🎬 Interactive video — script & questions
NARRATOR: You will hear a conversation between two seasoned travellers discussing a recent trip that didn't go quite as planned.
SPEAKER 1: So, how was Georgia in the end? I know you'd been raving about it for months beforehand.
SPEAKER 2: Honestly, it was a mixed bag. The landscapes were every bit as breathtaking as everyone had promised, but the logistics nearly did my head in. We'd booked a minivan to take us into the mountains, and the driver simply didn't show up.
SPEAKER 1: Oh no, what did you do?
SPEAKER 2: We ended up haggling with a local farmer who happened to be driving a battered old jeep past the guesthouse. Had we not spoken a smattering of Russian, I doubt we'd have managed to negotiate a fare at all.
SPEAKER 1: That's the kind of story you'll be dining out on for years.
SPEAKER 2: Precisely. And it taught me something: however meticulously you plan a trip, you should always leave room for improvisation. The itinerary I'd slaved over was practically obsolete within the first forty-eight hours.
SPEAKER 1: Would you go back, given everything that happened?
SPEAKER 2: Without a moment's hesitation. The hospitality more than compensated for the chaos. Besides, if the trip had gone smoothly, I don't think it would have left half the impression on me.
SPEAKER 1: Spoken like a true wanderer.
SPEAKER 2: I'll take that as a compliment.
- What was Speaker 2's overall assessment of the trip to Georgia?
- a) It was an unmitigated disaster
- b) It was a mixed experience, both wonderful and frustrating
- c) It was exactly as she had expected
- d) It was disappointing throughout
- What went wrong with the transport arrangements?
- a) The minivan broke down on the road
- b) The driver never arrived as arranged
- c) They booked the wrong destination
- d) The road to the mountains was closed
- How did the travellers solve their transport problem?
- a) They walked to the guesthouse instead
- b) They negotiated a ride with a passing farmer
- c) They called a taxi company
- d) They cancelled the mountain trip entirely
- What lesson did Speaker 2 say she learned from the experience?
- a) Never travel without a fixed itinerary
- b) Always book transport well in advance
- c) You should always leave room for improvisation when travelling
- d) It's best to avoid remote destinations
- Why does Speaker 2 say she would return to Georgia?
- a) Because the itinerary worked out perfectly
- b) Because the hospitality outweighed the chaos she experienced
- c) Because she wants to avoid the mountains next time
- d) Because the transport system has since improved
🗣️ Speaking — discussion
Context
- Cities like Venice, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Kyoto have introduced tourist taxes, entry caps, or outright protests against excessive visitor numbers.
- Local residents in several Spanish and Italian cities have staged demonstrations, sometimes spraying tourists with water guns, to protest rising rents and crowding blamed on short-term rentals.
- Meanwhile, budget airlines and social-media-driven 'bucket list' culture continue to funnel enormous numbers of travellers to the same handful of hotspots.
- Some destinations are experimenting with solutions: Venice's day-tripper entry fee, Amsterdam's ban on new tourist shops, and Bhutan's high-value, low-volume tourism model.
- This raises questions about who has the right to travel, who bears the costs of tourism, and whether the industry can be reformed sustainably.
Themes
- Tourism vs. Local Life — The tension between the economic benefits tourism brings and the disruption it causes to residents' housing, daily routines and culture.
- Sustainable Alternatives — Emerging models such as slow travel, off-season visits, and lesser-known destinations as ways to reduce environmental and social strain.
- Regulation and Fairness — Debates over tourist taxes, visitor caps and permits, and whether these measures unfairly restrict access to travel for less wealthy tourists.
- The Role of Social Media — How platforms like Instagram and TikTok create viral hotspots and homogenise travel itineraries, accelerating overtourism.
- Ethics of Travel — Questions about the traveller's responsibility to minimise negative impact and engage respectfully with host communities.
Personal Response
- Have you ever visited a destination that felt overwhelmed by tourists? How did it affect your experience?
- Would you be willing to pay a substantial entry fee to visit a famous site if it meant fewer crowds?
Themes & Ideas
- To what extent should local residents have the power to limit or ban tourism in their own city?
- Is it hypocritical for frequent travellers to criticise overtourism while continuing to visit popular destinations themselves?
Critical Thinking
- What underlying economic incentives make it difficult for cities to turn away tourist revenue, even when residents object?
- How might algorithm-driven travel recommendations be redesigned to disperse tourists more evenly rather than concentrate them?
Cultural & Social Topics
- How do you think overtourism reshapes the cultural identity of a place over time?
- In what ways might wealthy tourists and backpackers experience destinations differently, and how does this affect local attitudes toward each group?
Advanced (C1 level)
- Construct an argument for or against Bhutan's 'high-value, low-volume' tourism policy as a model other countries should adopt.
- Evaluate the claim that overtourism is fundamentally a symptom of global inequality in leisure time and disposable income.
🎭 Classroom activity
Role-play a city council meeting: half the students represent local residents demanding restrictions on tourism, the other half represent hotel/tour operators and tourists arguing for open access. Negotiate a compromise policy and present it to the class.
✏️ Questions
- By the time we finally reached the summit lodge, the whole trekking group ___ (walk) for over eleven hours without a proper break.
- Had the airline notified passengers about the strike sooner, half the terminal ___ so chaotic that afternoon.
- The itinerary, along with all the visa documents the agency prepared, ___ (be) couriered to our hotel this morning.
- It is high time the tour operator ___ (revise) its cancellation policy; too many travellers have lost money over minor rescheduling.
- Rarely ___ such breathtaking views as those from the cliffside path above the fjord.
- Not only ___ the flight delayed by six hours, but the airline also lost half our luggage.