In this podcast, Radio Web MACBA sits down with transdisciplinary researcher and curator Yaiza Hernández to get to the heart of her deep-dive research into what she has coined Terminal Tourism. Drawing upon the long tradition of academic scholarship, but also from a situated perspective as a native from the Canary Islands, Yaiza unpacks the constellation of problems orbiting the travel industry, from environmental degradation to rampant gentrification and the subsequent disruption of local infrastructures, and a whole host of other socioeconomic inequalities. They talk about kind islands, digital nomads, imperial boomerangs, platform capitalism, grand tours, museums as tourist commodities, monoculture mentality, looting with good taste, and that which Verónica Gago has called “neoliberalism from below”.

Under the promise of prosperity for impoverished and developing parts of the planet, tourism has emerged as a dominant force shaping the intricate landscapes of neoliberal capitalism. Orchestrating a complex interplay of exploitation and interdependence, the tourism industry leverages resources and labor to feed an ever-expanding, ever-expansive ouroboric structure. For decades, scholars around the world have been warning us about the detrimental effects of the travel industry on the environment and local communities.