Home to high-rise hotels and bus-loads of tourists, Benidorm is not an obvious destination among tourists looking for an eco holiday. But maybe it should be, says Tom Heap, presenter of Radio 4's Costing the Earth. Of all the choices you'll make this year, where to go on holiday may well be the one with the biggest environmental consequences. Maybe you fancy trekking with the Kalahari bushmen and living on grubs; a quick lounge on the hot sand; or a long lunch in Dubrovnik. To reach a decision you'll weigh up the usual things - cost, excitement, relaxation and available time. But increasingly people are beginning to add environmental impact into the mix. The travel industry has, of course, spotted this and green claims abound. But holidaymakers may be surprised to find out that frequently it's not the painted lady of eco-tourism, but the modest, unpretentious beach break, that should win the plaudits.
Home to high-rise hotels and bus-loads of tourists, Benidorm is not an obvious destination among tourists looking for an eco holiday. But maybe it should be, says Tom Heap, presenter of Radio 4's Costing the Earth.
Of all the choices you'll make this year, where to go on holiday may well be the one with the biggest environmental consequences. Maybe you fancy trekking with the Kalahari bushmen and living on grubs; a quick lounge on the hot sand; or a long lunch in Dubrovnik.
To reach a decision you'll weigh up the usual things - cost, excitement, relaxation and available time. But increasingly people are beginning to add environmental impact into the mix.
The travel industry has, of course, spotted this and green claims abound. But holidaymakers may be surprised to find out that frequently it's not the painted lady of eco-tourism, but the modest, unpretentious beach break, that should win the plaudits.
If the point is that going to see an unspoilt natural environment before it's gone is not very good for said environment, sure, but Benidorm??? When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
