Facts are infrastructure

One of the biggest problems in the world right now is disinformation.

For many people it doesn’t look like a problem. It doesn’t block the road or cut the power. It slips under the radar.

Democracies don’t collapse in a single moment, they wither, slowly, as trust erodes and disinformation takes its place. But it divides people. It delays decisions. It misleads. It erodes trust.

Tourism depends on trust.
Trust that a place is safe.
Trust that a place benefits the people living there.
Trust that the green claims are real.
Trust that the story you were told is real.
Trust that what you book is what you’ll get.
And that’s why disinformation matters here, too.

A single rumor during a wildfire can empty hotels faster than the flames spread.
A campaign casting doubt on climate change can slow down every policy that tourism needs to survive the next decades.
Millions of questionable reviews shape where people go, what they pay, and whether they come back.

And now, AI can create entire attractions that don’t even exist. AI accelerate everything.

Cruise companies highlight small steps like banning plastic straws or installing scrubbers, while hiding the real emissions behind the world’s biggest ships.
Destinations market themselves as “untouched” while the reality is heavy infrastructure just outside the frame.
Airlines sell “climate-neutral flights” through offsets that don’t change the fact that CO₂ is burned the moment the plane takes off.
And “authentic local experiences” are staged for tourists while the real community sees little benefit.

Tourism spends billions on marketing. Billboards. Influencers. Ads. Campaigns. But against disinformation, none of that works. Because this isn’t only a marketing problem. It’s an infrastructure problem. And sometimes, or actually most often, tourism marketing is part of the problem.

Facts are infrastructure. As essential as airports, roads, and beds. Without reliable facts, tourism itself starts to collapse. Not only because the mountains or beaches disappear, but because people stop believing the stories told about them.

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix. Rebuilding trust takes time. And it takes honesty, even when honesty hurts. The problem isn’t simply whether people will believe in the story of tourism tomorrow. The problem is that too much of it has already stopped being true.

Because without trust, there is no tourism. And without facts, there is no trust.

Facts are infrastructure.

So be as accurate as you can.