The Cities and Tourism series is a long-term project bringing together academics, writers, artists and thinkers to reflect on tourism as a global phenomenon and analyse it at the intersection between the right to leisure and its far-reaching urban and environmental impacts.

The challenges for tourism in the 21st century, from literary perspectives

Tourism, a uniquely contemporary phenomenon, is shaping today’s world in terms of the climate, urban life, retail, housing, the preservation of heritage and social harmony. In these Cities and Tourism events, the aim is to address the challenges of tourism in the 21st century through fictitious scenarios, far removed from the current model.

The first event at the CCCB’s Mirador space, on 17 November from 6.30 pm to 8 pm, will be a conversation between two literary authors: Katixa Agirre and Luis López Carrasco, who will draw on their imaginations to explore possible alternatives to tourism in a world where travel is no longer possible. The session will be moderated by writer and translator Albert Pijuan.

On 24 November, from 6.30 pm to 8 pm, the same venue will host a conversation between authors Paolo Pecere and Borja Bagunyà,  who will offer philosophical reflections on the current meaning of travelling for tourism at a time when the climate emergency is forcing us to rethink international mobility.