (She/Her) Executive Director Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism [email protected]

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MOTT Updates

Governor’s Conference on Travel & Tourism: Sold Out! The Governor’s Conference on Travel & Tourism has officially sold out, and we are looking forward to MOTT’s first Governor’s Conference in nearly a decade! This full-day conference on April 2 at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport will bring together industry experts, hospitality professionals, and government officials, discussing the state of travel and tourism across the Commonwealth. The agenda includes remarks from the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, tourism awards, compelling breakout sessions, a keynote on AI in tourism, networking, and more. If you have registered and cannot attend, please email us for a refund as we have an extensive waitlist.

Culinary Corner: Head Chef Genisson Santos at O’Connor’s Restaurant & Bar, Worcester, Massachusetts Check out MOTT’s Culinary Corner featuring O’Connor’s Bar & Restaurant in Worcester for this month’s recipe and to read more about Chef Genisson Santos. Sláinte! (Cheers!)

Culinary Calendar Our ‘Chefs to Fest’s Culinary Calendar of Events’ is featured monthly in our Culinary Corner Newsletter, and we are seeking your foodie fun for our April, May and June 2024 listings. Please email Phyllis M. Cahaly with the name, event day/date, location with street address, and the website for more details.

250th Events Calendar The planning for Massachusetts’ commemorations of America’s 250th is in full swing, with lots of meetings and coordination within Massachusetts and across state lines. The MA250 logo will be revealed for the first time at the Governor’s Conference on April 2! Please send any events to be added to MOTT’s statewide calendar for the 250th Anniversary of the Revolution in Massachusetts to Sheila Green .

Register for International Summit Educational Seminars Register now to attend the Educational Seminars taking place on April 9, between 1 – 4:30 p.m. at the Discover New England (DNE) Summit and International Marketplace at the Omni Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. DNE is opening up these sessions as a separate registration to allow more businesses to participate. This registration for April 9 is available for $50, and closes on Friday, April 5. Please note that if you are already confirmed for the Summit, that these sessions are included in your registration. For more information on speakers and sessions, see here .

Tourism Marketing As we enter Spring, there are lots of reasons for visitors to come and enjoy Massachusetts! In March, MOTT has highlighted Women’s History Month , Irish History Month , Massachusetts Maple Month and Maple Weekend , and all of the Academy Award nominees including filming location maps of The Holdovers and American Fiction .

Bob Van Dam

New MOTT Staff Member We are pleased to welcome MOTT’s new Research Director, Robert Van Dam. He comes to MOTT with more than 20 years of experience in marketing research, including stints in the travel and tourism sectors. Bob replaces long-time MOTT Research Director Tony D’Agostino, who we would like to wish the best in his well-deserved retirement! Bob can be reached at [email protected] .

50 Great Things to do Under $50 MOTT is looking for your ‘ 50 Under $50 ’ listing for July/August and September/October. Criteria: offer must be valid for the entire two-month duration, under $50 and cover: 1.) admission for two adults and 2.) admission for two adults with two children aged 12 and under. Please send your submissions for consideration to Phyllis M. Cahaly .

Industry News

MDAR Updates: Save the Date! First Annual Agricultural Resource Fair Join MDAR for its first annual Agricultural Resource Fair on Friday, April 12, 2024, from 9AM-3PM at the Mass Wildlife Field Headquarters in Westborough. Non-profit agricultural stakeholders and service providers, including Federal-State Partners, will be providing the Massachusetts agricultural farming community with information on services, funding, and technical assistance programs, providing a ‘One-Stop Shopping’ resource opportunity for those that attend. There is no fee to participate and locally sourced snacks will be provided throughout the day. For further information please contact Mary Jordan . Fill out the following form to RSVP.

Regional Tourism Councils Bulletin Check out spring celebrations across Massachusetts with this month’s Regional Tourism Councils bulletin .

Department of Conservation and Recreation Update: The Massachusetts Department of Conservation’s (DCR) annual Park Serve Day is an opportunity for volunteers to give back to their parks and help them get ready for the busy spring and summer seasons! What started in 2006 as a day of stewardship in Massachusetts, has grown into an annual event with thousands of participants. This year will feature over 60 clean-ups happening at 34 different DCR sites including parks, forests, beaches, and trails on April 20 and 21. More information and registration details can be found on DCR’s website .

​What’s New in Massachusetts 2024

MOTT is seeking “what’s new” in the Bay State for 2024 and 2025. MOTT will compile submissions into a bi-annual, statewide “ What’s New in Massachusetts” for distribution to media, tour operators, consumers and at trade shows, in addition to curating this information into tourism story development for media pitches. Please include details of recently opened or upcoming hotels, attractions, restaurants, significant anniversaries and events in your region. Please only provide information which is publicly-available , and fitting the following criteria:

• Timing should be as forward looking as possible – as far as two years out for major events, anniversaries, and openings
• Please include major recent openings as far as six months prior
• Please curate this to provide details on major renovations, events, significant milestones, and otherwise notable activity in the region
• Descriptions should be written in a neutral, third person voice
• Please auto-select the super tourism region your “what’s new” submission falls into based on the map provided in the form

To submit what’s new in Massachusetts, please only use the following form via Submittable .

Please contact Maria Speridakos with any questions.

Out-of-State/International Media

MOTT is gathering Massachusetts destination story ideas for US/international PR media pitching around the following themes: skip-gen travel (grandparents/grandkids travel), 2024/2025 museum/tourism destination milestone anniversaries, hotels with eco-friendly updates, and upcoming food/music festivals. Please email Maria Speridakos with story ideas.

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Mass Tourism

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Robinson, Peter, Michael Lück, and Stephen L.J. Smith. 2020. Tourism . 2nd ed. Wallingford: CABI.

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Nikola Naumov

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Honggen Xiao

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Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

Yoel Mansfeld Ph.D

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Naumov, N. (2022). Mass Tourism. In: Jafari, J., Xiao, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_378-2

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Lenox is your stepping-stone to the heart of the Berkshires with all that it has to offer – nature, culture, fine dining, relaxation, and fresh air.

Historic Lenox

Centrally located in the region, Lenox is a great place to stay. Our award-winning lodgings offer an unparalleled world-class range of choices, from family-friendly motels to exclusive spas and resorts properties. Well known for its restaurants Lenox is at the center of the locally-grown food movement (check out Berkshire Grown for more info on our region’s farms). The summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is Tanglewood , which spans both Lenox and Stockbridge and attracts fans of great classical and contemporary music to the region.

Lenox is also about history. Visiting The Mount , Pulitzer-prise winning novelist Edith Wharton’s home and gardens, is a must. Ventfort Hall , the most expensive private home built in Lenox during the Gilded Age of the 1890’s has been restored to its former splendor and offers frequent events, tours and lectures. The Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio is a unique glimpse into the origins of the Modern movement. A drive around Lenox will reveal its history to the inquisitive – from the historic downtown area, the many monuments and markers, the Church on the Hill with its historic cemetery, and stunning pastoral views virtually unchanged in hundreds of years. Nearby, a visit to the Norman Rockwell Museum and Chesterwood , home of Sculptor Daniel Chester French connect visitors to the creativity and impact of these talented artists.

Pleasant Valley

If you are a city-dweller seeking a peaceful walk in the woods and a bit of fresh air, make sure to visit Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary – a property of Mass Audubon. With miles of extensive trails through a 1300 acre wilderness, it offers views, forests, wetlands, rare species, and terrain both friendly and challenging for walkers and hikers. Kennedy Park – a town conservation property – is easily accessed from downtown Lenox by a moderate walk up past the Church on the Hill or via trail access from the Arcadian Shop parking lot. Trails here are open to dogs, mountain bikes, XC Skiers and snowshoers in the winter and is a great place for a traffic-free run. Maps are available at Arcadian Shop and Town Hall.

Historic downtown Lenox is a pleasant, walking village with great shopping , restaurants, parks and municipal buildings. The Lenox Library  is a landmark structure that has been frequented over the century and more. In its collection is an apology note from Edith Wharton for returning a book late. The Church on the Hill, Trinity Church and St. Ann’s are classic examples of a diverse approach to ecclesiastical architecture that show the different faiths of Lenox over the years. In the summer months, the Town fills up quickly with vacationing families, second home-owners and Tanglewood visitors – reservations are a must! Many locals will tell you that the best time of the year is really the fall – late September into early November with peak foliage usually hovering mid-October. Lenox is spectacular in the fall .

Canyon Ranch

Unlike many seasonal New England towns, Lenox does not shut down in winter but thrives. Skiing at regional downhill resorts such as Bousquet, Butternut and Jiminy Peak is always popular, and snowshoeing and cross-country skiing when conditions are favorable can be a magical way to access the deep woods in town.

Lenox is a festival town! Lenox is truly for all seasons…Check out our Events Page .

Plan your trip by perusing our restaurants , shops and cultural attractions , like galleries, museums and theaters.

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Dubai floods: Chaos, queues and submerged cars after UAE hit by record rains

Passengers report being stranded in the desert city as the international hub struggles in the wake of unusually heavy rain

Don’t blame cloud seeding for the Dubai floods

Dubai is wrestling with the aftermath of extraordinary torrential rains that flooded the desert city, with people describing harrowing stories of spending the night in their cars, and air passengers enduring chaotic scenes at airports.

Up to 259.5mm (10.2in) of rain fell on the usually arid country of the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, the most since records began 75 years ago . The state-run WAM news agency called the rains on Tuesday “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949”.

As the sun returned on Wednesday, along with it came stories of people stuck in cars and offices through an arduous night.

“It was one of the most horrific situations I had ever experienced,” said one Dubai resident in his 30s, who did not want to give his name, after his 15-minute commute turned into a 12-hour ordeal on flooded roads.

At Dubai’s airport, one of the busiest for international travel, with nearly every flight repeatedly delayed, Emirates passengers were told to stay away “unless absolutely necessary”.

Frustration from those already there began to build.

A large crowd formed at a connections desk, clapping and whistling in protest as they waited for information.

“They are completely lost, it’s complete chaos – no information, nothing,” fumed one passenger, who did not want to be named, after a 12-hour wait, Agence France-Presse reported.

Standing water lapped on taxiways as aircraft landed. One couple called the situation “absolute carnage”. They spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity in order to speak freely in a country with strict laws that criminalise critical speech. “You cannot get a taxi. There’s people sleeping in the Metro station. There’s people sleeping in the airport.”

The BBC reported other passengers were diverted to Dubai World Central Airport – also known as Al Maktoum airport – telling the broadcaster they had been “living on duty free” and that water was in short supply.

One furious British traveller told PA Media that once his flight was diverted to Dubai World Central, he had not been given any food or water either. “It’s just been an absolute disaster. We’re stuck here and seven hours without a single update is inexcusable.”

Emirates, Dubai’s flagship airline, posted on X on Wednesday night: “Customers should expect delays with departures and arrivals” and that while some passengers had been able to get to their destinations “we are aware that many are still waiting to get on flights”.

The airline cancelled all check-ins and announced that it would continue to suspend services until Thursday morning, apologising for the disruptions. Those on FlyDubai, Emirates’ low-cost sister airline, also faced delays.

Dubai airport posted on X early on Thursday that flights had resumed from Terminal 1 but urged people to travel to the airport only if they had a confirmed booking, as flights continued to be “delayed and disrupted”.

Paul Griffiths, the airport’s CEO, acknowledged the issues with flooding on Wednesday. “It remains an incredibly challenging time. In living memory, I don’t think anyone has ever seen conditions like it,” Griffiths told the state-owned talk radio station Dubai Eye.

Neighbouring countries were also hit by heavy rains earlier this week, including Oman, where 20 people have died, including 10 schoolchildren swept away in a vehicle with an adult.

Soldiers were deployed to badly affected areas of the sultanate, which rests on the eastern edge of the Arabian peninsula, to evacuate people trapped by flooding.

Schools will stay closed in Dubai until next week, authorities said, underscoring the difficulty of the clean-up.

In an unusual direct intervention, the UAE president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ordered “authorities to quickly work on studying the condition of infrastructure throughout the UAE and to limit the damage caused”, official media said.

The president also gave orders for affected families to be transferred to safe locations, said a statement carried by the WAM news agency.

Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, wrote on X about “efforts being made by teams of citizens and residents that continue day and night” as the city’s media office posted video overlayed with dramatic music of officials conferring in groups and water pumping appearing to take place in the background.

Photos too were posted of what it said showed water flooding into desert areas.

صور من جريان الأودية في صحراء القدرة في #دبي pic.twitter.com/pyXP8OpBVF — Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) April 17, 2024

Similar scenes were visible around the Gulf state including in Sharjah, in neighbouring Dubai, where people waded through main streets and paddled around on makeshift boats.

At least one person was killed in the flooding. A 70-year-old man who was swept away in his car in Ras al-Khaimah, one of the country’s seven emirates, according to police.

The UAE government announced that remote working for most federal government employees had been extended into another day because of the impact.

Agence France-Presse, PA Media and Associated Press contributed to this report

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