Future of Tourism Travel Journal

• We travel to get away from our busy lives
• We travel for the sole purpose of exploring
• Cities are seen as busy and chaotic whereas rural areas as seen as calm and peaceful

Thoughts

Thoughts

• I've never thought about the idea of over tourism
• Didn't know how destructive it can be (destroying coral reefs and cities being overrun with tourists
• Too much tourism can be destructive to an environment
• Although a lot of tourists means more revenue, it has its costs
• Governments ends up catering more to the tourists rather than focusing on their own citizens

• The readings and videos make me think back to when I visited China in summer of 2017.
• During my time there I also toured the Great Wall of China, it was extremely crowded just like other tourist attractions in the videos.
• When I visited other tourist attractions such as the horseshoe bend it was also packed with other tourists.
• I was a part of over tourism

Personal Story

• Something that the readings brought to light for me was that it's not only big tourism/ travel companies that are affected by the pandemic.
• Even locals are affected by the decrease in tourism as a result of the pandemic.
• Ordinary people lose out on their only source of income, sometimes being laid off because of their company’s decreased revenue.
• Governments should use some of the revenue they made from tourists to help support local businesses who are in shambles because of the pandemic
• Big corporations like Marriott shouldn't need the support
• So long as there are still variants and COVID still rages in some countries I think tourism will still be limited to a degree

Thoughts

Thoughts

• It was interesting to learn how tourism could be a form of education, especially education of other countries and cultures around the world.
• A lot of people are stuck in their own two foot world and assume everyone’s lives are the same as theirs
• There’s privilege in terms of who is actually able to travel
• Whites and those who are rich are able to travel freely for the most part, while those who aren’t as wealthy or part of a less developed nation can’t
• Traveling to a country where it’s culture is completely different from yours can result in a huge culture shock

Thoughts

• Surprised to see how tourism can really change the culture and the identity of certain areas
• An area could go from residential, to a major tourist destination full of stores, and restaurants designed to specifically attract tourists

Thoughts

• When discussing race, the topic of racism is usually only associated with America and Europe
• There are still racial hierarchies in other countries besides America and Europe
• Stereotypes, negative or positive, can still be found across different cultures and countries
• One’s skin may be a benefit in one country/ culture, but a burden in another

• One of the short stories reminded me of a time when I was in China at the airport waiting to board the plane to go home
• I was standing in line, and could overhear and see some people questioning if I was actually chinese or american
• I didn’t know what to think, as ethnically I am Chinese, but in terms of nationality and where I’m from I’m technically american.
• No one has really made an assumption about me based on my race only because I’ve always been in such a diverse community
• If anything it would be me being able to fluently speak chinese
• I didn’t feel much about it, just jokingly let the person know that my chinese is super broken

Personal Story

Thoughts

• Incorporation of indigenous tourism experiences is a great idea that should be implemented world-wide.
• Through colonialism the lands of the natives have been taken over and their culture has been suppressed.
• With tourism, sometimes the goal of the tourist is to learn about a particular place. If you exclude the culture and practice of the native, the tourists are only getting a part of the picture.
• Only with such incorporation can a tourist truly get the full experience and learn about a place.

Thoughts #2

• “I Lived with a Remote African Tribe for 24 Hours”
• If you film your experience just to upload it to youtube its hard to say if your experience was genuine or you’re doing it for the view
• People act differently when they know they’re being filmed

Personal Story

• In 2018 I went to Arizona for vacation and visited all the usual popular tourist sites
• Also visited Antelope Canyon which was on a Navajo reservation.
• Got to learn about the history of the land

Thoughts

• Slower travel options should be promoted/ advertised more as most people only know the fast route of planes, cars, etc.
• With slow travel you get to take in more from your surrounding environment
• Walking, Public Transportation, Trains
• Slow travel isn’t for everyone
• Some people lives or jobs require them to travel to and from places quickly

Thoughts

• Movies and TV shows can have both a positive and negative impact in terms of tourism
• It can bring/ give recognition to not so known areas within nations
• People only know about the big names but there are more remote or smaller locations which provides just as good of an experience
• Tourism = Income
• At the same time it can lead to a huge influx of tourists/ visitors far beyond the capacity the location is able to support
• Connection to week 3 topic of over tourism

Thoughts

• It will be very difficult/ near impossible to separate capitalism from tourism
• In the end money is the key to survival.
• What can be done:
• Put limitations on how expensive tourist attractions can charge for things
• Amusement parks, museums, etc all hike up prices of food, goods, etc.
• Our trips abroad need to intersect with our local lives.” - Anu Tanarath, Beyond Guilt Trips p. 197
• We learn through tourism, we are exposed to new and/or different realities than those we are used to in our front yards
• Recognize privileges