FuTourism: a conversation with Michil Costa

What does all this have to do with the ancient Greeks? More than one might think. “The classics,” he says, “help us understand the world better.” A recurring theme in his book is the concept of Xenia, which can be translated as ‘guest friendship’. Among the ancient Greeks, Xenia was the moral obligation to provide hospitality and be generous towards strangers. Michil finds that Xenia tends to be disregarded in today’s tourism industry. “True hospitality is an art”, he states. However, it shouldn’t be only the host to have duties. Indeed, guests should also act respectfully when visiting a foreign country.

For Michil, South Tyrol finds itself at a crossroads. “We have to decide”, he says, “what kind of tourism we want”. Either we keep exploiting the environment while not giving back to the local communities, or we pave the way towards a tourism based on the common good. Since many years, the hotelier has been running his hotels according to these principles, specifically pursuing environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Although his visionary approach has been criticised by his colleagues, Michil has also shown that it can also be very successful.