Why did tourists keep coming as Rhodes and Maui burned? It’s about far more than denial | Moya Lothian-McLean

As the world heats up, we need to confront what our urge to travel is really rooted in – and rethink it

While Rhodes burned, tourists kept flocking in. Homes were being turned to ash, thousands of holidaymakers were being evacuated, and still the visitors came. In the wake of the Hawaii wildfires, which have killed hundreds and counting, the island of Maui experienced the same phenomenon.

These images played on my mind as I set off on my own holiday abroad a week later. They niggled at me as I fumbled my way through Turkish thank-yous and waited dutifully in line to see Istanbul’s Blue Mosque. Why did they do it? There were partial explanations available: a lack of funds to book alternate trips, the lingering question of whether refunds would be issued, the quest to escape the grim British summer. But none of these felt enough to explain why people would walk towards the flames – why they’d put their lives and welfare at risk for a holiday.

Moya Lothian-McLean is a contributing editor at Novara Media

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7VfQp5O