Business Daily BBC Podcasts

Summer tourism in the Mediterranean is not only already in full swing but set for another bumper season.
In Rhodes, "the more the merrier” is the mantra on this famed Greek isle, which is economically reliant on tourism. But the growing influx of arrivals each year alongside increasing frequency and ferocity of the annual wildfire season is posing some hard questions for locals about the need for more environmentally-friendly forms of tourism. Now, an ambitious five-year programme is underway, aimed at transforming the fourth-largest Greek island into “a beacon for sustainable tourism.” We head to Rhodes to take a look at how it is progressing, how businesses are adapting, and the way tourists are responding.
Presenter/producer: Victoria Craig
(Photo: Anda Karayanni of the Irene Palace Hotel, Rhodes, tending to some plants. Credit: Victoria Craig/BBC)

When is tourism good tourism, and when is it just too much?
Current projections suggest global travel is going to carry on rising for the foreseeable future, as low-cost air travel and budget rentals make package holidays ever more affordable for ever more people.
But from Tenerife to Venice, more and more tourist destinations are feeling the pressure of these rising visitor numbers. In holiday hotspots, local people are complaining of congested streets, rising housing costs, and environmental degradation. And some have even taken to the streets to protest about the issue. So what’s to be done?
(Image: Thousands of people demonstrate against tourism policies on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain in 2024)
Presented and produced by Ed Butler

23 years ago, the US multi-millionaire Dennis Tito became the world’s first-ever space tourist, funding his own trip into orbit.
There was clearly money to be made, and now the lure of making space tourism more accessible to the masses is even greater - with several private companies jockeying for position.
Jane Poynter’s firm is among them.
It’s an industry experiencing dramatic growth – but the price of any of these trips is out of reach of most of us.
We explore whether this firm could achieve its aim of launching more of us into stratospheric heights.
And we hear how Jane went on her own journey: from ecologist working in the famous Biosphere 2 experiment in the early 1990s, to looking skywards and the possibilities of a career in space tourism.
Presenter: Ed Butler
Producer: Amber Mehmood

The European country is known for its late night eating culture, the average time for an evening meal is past 9PM.
One of the reasons for that is the working day across Spain which has a history of going on way into the evening.
But recently the second deputy minister of Spain called this ‘madness’, saying eating so late and working late isn’t good for work-life balance.
We speak to a restaurant owner and the CEO of digital agency that offers flexible working to talk about working culture and discuss how likely it is that Spain will change its habits.
(Picture: Mikel López de Viñaspre, the co-founder and chief executive of the Sagardi Group of Basque restaurants. Credit: Sagardi Group)
Presented and produced by Hannah Mullane

Why does being on your own seem so expensive?
The number of unmarried, divorced, widowed or unattached people is growing worldwide. But figures suggest it is more financial costly to be single, while couples and families benefit from paying less per person.
Whether it is the packaging supermarkets use, streaming service tariffs, hotel rooms - you often get a much better deal being coupled-up than not. Governments are in on the act too: offering tax breaks to couples.
In this programme, we take apart the personal finances of singles; hearing from World Service listeners and financial analysts.
Is it just economies of scale or are we really living in a world that penalises people on their own? And are there any financial advantages to being solo?
(Picture: Senior woman looking concerned, paying bills at home on her laptop. Credit: Getty Images)
Presented and produced by David Reid

We look at how soaring food and fuel prices are affecting the tiny island nation in the western Pacific Ocean.
Like much of the world, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have led to supply chain issues, and rising costs.
And with limited opportunities, young people are facing the question, should they stay or leave and chase careers elsewhere?
Produced and presented by Frey Lindsay
(Image: People gathered under the Japan-Palau Friendship bridge in Koror, Palau. Credit: Frey Lindsay/BBC)