The Final Call: In Search of the True Cost of Our Holidays [Idioma Inglés] - Tapa blanda

Skiing in the Alps; Cruising in the Caribbean; Backpacking in Thailand; Lying on a beach in Kerala. Sounds like bliss, doesn't it? But what cost are our two weeks in the sun having on the destinations we fantasize all year about visiting? From the cruise ship to the pistes, from the sun lounger to the themepark, Leo Hickman has been on a quest to discover how we can have a truly "good" holiday. No industry in the world employs more people or earns more foreign currency for destination countries than tourism. Long billed as the "cleanest" industry for developing countries to invest in, tourism seems to offer everyone involved a positive experience. This is the official line, anyway. In truth, the reality is much more complex. On his travels, Hickman interviewed all the key players from chambermaids through to global CEO's to try and get a full picture of the environmental and social cost of our bids to escape. Behind the sunny facade of smiling locals and exquisite cuisine he found an often damaging phenomenon that is spreading unchecked to all corners of the globe. But none of us are going to stop holidaying and at the heart of "The Final Call" is an emphatic attempt to impassion readers, not turn them off tourism. By offering solutions, Leo hopes to guide readers towards making informed decisions in their holiday choices.

Leo Hickman is the ethical living columnist for the Guardian. He is the author A Good Life: The Guide to Ethical Living and A Life Stripped Bare. He is married to Jane and has two young children.