Culture Travel Curatedby

Thanks to tourism, many cities are becoming ‘destinations’ rather than homes. Streets are increasingly overcrowded and noisy, and many locals are opting to leave their homes. Once vibrant communities around the world are trampled by thousands of tourists every day. As time passes, their cultures are increasingly diluted and commercialized.

Due to the influx of tourists with disposable income, prices are higher than ever in places deemed tourist destinations. Affordable rental apartments for residents are hard to find, as tourists are willing to pay a lot more per night for an Airbnb, than a local who lives in their city year-round could.

Tourists have historically harmed and sometimes destroyed parts of local culture and history At the hands of tourists, historical artifacts such as a sarcophagus from Ancient Egypt, historical monuments such as the Colosseum, and holy places such as a sandstorm formation sacred to Native Americans, have been vandalized Tourists have broken ancient art while taking selfies, assaulted officials, tried to steal ancient artifacts and destroyed monuments on a whim

Tourists also often show ignorance and insensitivity to local people and their history This could look like tourists being disruptive at a monument in honor of victims of the Holocaust or tourists yelling at service workers because they can’t accept American currency While these are often isolated incidents, they’re a recurring pattern for locals

However, because of the money tourists bring in, businesses often cater to tourists rather than residents Small local shops have slowly given way to souvenir shops, fast food restaurants, and expensive tourist restaurants, altering their culture to fit the western foreigner's narrative Nature, once a place where locals could enjoy themselves peacefully, has time, and time again been replaced by resorts for tourists. In Cambodia, hundreds of residents of a ‘floating village’ and fishing community along the Mekong River were evicted from their homes to make way for a resort. As the borders were closed during the pandemic, they were expelled with nowhere to go.

Tourism is a large industry with the ability to bring a lot of money and respect to communities and countries around the world. However, many problems arise when because of the opportunities and possibilities tourism has to offer, tourists are put before the residents, history, and culture of a city or country itself.

By CAEDMON SETHUPATHY

Throughout the 18th century, tourism was still primarily limited to wealthy individuals and families. Coastal tourism for natural beauty and relaxation began in areas such as Malta and Madeira

In 1875, Thomas Cook and his son John Mason pioneered worldwide mass tourism by establishing a travel agency that sold trips to Norway, and later Egypt This period of time also saw the advent of cruise ships, an efficient way to see famous sites without having to learn new languages or cultural practices Cook and Mason’s company was particularly revolutionary in its ability to cater to the lower classes by offering inexpensive holiday trips, greatly increasing the number of consumers

Fast-forwarding to the modern day, tourism has become a global industry with westerners traveling the world. The history of tourism is tied up in European exploration, expansion, and colonialism. Native peoples were required to capitulate to westerners in order to avoid destruction, and the resulting European takeover of the globe led to more opportunities for travelers to infringe on indigenous culture as spectators