The Paradox of Tourism

The encounter of different cultures has always evoked a sense of fascination in us -in the beginning resulting in rather negative than positive outcomes. Travel triggers an innate curiosity, a longing for knowledge and adventure, offering an escape from daily routine.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Back in the day, what we currently may think of as ´just another summer vacation´, was a much more ambitious endeavour. The journey to the destination alone took days instead of hours. In the Middle Ages, continuing all the way into the 18^th century, the less wealthy embarked upon pilgrimages to religious places of worship, covering endless miles on foot. Whereas many young aristocrats of the 17^th and following century took part in the arising trend of the ´grand tour´. It became fashionable for the upper-class offspring to venture through Europe, absorb the art of great masters, promenade alongside historic sites and return home as intellectually and culturally sharpened individuals. Later on, as trains entered the picture, leisure-based travel grew less exclusive, therefore also allowing ordinary people to effortlessly cross the country towards unseen regions. From then on, the official motto seemed to have been ´fast, efficient, innovative´. The only method of transport we haven´t mastered yet is every Trekkie´s sci-fi dream of teleportation. That way we would skip the cheap last minute flight deals and get right into line for the overcrowded Louvre.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Mass tourism is a troubling consequence of rapidly increasing technological advances, which in return fuels the booming tourism industry. Entertainment-packed coastal cruises, guided group bus tours, all-inclusive hotel chains, low-priced Airbnbs, widely spread souvenir shops, restaurants with picture filled food menus, containing at least one universally liked dish (burger/pizza/…). That´s all supposed to improve our stay abroad. But don´t we go on these trips to fully experience the atmosphere of a foreign country? We want to soak up the ´authenticity´ of that charming little neighbourhood we read about in the secret-spots section of our travel guides. We want to stumble across a pizzeria that is practically dripping with tradition and rustic aesthetics. A place hidden in a narrow side street, where the tomatoes for the sauce are grown in the back yard and the dough is based on an old family recipe passed down for generations. And of course, the highest goal of every good tourist is pretending not to be one. Never mind the backpack, the wrinkled city map and a general facial expression between awe and confusion. They will never know! Well, that´s not the only paradox concerning the whole touristic concept. It has become a common problem in several popular cities that too much living space is being turned into short-term accommodations for outside visitors, instead of providing highly needed homes for actual citizens. Although we intentionally seek out that vibrant local feeling, by doing so we are sometimes simultaneously disrupting it. Then there are the souvenir shops. Obviously, it´s nice to have something to remember your trip by and it´s even better if you don´t have to spend hours walking through town to find a simple postcard. But one on every corner tends to create a sense of artificiality. Whereas you´d never see anything like that in those enchantingly dreamy vacation ads. That would take away the magic of the ivory white sand, softly touched by bright turquoise waves or the lively oriental bazaars stacked with multi coloured spices and textures. The thing is that you´re not the only one who turned on the tv. In reality it´s more likely that at certain seaside locations, you will look up from your beach towel and are faced with nothing but a row of booked out hotels. In return, when gazing down to the beach, out of the window of your own hotel room, you´re faced with nothing but a crowd of semi-sunburnt people. It has gotten to the point where, while strolling through international hotspots like Venice, you start to wonder if this is a genuine Italian town, with supermarkets, schools, cultural festivities and traditions and most importantly Venetians -or if the name ´tourist village´ would be more fitting. Where do all these sightseeing aficionados with their clicking cameras and big floppy hats come from? For one, they are pouring out of baggage packed travel buses and high towering cruise ships. Besides influencing the urban scenery, the latter also bears a negative impact on the environment. In the long run, these oceanic mass-transport-vehicles might therefore endanger the very landscapes they are promoting as part of their touristic routes.                                                                                                                                                                                          On the other hand, the tourism industry provides a crucial income source for various individuals and regions, meaning there are ways in which native communities do benefit from the steadily rising travel boom. It´s not an easy matter to solve, but what ever is? (Not regarding the giant ships, they need to be reduced and that´s it).We will probably have to come to terms with the fact that the globe will continue to fill up with more and more inhabitants. And that that will inevitably alter several aspects of our momentarily quiet comfortable western life styles. What is certain is that there will be no ´#hikegirlsummer´ or ´#grandtour_aesthetic´ trending anytime in the near future.