What can tourism teach us about migration? | Alexis Papathanassis | TEDxHochschuleBremerhaven

The speaker begins by reflecting on the expression "the world is your oyster," initially misunderstanding it but eventually realizing it signifies opportunity and exploration. This led them to extensive travel, starting as an international student, working as an expat in Kenya, and later for a tourism conglomerate in Germany, enjoying diverse cultural experiences. This personal journey highlights a broader global phenomenon: human mobility. There are 281 million migrants worldwide, primarily traveling for temporary work, equivalent to the combined population of Northern and Central Europe. Contrary to popular belief, migration isn't solely from poor to rich countries; significant activity occurs within middle-income brackets. This mobility has immense economic impact, with global migration contributing $6.7 trillion—the GDP of the UK and France combined. Remittances, money migrants send home, total $647 billion, three times what the EU spends on unemployment benefits, suggesting migrants contribute significantly to economies rather than solely taking jobs. However, this mobility also sparks social and political disruption, often manifesting as protests. Interestingly, many protests perceived as anti-migration are actually anti-tourism, highlighting parallels between these two forms of human movement. Tourism involves 1.3 billion trips annually, roughly China's population, with most being domestic. Economically, tourism contributes $9.5 trillion, equivalent to the GDP of Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands combined. Tourist receipts amount to $1.4 trillion, enough to finance two-thirds of European pension costs. Despite these benefits, anti-tourism sentiments, or "overtourism," lead to protests, with slogans like "tourists should f*** off." The pandemic, which saw tourists "f*** off," severely impacted food and accommodation sectors, which employ many, including migrants. Research on overtourism reveals it's not a global issue but localized to hotspots, often urban areas and capitals. It's seasonal and linked to city planning failures and corruption. Anti-tourist sentiments are also influenced by geographical and cultural proximity, meaning people are less likely to object to tourists who resemble them. A strong correlation exists between community benefits from tourism and low corruption levels, indicating better management leads to greater prosperity. Learning from tourism, the speaker suggests applying these insights to migration. Effective strategies for tourism include diverting flows in space and time, investing in infrastructure, involving local communities, and educating tourists. Conversely, border controls, visa restrictions, demarketing, antagonism, and political instrumentalization have proven destructive. The core idea is to manage human mobility, not just scream at it. In a world where everyone seeks a better life, hospitality should extend to all. The speaker proposes treating migrants as long-term tourists and tourists as temporary migrants, believing this approach could transform hospitality into prosperity for all.