Ruined in minutes?

A video captured a tourist allowing her child to relieve him or herself right at Station 1 in Boracay and then burying the used diaper in the sand. It is no wonder this video would go viral and at the same time eliciting angry reactions. Boracay officials closed down Station 1 and banned swimming at the same beach while a clean-up was done particularly to find the buried diaper. I mean, the government shuts down Boracay for six months to clean and rehabilitate it while a tourist ruins it in a span of minutes? Unbelievable.

Officials are trying to identify the tourist in the video since several environmental laws were broken. But how can they track down this tourist if she has long left the country? My question is, why didn't the person who took the video call her out and rebuke her for what she was letting her child do? Is it more important to upload the video than call this person out? Isn't there such a thing as a “sin of commission” and a “sin of omission”? Can the person who took the video at least identify the nationality of the mother so officials can narrow down their search? I do have something in mind but it would be best for the authorities to find out. For all we know it is too late to do anything but learn from this ghastly experience. You're supposed to leave footprints, not feces in the sand.

Many popular tourist attractions around the world are already experiencing "overtourism" or "tourist fatigue". Places like Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, London, Madrid, and other popular tourist destinations and attractions. Here they may be likened to Baguio, Tagaytay, Cebu, and Boracay. Locals of each destination are actually asking that tourists be banned for a time or limited. They complain of the crowds, the garbage, the noise even at night, and whatever situations arise from having just too many people in one place at certain times. The once-pristine lands laid out with a green carpet of grass have been replaced with muddy pathways. The serenity of a place is no longer evident. I read that the basecamp at the foot of Mount Everest is littered with trash as if there was someone who could collect them. Several articles have come out in the internet that tell how Instagram or YouTube have ruined once serene locations. There are still pristine locations on earth but once "Instagrammed", then that's it.

All countries benefit from a strong tourist industry. It brings in economy and employment to the areas. But with the speed of travel and the instant information provided by the internet, more and people are reaching all corners of the globe. It may be difficult to solve the problems facing places like Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, and so on. Even the closure of Boracay was not easy. It was painful for many of the locals. But if they want to maintain the beauty and qualities of popular places in the world, they have to start thinking of ways to preserve them for countless more to enjoy and experience.

But not for that tourist in the video.