I return to the theme of the mutual implication between tourist massification, uberization of services, capitalism low cost and risk of social collision. In this regard, the question that worries me the most is the following: if tourism is a quasi-monopolistic economic activity in the Algarve region, we will have to ask ourselves, very seriously, about how tourists will participate, not only in financing the current public policy, but also in the collective effort to ensure strong sustainability in the medium term.
It is not difficult to list the direct benefits of a > From the outset, a very evident dynamism in the job market low cost, then an accelerated urban rehabilitation due to the increase in demand for accommodation, followed by an extended reproduction of the small business model with an almost immediate return, also, a rapid growth of events and artistic and cultural activities that create a small cluster in this business area, finally, and perhaps most importantly, if the upward phase of the tourist cycle is lasting, the regional economy can take advantage of the external effects of tourism and thus diversify the regional economic base in other directions.
But economic agents and public authorities must also be very attentive to the negative external effects of a very intensive tourist massification:
– Real estate speculation and the rise in the price of real estate, leases, rental rooms and construction services,
– The gentrification of congested historic centers and the suburbanization of older and younger people, e.g. students and young couples,
– The imbalance in labor markets, the precariousness and impoverishment of unskilled workers placed by temporary employment agencies,
– The occupation and abusive use of public space and local heritage with the corresponding increase in cleaning, maintenance and rehabilitation costs,
– The excessive and abusive occupation and use of natural resources such as energy, land and water and the corresponding increase in the costs of providing these essential goods and services,
– The inevitable growth of petty crime associated with tourist massification and the intensive use of digital media,
– The high volatility of tourism markets associated with extreme episodes resulting from climate change, pandemic and public health and collective security crises.
Let us remember the essence of the matter. It is necessary to avoid at all costs the spread of the vicious circle formed by capitalism low cost, uberization of services, risk of social collision and illiberal populism, a dangerous trend and mixture, ready to explode at any moment and all the more so since the protagonists are also already there: temporary employment agencies, multinational platforms, predatory investment funds, associations of dubious representation, migrant workers, populist and nationalist parties and movements.
In this context and with this vicious circle, one consequence seems unavoidable in the medium term: the profound transformation of the employment industry and the wage system as we know it so far and the growth of informality, precariousness and marginality “suggested” by capitalism. low cost.
As can easily be seen, in the not too distant future, due to the structural fall in employment, we will be condemned to a society with very different labor regimes, one in Part-time, others under ., others still in a contributory and collaborative regime, under many formats, conditions and reputations, if we will, a society where the individual produces himself in a kind of corporate individualism.
In the end, it would not surprise us if this pluriactive citizen accumulated income from different sources, namely: a part-time job in a public service and/or in a private company, a service provision on a . in an on-demand company, a few hours of volunteering at a local time bank in exchange for a voucher and, finally, an inscription” on a startup collaboration of a part of its idle resources in exchange for an eventual income obtained in an occasion market.
The ideology of capitalism low cost and the uberization of services transports us to an extractive universe where everything is fluid, precarious, transitory, transitory, like everything that UBER transports.
It is necessary to warn, in particular, the most distracted digital natives for this virtual seduction and for the illusion of accessible self-entrepreneurship that is passed through a presumed post-salary relationship.
Now, the digital revolution and the uberization process cannot lead to an increase in social inequality and the risk of serious collision in a problem area where the marginality and informality of employment and work are growing and where onboard citizens are passengers in permanent transit in search of of better living conditions in a so-called democratic society that is ours.
Final grade
I now return to my initial question. We are going to continue in the Algarve region the massification of a quasi-monopolistic and very extractive industry, which does not guarantee strong sustainability of the most critical natural resources such as energy, water and soil, or we are going to proactively induce, from the regional tourist activity, a mesh of interconnections and positive external effects on the regional economic base and, in particular, on the development of three other essential clusters for the future of the Algarve economy, namely, the cluster from the sea, the agri-food cluster and the cultural and creative cluster?
Furthermore, at the precise moment when local authorities receive the attributions, competences and resources of the central administration in several areas fundamental for the quality of life of the citizens, where tourists are also included, it seems to me an imperative of relative justice that the massification of a dominant sector of activity does not translate into additional and disproportionate costs for the municipal budget.
In other words, it is necessary to discuss in municipal bodies how the main negative external effects induced by tourism can be internalized through mechanisms and compensation measures obtained from the tourism sector and tourists.
Finally, the business sector and corporate responsibility, from the outset in the tourist activity, will also have to respond to the new demands of the techno-digital paradigm, in particular, with regard to the new ESG certification metrics (environmental, social and corporate responsibility). ), which includes good circular economy practices, new flexible working regimes and areas of good corporate governance.
And, in the end, it seems to me certain and certain that the reputation and good name of a region will not be made through capitalism low cost and the uberization of services that, by themselves, convey a brand image that does not dignify anything or anyone, much less our human condition.
Author: António Covas is a Retired Full Professor at the University of Algarve
Comments