Now that we are in the throes on a "back to normal" summer, we are again being assaulted by hoards of tourists.
I really think our community needs to have a better model for its economy and society. Tourism is a dead end. It damages the environment, saps the life out of the community and offers meager benefits to just a few people. First, let's look at the impacts of tourism.
Environmental Impacts
Tourists arrive by plane and cars. They spend their time driving around in cars and on boats and other mechanized recreation. They "consume" heating in winter and air conditioning in summer. These activities are heavily dependent on fossil fuels and create massive amounts of pollution. It is estimated that a third of total emissions are created by tourism.
Food
Tourists consume food from groceries and a large amount from restaurants. Restaurants are notorious for wasting food. A surprising amount of restaurant food is thrown out. Food and restaurant take out packaging creates mountains of waste plastic.
Community
Tourists take over restaurants, shops, and popular recreation sites, displacing community meeting places and disrupting community social interactions.
After hearing "shop locally" for years, I have given up on visiting restaurants and shops. The prices are high, service is poor. It's impossible to dine out at a restaurant. Instead, I buy things online where selection and pricing is better. We've also taken to shopping in Carson City which is less crowded with better selection and pricing. We've found a few reasonably priced restaurants where we can always get a table.
Who Benefits?
The only beneficiaries are business owners of restaurants and shops. They can charge high prices. They offer low wage seasonal temporary jobs. It is not all good news for them, however, since they must contend with wildly varying demand and off-season slack periods.
Wouldn't it be better to have a restaurant or shop that can depend on steady local business year round?
What should we do?
First, stop digging. We should stop promoting tourism. It is toxic to our environment and community. We already have too many tourists. The latest trend in promoting tourism to the area is to focus on the "off seasons". Presumably the goal is to attract hoards of tourists year round thereby making all seasons unlivable for locals.
We should also consider actively discouraging tourism. One way to do this is with capacity controls and fees on roads, parking and accommodation. A fee to enter the basin and pollute would help discourage people from coming. This could easily be implemented using the existing "FasTrak" system.
What next?
I think we have seen a solution in the recent influx of new residents who are able to work independently and are not tied to tourism. These people will hopefully become permanent residents and active members of the community.
(BTW, these kind of people have always been here, quietly working and socializing in the community.)
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