There's a lot to be said for seeing places with your own eyes. Meeting the locals, trying the food etc. Part of the reason Brits are the way they are is a long history of travelling the world. A lot of countries would very quickly revert to the third world without money from tourism. Commercial air travel was the catalyst for the global economy. So I'd say yes, they're still very necessary.
I guess we will have to fly, until tele-transportation a la Star Trek, or portals etc becomes reality
Flying scares the **** out of me tbh. I love going abroad and will continue to do so, but I genuinely have 'moments' on planes where I think it's going to crash. It really freaks me out. Literally every flight I have an 'oh ****' moment. Not enough to disturb the Crew etc. It's just me and in my head. But just a glance at our lass and I need another vodka.
That's all quite true although I'm not sure how many Brit tourists socialise with any locals who aren't serving these drinks. And that's part of the problem imo. We spent quite some time in rural Southern Italy which is quite poor. The young people abandon their homeland culture and farms to work in bars and restaurants serving tourists. The area around Uggiano La Chiesa, where we were, is dying. Without young people sharing the work the ageing population can't keep going so they sell ancient olive trees to rich people to put in their Riviera gardens. Hundreds of farms are abandoned and villages become rest homes for aimless people waiting to go. Ironically the charm and vibrancy of the area is being killed by the people who go to admire it. If the whole world becomes 'global' the reason for going will be lost.
I want to explore the world. I want to see my Sister. I want 2 weeks in the sun at least a couple of times a year. All of these things require flights So, in answer to your question - no, we don't need commercial flights, but we do want them
As John Cooper Clarke said, Walk in rooms and outta rooms That’s my cup of tea I seen the world I didn’t like it What’s in it for me
You would probably be surprised how much the aircraft industry contributes to the economy. I would be out of a job if it was ended and more than likely so would you
You were lucky, we had to rely on the phone box around the corner. Used to to give the number to lasses who had phones and tell them what time to phone. I remember when we first got the phone installed in the house, first thing my mother bought was a small barrel type lock which fastened onto the round dial to stop it being used.
Tourism has altered many places. Locally owned businesses, social facilities etc bought out and hotels and holiday apartments built in their place. A lot of people go abroad just to lie in the sun and “socialise” at night. But others, including myself, enjoy visiting areas of historic interest, admiring the different scenery and food and getting to know the locals. But the success of tourism is altering what we go to enjoy. The coastal areas of many Mediterranean countries are becoming standardised. An example: the Sliema and Teigne front used to consist of bar after bar, privately owned by the bloke who served you. These were just simple hole-in-the-wall outfits. Above the bars were old Maltese houses. All these, bars and houses, have all been replaced by restaurants and hotels, no different to those in other tourist centres. The fleet of old (very old!) buses, different shapes and sizes and states of repair, each route had its own colour scheme, have gone and been replaced by a modern air-conditioned fleet. All the improvements paid for and for the benefit of the tourist. The character that originally attracted the tourist is being destroyed for the benefit of the tourist. As Smug has said, it’s even happening in rural areas of Italy.Sorry for rambling again. Once I get started I forget to stop. I’m off to bed now.
I started off on this thread trying to convince Smug that commercial flights were justifiable - and I’ve ended up convincing myself to agree with him! Just shows I don’t know what I really think until I think about it!
There are pros and con in any argument and l can see both side of Smugs view, so in political terms l am still undecided. It may come down to necessary evil, if he invited all of us to his Dumfries home as an alternative he would soon change his mind
Where Did the Black Death Begin? DNA Detectives Find a Key Clue. By fishing shards of bacterial DNA from the teeth of bodies in a cemetery, researchers found the starting point for the plague that devastated Eurasia, they say. Apparently, it came from China as well -- w/o airplanes. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/15/health/black-death-plague.html
