Laburpena

Turismoa da azken hamarkadetan azkarren hazi den sektore ekonomikoa. Kapitalismoak metaketa egiteko duen moduari oso lotutako fenomenoa da; izan ere, kapitalismoa etengabe hedatzeko urbanizazio-prozesuak beharrezkoak dira, eta turismoa prozesu horren modu berezi bat da. Etengabeko hazkunde hori lortzeko, turismoak hedatzen jarraitu behar du, eta horregatik sartzen da pixkanaka jarduera hori lurralde pobretuetan.

Eragileek, hala nola nazioarteko erakundeek, estatuek eta korporazio transnazionalek, turismoa pobretutako lurraldeetan ezartzeko prozesuan parte hartzen dute sektore horrek garapena ekarriko duelako eta pobrezia eta desberdintasuna desagerraraziko duelako diskurtsoarekin. Leku horietan, ekonomia hazi egiten da eta enpleguak sortzen dira; hala ere, diskurtso hegemonikoak aipatu ohi ez dituen desberdintasun eta inpaktu negatiboak ere sortzen dira.

Jarduera horrek hazkunde ekonomiko handia eragin duen arren, zenbait ondorio eta desberdintasun sortu dira, eta zalantzan jarri da sektore hori benetan garapen-estrategia ote den lurralde pobretuentzat. Gainera, krisi-garaiek agerian uzten dituzte prozesu horien kontraesanak, ondorio larriak sortzen baitituzte turismoaren menpeko lekuetan, COVID- 19aren egungo krisian ikus daitekeenez.

Tourism is the fastest growing economic sector in recent decades. It is a phenomenon closely linked to the capitalist mode of accumulation, as urbanisation processes are necessary for the continuous expansion of capitalism, and tourism is a particular form in this process. In order to achieve this constant growth, tourism has to expand, which is why this activity is progressively introduced into impoverished territories.

Different actors, such as international organisations, states and transnational corporations, participate in the process of implementing tourism in impoverished territories under the discourse that this sector will bring development, eradicating poverty and inequality. In these places, the economy grows and different jobs are created, but a series of inequalities and negative impacts are also generated, which the hegemonic discourse tends to avoid mentioning.

Despite the fact that this activity has caused great economic growth, there have been a series of consequences and inequalities that call into question whether this sector really represents a development strategy. Moreover, crises highlight the contradictions of these processes by generating serious consequences in places dependent on tourism, as can be seen in the current COVID-19 crisis.