Travel can do amazing things: broaden horizons, build relationships, and rejuvenate the soul. But often, those experiences come at a cost. This is Peak Travel, ...
Have you ever opened Instagram to see a bunch of people posting from the same place — Lisbon? The Amalfi Coast? Charleston? Japan? It’s no coincidence that every year, it feels like everyone is going on the exact same trips. In this episode, we’re going to pull back the curtain on the travel media industry and show you how a place becomes a viral destination.
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20:33
Salem and the Small-Town Tourism Trap
Salem, Massachusetts is best known for the Witch Trials of 1692. That history turned the small town into a Halloween destination, with more than 1 million people flocking there in the month of October alone. It’s so crowded that residents can’t get down the street, walk into a shop, or sit down at a restaurant. How does a small town like Salem deal with a flood of visitors in just one month of the year? And is it really worth it for the people who live there?
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26:15
Bhutan’s Radical Approach to Overtourism
Many places allow tourists to visit with little restrictions. But Bhutan is different. Nestled in the Himalayas, this tiny, land-locked country has implemented a “high-value, low-impact” tourism model, including a fee that tourists have to pay each day that they visit. As more destinations grapple with the effects of overtourism, what can Bhutan teach us about how to manage it?
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20:16
Alaska’s Risky Bet on Cruises
Cruises are coming to dominate the tourism industry, offering accessible and affordable vacations. And many local economies rely heavily on them to stay afloat. But activists, scientists, and residents worry about their impact on the community and the environment. Alaska has seen a boom in the cruise industry, and many of the communities affected are Indigenous. We visit two Alaskan towns to see who’s really on board.
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22:01
How Rwanda Reinvented Itself
Many westerners associate Rwanda with the brutal genocide that overtook the country 30 years ago. But since then, Rwanda has made a huge investment in tourism — building new infrastructure, museums, music venues, and more. Now, it’s one of the most popular destinations in Africa. In this episode: Rwanda’s rebirth, how tourism has changed the country, and why this compelling narrative is more complicated than it appears.
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Travel can do amazing things: broaden horizons, build relationships, and rejuvenate the soul. But often, those experiences come at a cost. This is Peak Travel, a new podcast from WHYY about how travel shapes communities in hot-spots around the world. We’ll share the wonder that comes with exploring new places, as well as the harm that our worst travel habits can cause. And we’ll try to figure out how we can do it better.Each episode transports you to a new destination. You’ll meet the people who call that place home, hear their stories, and come to understand how tourism has changed their everyday lives. Supported by rich, on-location sound from around the world, Peak Travel unpacks the $1.9 trillion travel industry and its impact on people and the planet.
Portugal