Ahmad Ibrahim
In December 2019, an academic published a paper titled Tourism of the Future – An Ongoing Challenge. Reading it today is an exercise in poignant foreshadowing.
The study, prescient and thorough, diagnosed the chronic ailments of a booming industry.
What it could not anticipate was the acute, global trauma that would hit just weeks later – putting all its theories through a merciless, real-world stress test.
The paper’s author, Adriana Vintean, outlined a future shaped by three pressing challenges: the imperative of sustainability, the double-edged sword of technology, and the crisis of overtourism. Her findings were a clear-eyed critique of pre-pandemic “business as usual”.
The limits of mass travel
On sustainability, the paper was unequivocal: the model of mass, resource-intensive travel was untenable. It called for a systemic shift towards regenerative tourism – where destinations are not just protected but actively improved by visitor activity.
This was not just niche eco-tourism. It was a mandate for the entire industry to integrate environmental and social costs into its balance sheet.
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The “future” Vintean described was one where tourists would demand green credentials and low-impact experiences, forcing a top-to-bottom re-evaluation of how we move, stay and play.
On technology, the study foresaw a hyper-connected journey. AI-powered personalisation, the Internet of Things in hotel rooms, and big data analytics were predicted to streamline experiences.
But the paper also flagged the risks: a loss of authentic human interaction, privacy concerns, and the digital divide potentially excluding less tech-savvy travellers.
The future tourist, Vintean suggested, would balance digital convenience with the irreplaceable value of real-world discovery.
Most immediately relevant in 2019 was her analysis of overtourism. From Barcelona to Bali, the symptoms were clear: degraded quality of life for residents, environmental strain, and a homogenisation of culture.
The paper discussed solutions such as dispersing visitors, promoting off-season travel and implementing smarter destination management. It was a plea for managing growth before it managed – and ruined – the destinations themselves.
From challenge to crisis
Then Covid hit. The “ongoing challenge” suddenly became a fight for survival.
Overtourism evaporated into zero tourism. The critique of mass travel was rendered moot by closed borders. Technology’s role pivoted from enhancement to essential – for contactless services, virtual tours and health passports.
So what does this 2019 paper tell us about tourism today? It reveals that the pandemic was not a reset button, but a brutal accelerator.
The sustainable, resilient, community-focused model Vintean advocated is no longer a progressive ideal. It is an urgent necessity. The industry’s recovery is paradoxically its greatest opportunity to rebuild along exactly those lines.
Travellers now explicitly seek less crowded, more meaningful and outdoor-oriented experiences, aligning perfectly with the sustainability and dispersion goals of the 2019 study.
Technology’s role has been cemented, but the warning about authenticity remains. As we embrace digital tools, the core product – human connection, cultural exchange and wonder – must be safeguarded.
Malaysia’s moment
Tourism is also a major revenue earner for Malaysia, and the numbers tell a striking story. In 2024, the industry generated RM292bn, contributing 15.1% to GDP and supporting 21.6% of total employment, driven by a 41.1% surge in inbound expenditure.
Retail trade, food and beverage, and other services are the primary revenue drivers, with inbound tourism regaining dominance over domestic expenditure for the first time in five years.
More can still be done, particularly in ecotourism and agritourism. Agritourism, in particular, can be a powerful tool to invigorate the rural economy.
With 2026 declared as Visit Malaysia Year, the time is right to further diversify the country’s tourism offerings.
The true value of Vintean’s 2019 study is its roadmap. The pandemic didn’t invalidate her findings. It violently proved them correct. The pre-existing conditions of overtourism and environmental neglect made the industry more vulnerable than it appeared.
The path forward was already charted: towards resilience, balance and responsibility. The challenge now is whether an industry in recovery has the courage to follow that map, rather than simply rushing back to the crowded, fragile shores of the past.
The “tourism of the future” she analysed is no longer a distant concept. It is the only viable destination.
Professor Dato Ahmad Ibrahim is affiliated with the Tan Sri Omar Centre for STI Policy Studies at UCSI University. He is also an adjunct professor at the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies, University of Malaya.
The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.
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