Tourism's Problematic History

It is difficult to set a start date for tourism in large part because it is such an ambiguous term Merely traveling for the purpose of discovery, education, or pleasure has existed for thousands of years Religious pilgrimages undertaken by Muslims, Catholics, Buddhists, and many more date back to antiquity. However, long-distance mass tourism by westerners was pioneered primarily in the last few centuries.

“The Grand Tour” was a voyage around the European continent undertaken by young men in the 17th and 18th centuries. It served as an educational and exciting opportunity to encounter new places and cultures Many well-off families would send their sons on these multi-year tours around the age of twenty-one However, tourism quickly expanded beyond Europe in the coming years, as explorers discovered new lands and peoples The public intrigue generated by such expeditions led to an interest in global travel

An important factor in the history of tourism is westerner’s curiosities regarding “exotic” people This is illustrated by the enlightenment philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau who coined the term “noble savage” in the 18th century to refer to non-Europeans, whom he believed to be morally pure due to never having experienced civilization. Additionally, for far-off hundreds of years, mapmakers and travelers had told stories of lands with fantastical people and animals in order to capture the imagination of their European listeners Given the chance to explore such foreign lands, Europeans were primed to jump at the opportunity