The UK’s tourist industry faces unprecedented pressure, competition and environmental issues that clog the political agenda. New realistic vision is needed.This article first published on Suite 101, 2 February 2012. The world’s biggest travel website, TripAdvisor, is created by millions of users of hotels and services who write about their experiences for the benefit of others. It’s the modern way, to use the wisdom of the crowd, but it has caused a storm when it turned out in January 2012 that some of the reviews were fabricated, condemned by the Advertising Standards Authority as ‘non genuine content’. The furore opened a wider debate in Britain, about the future of tourism in general and homegrown holidays in particular. In the past few years, the British ‘staycation’ has become part of language and culture. Strictly, … Read entire article »