- The modern world and the present-day generation are flush with more spending power bestowed upon them by the overall economic progress being witnessed means several key indicators are witnessing an upward surge. This is leading to hitherto unheard-of amenities being available at a cost, including the premium ones. One of the most visible alterations to our lifestyle is the penchant for undertaking leisurely travels to explore even remote destinations. Yes, everything comes at a cost, and the renowned tourist destinations around the world are not out of the reach of ordinary people wishing to explore anymore. Little wonder, every economy wishes to provide adequate attention to the development of the travel and tourism industry, which rakes in considerable revenue.
PC: Hotelier India
- As you must have noticed, the post-pandemic period witnessed revenge tourism from people across the world to make up for those harrowing years of being confined to their homes, courtesy of the devastating virus. People are prepared to spend exorbitant money to soak in the tourist revelry, and the governments are leaving no stone unturned to provide amenities as well as further pump in investments to spruce up the requisite infrastructure. And the celebrity celebrations like weddings and other events, in luxury and premium destinations, are on the rise too. What about the ecological concerns arising out of the crowds thronging tourist places with well-heeled, affluent celebrities, and other personalities beseeching such destinations?
PC: CNN
- While on the topic, let’s look at how the recent Jeff Bezos’ Venice wedding typifies what spending power is doing to ecologically vulnerable places. As reported, the Bezos-Sanchez wedding spectacle in Venice cost $50mn. Plus, the $3.5mn Bezos donated or tipped, as some said, the city’s local institutions. For context, Sanchez’s 30-40 carat diamond bauble is estimated upwards of $5mn. The only blip was protests, residents against Venice authorities’ reckless push to over-tourism, disregarding climate concerns (pollution from luxury yachts), impossibly high rents (Venice is tailored for the ultra-rich, not residents), and elitism. The demonstrations forced a venue change for the three-day spectacle’s biggest event. Locals griped about the takeover of their city.
PC: Live Law
- What about India? Let’s dwelve further. In 2019, the Uttarakhand town of Auli struggled with man and machine to clean up 240 quintals of waste, left behind after a Gupta Bros family wedding. They offered to pay for the full exercise. But throwing money does not make the problem go away. The problem is the authorities’ unresponsiveness to residents’ concerns and scientists’ cautions. Cultural and environmental red lines are crossed to chase tourists. That’s at the rich end of the spectrum. Among the masses, pilgrimage turned tourism has meant a sharp uptick in accidents during pilgrim festivals, the recent Odisha stampede a case in point. Increasing footfall in eco-sensitive areas is a real cause of concern. The authorities should be sensitive to eco concerns.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://kanigas.com/grand-events-and-celebrations-at-renowned-tourist-places-are-causing-eco-damage/&media=https://kanigas.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Auli5.jpeg&description=How increased global spending power has led to a boom in luxury tourism and "revenge tourism" following the pandemic, exemplified by events like Jeff Bezos' $50 million Venice wedding. However, this surge in tourism, particularly to eco-sensitive destinations, is raising serious environmental and social concerns as local communities face displacement, pollution, and ecological damage while authorities often prioritize tourist revenue over sustainability.){kind=link}