Is tourism fun?

[Catso]

Statement from someone being interviewed on Today this morning (I think it was a 'government respresentative'):

"Tourism is not a frivolous activity"

What does the panel think?

[Whickerman]

It's frivolous for the tourist, not for the service provider whose livelihood depends on it, or thr economy that taxes it.

[jake-the-peg]

I think that was his point Whickerman, he was using the economy as a justification againt environmental concerns regarding airport expansion.

The woman from Oxford University's climate research unit then totally whipped the legs out from under him by pointing out that for every �1 spent in the UK by foreign tourists, UK tourists spent �2.30 abroad.

Predictably there then followed a lot of bluster.

[NH]

Going on holiday to Greece is an absolute matter of life and death as far as I'm concerned.

That said, shouldn't some countries focus on diversifying an economy if tourism is all they can rely on?

[Liney]

What does it mean to "diversify the economy", firstly if your job depends on tourism, and secondly if your country has already "diversified" into tourism?