Looking to the Future

Knowing what will happen tomorrow has always fascinated humankind. However, predictions require not only a systemic approach but imagination and the ability to think outside of the box.

Tourism, one of the most important global economic activities today, is only a recent phenomenon. Decades of constant global growth of the tourism sector have been rarely interrupted and these have remained temporary set-backs. The growth of the tourism sector is expected to continue in the decades ahead. It implies that tourism is not only an activity for an increasing number of people but also influencing an increasing number of lives, positively and negatively.

The United Nation's World Population report projected for 2300 a world population of slightly below 9 billion people – after peaking in 2075 at 9.2 billion – not much different from the figure projected for 2050. Seeing this against the experience of recent years with a population growth like never before in history, what will tourism look like by then?

Professor Ian Yeoman contributes to this question with a rich and thought-provoking analysis of tourism in the year 2050. Looking at the many interesting facets and the different scenarios unveiled is especially important from a sustainability point of view, as they help us to be better prepared, more responsible and inspire us today to find the most suitable answers for the challenges the tourism sector is facing.