Mass Tourism

On the surface, tourism seems completely harmless; if anything, it benefits the economy of the country being visited. Right? This was true at one point, when less people were traveling. But the number of tourists has gone up in the past several decades, from 25 million to 1.1  billion, and this has created mass tourism - tens of thousands of tourists visiting popular destinations, much to the dismay of local residents who feel as 
though their residential neighborhoods are turning into amusement parks. Locals often feel like these herds of tourists are unaware of the fact that they are supposed to be there to experience a different culture. Hence, in places that are perpetually saturated with tourists, the tourists' behavior seeps into local culture and becomes a part of it, instead of the other way around.In this way these mass tourists are "spoil[ing]...the very unspoiledness [they] are there to experience" (Wallace). 

This result is not paid attention to because the primary goal of mass tourism is to make money, not to spread culture. Who cares what effect the tourists are having, as long as they are emptying out their wallets? And the sad truth is that ever since mass tourism came about, the money spent by tourists doesn't go to local communities anymore - it goes to "transnational corporations", as more and more international companies (such as hotels and airlines) offer travel packages. Before a tourist family may have stayed at a small family owned inn; now they would stay at the local Marriott location.
How would you feel if you were a local here?

Mass tourism has its own share of environmental effects, too. Not only due to planes, cruise ships and cars, but also because more land is being destroyed and then developed to accommodate more tourists.

 We have all been tourists at some point in our lives, and subconsciously we all know the effects we are having too. But we love to travel and don't want to stop anytime soon. It's just one of those things we don't want to think about for our own comfort, just like the chef doesn't want to hear the lobster struggling while he boils it.  



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