deconstructing "authentic" travel & tourism | Internet Analysis
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- Опубликовано: 14 янв 2022
- let's discuss 'authentic' travel and the tourism industry. // thanks to Lingoda for sponsoring today's vid! Sign up for the Lingoda Language Sprint and earn up to 100% cashback. With my link or code TF2022, you can get an extra $25 discount on the deposit: try.lingoda.com/TiffanyFerg-Sprint
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TIME STAMPS:
0:00 - intro
1:38 - 'adventurous' travel vs 'passive' tourism
5:18 - the democratization of travel
7:50 - what is "authentic" travel?
13:06 - what a tourist wants
14:19 - today's sponsor, Lingoda!
16:13 - outdated and stereotypical images
18:36 - tourist traps and contrived authenticity
20:38 - the must-sees!
22:04 - photo ops!
23:36 - how catering to foreign tourists can harm locals
26:54 - final thoughts?
29:27 - Small Channel Shoutouts!!
30:25 - shout out to cherry bepsi!
32:07 - shout out to TheLetterFifteen
RESOURCES & REFERENCES:
"The Image" by Daniel J. Boorstin
"Thomas Cook, 83. UK Travel Agency Founder" - ruclips.net/video/qDY87c2J1oc/видео.html
7 Reasons Why the 'Authentic' Travel Experience Is a Myth - www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/03/7-reasons-why-the-authentic-travel-experience-is-a-myth/72007/
"What Does 'Authentic' Tourism Really Mean?" - ruclips.net/video/jBRkqYOSsCQ/видео.html
What is Authentic Travel? (ResponsibleVacation) - www.responsiblevacation.com/copy/authentic-travel
Authenticity (TourismTheories) - www.tourismtheories.org/?p=719
How You Travel is New Age Colonialism - medium.com/world-travelers-blog/how-you-travel-is-neo-colonialism-836b91fd9b18
How Much Does Tourism Contribute Toward a Country's Economy? - www.yahoo.com/now/much-does-tourism-contribute-toward-230107044.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFDmO22HblUxVz2s6yAJnlEBiTbNYonBeSLnhQQAtj_LlMleeBBsSu0P_bLG42Q9JW1vnVwlElfUX9R9IpHGTonjzUzU8iBDxOzCJFNWbazWckAAYOZM4FSca3yCuxmsjLq_cx3nw8N-fHjlnYb8eRpH-9fKysp0TgZTdWdMn_rL
What if we broke the chains of neocolonialism? Brittany Malcolm, TEDxYouth GrandBahama - ruclips.net/video/ylE6v5mQR_c/видео.html
Tiffany Ferguson (she/her), 26 years old, currently in NYC. Here on Tiffanyferg, my main series is called Internet Analysis, where I research and discuss topics related to social issues and media.
This episode was co-written by Sheriden Smith.
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hope y'all enjoy today's video! // If you're like me and want to improve your language skills this year, check out today's sponsor, Lingoda! Sign up for the Lingoda Language Sprint and earn up to 100% cashback. With my link or code TF2022, you can get an extra $25 discount on the deposit: try.lingoda.com/TiffanyFerg-Sprint
I took a whole class on travel as performance in the drama department. Nowadays I focus on traveling thoughtfully - so thinking about the impact I and my money has - and authentically to me - so I prioritize visiting landmarks that I'm authentically interested in, no matter how famous they may be and skip those I don't regardless of the "must see" list. I'd love to see you expand on passport privilege and your thoughts on the very problematic digital nomad/ex-pat vs migrant dichotomy.
Just as a heads up travel both international and local is very different for LGBTQ+ people. Particularly trans people and couples. There are still many parts of the world where it is illegal to be gay and even more where hate crimes are common (most Caribbean islands for example)
Being in the “tourist bubble” is usually the only option for LGBTQ+ folks and penalties for leaving it can be very steep
Hi Tiffany! The subject of neocolonialism reminds me of a reading I did for Postcolonial Literature by Jamaica Kincaid called A Small Place. I recommend to anyone interested in reading about neocolonialism in the West Indies.
Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn is also a book that touches on neocolonialism and the tourism industry in Jamaica as one of its themes (it's also a book I love as well).
ruclips.net/video/OJ_xXkhgs3U/видео.html
Bangs!!! 💕🥰💕 The sea of cellphones at tourist attractions is definitely frustrating, and understandable at the same time. Wish we could have that agreed upon community-code that you speak of 📸
this idea is so funny to me because everyone says "I don't like doing the touristy things" but then the tourist hotspots are hotspots for a reason so SOMEONE'S doing these things. Very sus.
Maybe the distinction is "travel" vs "vacationing" When I travel I do not have any interest in a resort or place that is heavily tourist centrict. There is something shallow and artificial about many tourist traps...almost like a Las Vegas or Disneyland version of the culture. I find it very unappealing. I have tended to do most of my travel by going to a place and living there for months-to-years, usually in areas where I am the only person (or one of a very few) in the area that are not natural residents of that country. There is no question that there is an authenticity to that type of experience that is completely absent in your average resort town or tourist magnet. If you are in a place that caters to foreigners rather than simply being a place that people are living their lives without any particular focus on you, a foreigner, that is really a world of difference, even if it's just for a week or two.
I recently took a trip to Mexico City and did some touristy things, like visiting the Frida Kahlo house and going to the canals. I ended up loving those things!
@@dancin.breegan To each their own I say. Nothing wrong with classic tourist stuff if that's the experience you are after.
And some things are touristy are authentic. It’s touristy to go to an onsen in Japan, but it’s a truly authentic experience. Japanese people vacation at onsens, go to public baths often and theres completely natural hot springs that the earth had made. Travelling is so weird. As long as your not a “digital nomad” and contributing to over-tourism by ONLY doing the ‘touristy stuff’ just have fun!
I live in a tourist destination and most of our "touristy" hotspots are hotspots for people who live here too! The most important thing is to enjoy your experience and get to know some cool stuff about the place you're visiting (and also please do not congregate in the path of people walking briskly).
I’m born and raised in Hawai’i, and the rise of “authentic travel” has been extremely harmful to our ecosystem. Many tourists come to “find secret beaches” and “not go to the main hotspots” which crowd local beaches. Plus, many of these tourists touch the endangered wildlife, take things from nature like shells, refuse to wear masks, and leave trash everywhere. And since they aren’t doing the things our state has built for tourism (ie educational centers, museums, etc) it doesn’t even help our economy. AND they are traveling in the MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC when our hospitals are already overwhelmed!!
Same in Puerto Rico. They have no respect for the island or the people living there
I wish I could frame this comment, it's so well written!
yes!!! and our reefs that were once protected by lack of traffic are now FLOODED with people who don’t bother with reef-safe sunscreen and continue to touch our fragile corals. it is so sad to watch :(
I am so sorry! People are so selfish! There nothing wrong with going to a place made for people to go to.
Excellent point!! I was struck by what you said about the museums and things - yes, those things are touristy, aren't they, so considered "inauthentic" - and yet they're especially designed to educate and help an outsider gain an understanding of the culture, history, and values of the people who created it. If you really cared about experiencing as much as you can, you would take advantage of such tools. Yeah, there's a lot to be said about how exhibitions are created, how they allow propaganda and/or skewed perspective, but that's a different conversation to questioning the value of educational institutions designed specifically for tourists in themselves.
I live in Copenhagen which has a fair amount of tourists. And to be fair... If you travel here and try to get the "authentic" experience of people living here, let me tell you, my life's pretty dang mundane. Do the touristy stuff! It's there because it's fun and exciting! Go to the museums that I never go to because I have to go to work and clean my apartment and stuff! The authentic experience is trying to haul my groceries up to the fifth floor and wondering why my radiator is hissing at me again. Nobody wants that for their vacation.
Even when I worked full time I would visit my local museum as it's one of the National Museums of Wales museums. It was somewhere to go on Sundays to get out of the house. I could pop in there on the way back from shopping in the city centre. There's always a new exhibition.
I think it also depends on what the "touristy stuff" is sometimes. Like taking Copenhagen for example, I'd probably skip the Little Mermaid statue since I think it's a little over-crowded/over-hyped for a single statue that's not even directly related to Hans Christian Andersen (sorry, not sorry). But I would 100% go to all of the museums.
Idk, I kind of want to explore the adventure to finding out why your radiator hisses at you.
@@rocky4264 When I lived in Brussels I would always go and look at Mannekin Pis when I was in the city centre because he would be wearing different costumes all the time.
Then it's up to you to find some interesting things to do other than go to work and do housework and grocery shopping. Most people have a hobby or go out in the evenings to enjoy entertainment. I can't stand the "I never go swimming/cycling/to the beach/to art galleries except when on holiday" crowd.
As someone who lives in a city that attracts a looot of tourists (Lisbon, Portugal) i can say that these “authentic travelers” are far more annoying than regular tourists. They crowd local areas almost forcing locals to be a part of their “experience” here and i just find them so pretentious and annoying. Like bro, just go to the touristy areas, it’s okay, they’re important landmarks, they’re popular for a reason. Also it’s impossible for you to have an “authentic local experience” in Lisbon because wealthy foreigners are the very reason why locals can’t afford housing in the city anymore
That last point hits so hard! Where will “authentic” culture come from when there are no locals remaining? (And more importantly of course, where can those displaced locals go?) the gentrification that tourism promotes is so harmful and it feels pretty much out of our (collective) control
@@tiffanyferg Exactly!! As a young portuguese person i feel so powerless seeing my city becoming less and less our own. The elderly are being kicked out of their life long homes in downtown Lisbon by greedy landlords who what to build newer apartments for wealthy tourists to reside. So many wealthy foreigners are moving to Portugal due to “everything being so cheap here” when in reality they’re the only ones who have high enough incomes to afford those housing prices. It’s very scary thinking that i might never be able to own a house in the city i was born in, seeing more and more people having to move into cheaper areas on the outskirts of Lisbon. I really hope something changes in the future
@@kuromini Everything that you said is true. I'm also from Lisbon but migrated to another (wealthier) country a few years ago. 9 times out of 10, when I meet someone new and tell them where I'm from, they go “why did you leave, Lisbon is so amazing”. While I too find the city to be amazing, the reality for us is VERY different from their touristy “everything is so cheap” point of view. At 27 most of my friend migrated to other countries like me or are stuck living with their parents.
Portugal is indeed the perfect example for this video.
Yess I agree with that, as your spanish neighbour is happening the same thing in places like Barcelona or Seville
“Living like the locals” is literally impossible. I live in a very touristy town at the Baltic Sea in Germany. Living like the locals would mean to work in tourism when the tourists come.
that's why tourism can be so cringey, and she's making it about class
"omg i want to be in my own bubble and look at their local dogs, fck the rest let me be a tourist in peace"
bruh she really needs to face outside world in person
I mean yeah, I agree with her topics about class but this tourism thing isnt about class.
@@hannahlennertkristiansen4797 Well, it is about… it take a level of privilege/income to travel. Poor people don’t travel.
I get that talking about money is a very uncomfortable topic, usually for people that make a lot.
Tourism is absolutely about class.
It is not "literally impossible" to live like the locals unless you only travel to tourist hotspots.....you can't honestly tell me that no where in your region exists a place without a heavy tourism industry....unless *maybe* you live on a minescule island loaded with resorts?
This. Tourism is how most people in tourist countries make a living. Hating on tourism is hating on their economies and their jobs. You can be less obtrusive and entitled about it, certainly but you don't have to act like you're BETTER than tourism.
In México the whole "authentic travel" can sometimes be pretty harmfull and dangerous.
People wanting to "experience what the locals live" oftenly end up in locations they dont know how to navigate or endangering themselves or others, feeding the 'México is dangerous' beast.
My friend who is a tour guide for a waterfall in a canyon in the Huasteca Potosina FEARS this type of people, they oftenly want to go deeper, see it from different angles, swim closer, take pictures that no one else has taken before and this sometimes end up in having to leave the group unattended to get this people back to safety but the worse case scenario has been retrieving corpes from the river and getting the predio and access closed for 3 months leaving many families without income for all that time.
Not to mention during the pandemic seeing foreigners trying to get close to the locals without any mask and / or completely disregarding if they have access to medical help or vaccines was nerve wracking, to say the least.
Americans don't give a shit about wearing a mask in foreing communities.
These are the same people that when they wander off the beaten path wonder why no one speaks English.
@@anareginacoronado1147 Americans don't give a shit. (you can end the sentence right there)
it’s true. and then they’re shocked when bad shit happens.
Recently two British tourists were attacked by crocodiles when they decided to do the authentic thing and swim in a coastal lagoon even after the guide told them explicitly not to do it. Who would have thought it, crocodiles do not care if the potential food is British or Mexican.
He makes travel sound like some kind of noble burden for white men to endure.
Lmao exactly!!
Hahahahahah that's so accurate!!! If these people who want to seek "danger" as they travel actually wanted that, they'd go hiking instead, and on their own. But they can't, can they? It's only okay if it's dangerous enough that they suffer a bit but they survive. They'd never go on a journey that could potentially kill them. Hence why mountain everest has become such a huge traveling spot due to the tourist guides
@@sin3358 this except climbing mount everest very much kills people, most often the locals who have to work in the tourism industry as guides. all for people to get ego trips and have cool stories to brag about to their wealthy friends.
fr, the poor white english man has to cope with the horrific customs of lesser cultures and their savage ways /s
I live in South East Asia. Foreigners "going off the beaten path" often means them complaining when the people don't speak English or endangering themselves by trespassing on protected nature reserves.
Arranged tours aren't a bad thing! I think the biggest problem with tours is that there isn't enough time dedicated per sight, but leisurely (and private!) tours do exist.
This this this. Sometimes the tours are there because if a tourist gets lost or injured 'off the beaten path', it troubles *everybody* and wastes so many people's time and energy.
@@kyris66 It's OK if you learn the language before you visit the country and then go off the beaten path in a group of travel companions. Do the sensible thing and make sure you have a map and compass as you would back home.
@@lemsip207 The sensible thing is to always listen to the locals when they say not to go somewhere, and not just go because you're being 'adventurous' or something. A map is not a 1-to-1 substitute for lived experience. A map is not gonna show you unsafe structures or a vulnerable ecosystem or sacred sites they don't want people to enter, etc.
@@kyris66 But you would be lost without an up to date map if you want to be able to find your way back to your hotel. That's why there barriers and danger signs in western countries.
@@lemsip207 and... you missed mine and OP's point (and CONTEXT) but continue to do you, I guess.
There is definitely a person in my life who did a lot of low budget solo travel ~authentically~ using couch surfing apps and hitchhiking across counties in Europe, Asia, and south America. He spoke down on other forms of tourism as if it wasn't super dangerous for a solo female to do the same thing as him.
Ah yes, I really dont like those people that assume that every form of travel is accessible to everyone else. Your race, gender, religious affiliation, class, country of residence or nationality, your income, disability, health, whether or not your country is able to get a Visa etc ALL plays a huge part in what is possible for you to do or where you can go
oh, i have a friend who was exactly like that too. he went to like 30 different countries sleeping in hostels, hitchiking, the whole deal. but eventually he realized that he was coming across as very elitist about it haha. and we're still good friends, and he doesn't judge the fact that I just wanna stay at a nice resort and go with a tour guide.
oh, i have a friend who was exactly like that too. he went to like 30 different countries sleeping in hostels, hitchiking, the whole deal. but eventually he realized that he was coming across as very elitist about it haha. and we're still good friends, and he doesn't judge the fact that I just wanna stay at a nice resort and go with a tour guide.
One time in Korea my 24 yr old Chinese-Indonesian friend, he wanted to hitchhike back to Seoul and I, a young 20 yr old Native American girl, was like ???? ARE YOU CRAZY ?!?!
He said he did it plenty of times back home and I was like idk man, I definitely didn’t grow up like that
@@No1PlutoSupporter yea like bro let me show you a statistic real quick....
I'm from Mumbai, India and there's is a decent amount of foreigners that will travel to mumbai on their way to other locations within india given that's it's one of the biggest cities in the subcontinent. When I see foreigners (usually those from the west) looking to experience "authentic indian culture" by travelling to the slums, it makes my blood boil. You're in the financial capital of the country with some of the most expensive neighborhoods in the world, and your definition of the authentic indian experience is still poverty?
I understand that some slum tours are meant to help people in the slums make some money but it gives me a bad feeling. People living there are just trying to live, they aren't zoo animals.
this hits deep, never take it this way but they do showcase it like this. Experiencing authentic does not mean they have to visit the slum
Poverty tourism is icky, but let’s not be blind to the shocking divide between the rich and the poor in Mumbai. People want to see antilia, but they also want to see dharavi. Not to mention that some travelers are drawn to the cottage industry in Dharavi. It’s more than just a ‘slum’. It’s as much an integral part of the financial capital as is the stock market.
I truly hate Slumdog Millionaire. That movie set the perception of India back by several decades just to appease white audiences looking for some poverty porn and accelerated the slum tourism thing too.
I remember the recent submission to the Oscar's foreign film category from India, Gully Boy, had a very snarky critique of slum tourism very early on in the film. I wonder if whatever jury decides the nominees saw their own reflections in that mirror.
@@aoutsky aside from the cottage industry thing, exactly what reason is there for them to invade the spaces of the poor just to satisfy their own egos? Slum tours often literally go inside ordinary folks' homes, voyeuristically watching them live their normal lives. Do tourists to New York and LA often go to the areas with vast amounts of homeless people, or to the projects, at all? No, because Western poverty isn't exoticised the way it is in the global south, and can't be used to satiate their colonial guilt the way a trip to Dharavi can; to stare at kids in such dire poverty and maybe buying them a 20 rupee snack before returning to their cushy lives and feeling so good about themselves.
Honestly saying "I don't want to do touristy stuff" is the most touristy thing ever. As a local I love to visit the places in my city that are primerely attracting tourists because those are interesting and pretty, I mean people go there for a reason. Why on earth would you want to look at trashed subway stations when you're on vacation?
The only thing I can really comment on is why some tourists want to see the trashed subway. I live in iowa, my town just now got 2 busses that go around to take you to Walmart and the library. My first time in Chicago I took the train everywhere and for me that is the coolest experience. Public transportation is amazing to me and I wish I lived in a place where we had more of it. While I do take the train to my tourist stops the train is part of my joy in seeing a new place.
@@alexiagordy5193i’d want to get the authentic NYC subway experience…
In Boston I gawked at a gigantic multilevel highway interchange... honestly, this abomination should really have an elevated viewing platform because even though it may be run of the mill for Atlantans I was completely enthralled by it.
The first time I traveled out of the US I thought to myself "oh THIS is what it means to be a tourist" because I went on lots of walking TOURS and it was awesome! Our tour guide always lived in the city, even if they weren't from there, and would show us landmarks, share history, and point out good restaurants and things to do. Ever since I always go on walking tours in American cities too because though it is certainly not "authentic" it feels like the fastest way to get to know a city and then, with the knowledge from the tour, create a really personal and unique itinerary. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in traveling!
Love a walking tour!! Passionate local tour guides are the best
I love this kind of thing! Plus it's a great way meet people and share a common experience
Standing in a crowd of people everywhere you go sounds like a travel nightmare to me. Plus you're not getting a unique experience, you are getting the same exact tour that thousands of people before you got. Hence, you are never discovering anything for yourself nor having your own opinion this way.
@@nadias6435 The tours only last 2 hours! You have plenty of time to be on your own and create unique experiences, but it's definitely not for everyone.
Tours are also a great way to make friends around the world!
In my opinion, there's really no way to NOT be a tourist, most especially if you don't know the language of the place you are going to. You cannot just insert yourself into a new location you have no history with or deep knowledge of and expect to experience it the way a local/native does, it's just not going to happen. It doesn't matter if you go to the least-known restaurant in the city, or you drop yourself into a small village with little or no spaces designed for tourists, you are still a person who is experiencing a brand new place, culture, and way of living. On the flip side, even if you're trying to have the least "authentic" experience possible, you will still be somewhat exposed to novelty. even if you go to an American chain restaurant, it is likely to be a different experience from what it's like at home. If you go to McDonald's in India, you won't see any burgers on their menu. I don't think it's worth it to gatekeep how "authentic" someone's travel experience is or isn't, because, to your point, there is no one "authentic" way of life. What if I want to experience the authentic life of a city-dweller in India who eats McDonald's once a week? well, then now it makes sense for me to go eat at McDonald's, and see what that's like.
Edit: I do want to insert here that in my opinion, the reason I would seek "authentic" experiences would be to support locally owned/operated places where I'm visiting. I would prefer to visit a small, local restaurant BOTH for the experience of "authentic" food, but also for the knowledge that I'm not paying a big corporation like McDonald's my money for their workers who are likely locals a low wage. so in that situation, I'm both seeking "authenticity" but also trying to travel as ethically as I can
edit 2: lol you literally addressed this in the last few minutes of your video which I of course didn't wait to listen to before I posted this comment heh
Great points!! 💛
That is absolutely excellent commentary!
I also question the value that "authenticity" has to the vacationing traveler whose intention is to experience another culture. The tourists who seek "authenticity" are no different than those who want to visit hotspots except most of the time they're insisting that they're so much more chill than the other tourists.
Speak for yourself. If your’e going somewhere for a week, that’s not enough time to get out of the tourist mindset. When you start living somewhere for a month, and stick to a tight budget that forces you to live local, you get a different experience. Pre-lockdowns, I tended to travel to the same places a few time a year for 4-6 weeks to learn the culture. You can drop me off in Paris, and I’ll be heading to the local Fran Prix for dinner stuff to make while watching the local news on television in an apartment I rented for a month to six weeks. If you only go to new places, which some people do just to brag about how MANY places they’ve been, then everything will always be new and novel. Return to the same places enough, and the novelty wears off, and if you stay out of the tourist areas, you do learn the culture.
In France, a lot of local restaurants aren’t authentic. A lot of them Americanize foods to attract tourists, and the restaurants for locals serve very different things. The trick is knowing how to tell them apart. You can learn that by talking to locals.
@@ishritabagchi2852 That's true but the burgers are pretty different and the prices are pretty different. You won't find a Maharaja Mac anywhere else.
I think the non-negotiable part of defining an adventure isn't danger, but uncertainty. I have had *many* adventures down the street to the grocery store. Will someone need help fixing their bike? Will the sidewalks be icy? Will I meet a cat on a leash? The only way to know what an adventure will bring is to journey forth.
I love this so much! Every day has the potential to be an adventure 🧡😊
Yep I bought a van, booked a ferry to Santander and got a phrasebook and Duolingo came back nearly a year later, never in danger had one hell of a time and outside the van wasn't very expensive, oh and I sold the van for pretty much what I paid for it.
god i love this because same. its like that saying its not about the destination but the journey itself
I feel that way everytine I step outside and just smile about it. Adventures are fun both big and small..very beautifully said.
"It's a dangerous business, going out your door..."
I'm Mexican. Once a Welsh girl told me that enchiladas weren't really Mexican, that nobody in Mexico eats them. Then proceeded to serve wheat flour tortillas covered with sweet tomato sauce and call them enchiladas. I agreed, nobody in Mexico would call that dish "enchiladas".
OMG!!!!!! I'm American (from Las Vegas, already a mixed place) and my boyfriend is Welsh. When I tell you.... I craved Mexican food SOOOOO BAD the year I stayed there. Couldn't find corn tortillas that weren't hard shell. Can't find black or pinto beans. The "enchilada kit" from Old El Paso wanted the people buying it to add eggplant to it?????? One of our local restaurants had offered a Mexican menu briefly that I tried and it was... alright? But the tortillas were still flour ones and it came out cold because of all the sour cream and cheese they put on it lmaooo And the Taco Bell that we went to (sooo authentic I knowww) had like 5 things on the menu and the burrito.... the burritos were not it. Tacos pretty standard for Taco Bell tho. I got super excited when they asked me if I wanted sauce cuz I hadn't found a good hot taco sauce anywhere for when I cooked at home, and.... along with the hot sauce.... the employee also gave me packets of mayo, mustard, and ketchup. I'm dead lol
I love my boyfriend, I love Wales, but needless to say when he came to Vegas with me, we showed him how it's really done. Until I go back, I've been eating Mexican food like every week before I can't have it anymore lol I don't care if I have to spend big to import the ingredients, I can't live without good Mexican food!
Edit: took out a bad word to be more family friendly lol but also the supermarkets now have a lot more variety and it's been fun sharing new foods with the family! It's not impossible to make the flavors we are used to, and it's fun to try the way things are made here 🩷 the key is to be adventurous and if you don't like something, share how YOU like it and everyone gets to try something new! Food is awesome! 🩷 😁
@@Khvidviewer37 i already know from this comment that your boyfriend is not an authentic Welsh person...Taco Bell is only in South Wales, specifically in the big towns close to England. Most real Welsh people do not consider that to be Wales. So, you likely 'love' your English version of Wales, just like we love our British version of Mexican food.
There is nothing wrong with companies catering to local tastes. The curries served in the UK taste nothing like those in India, but if they were hardly anyone would buy them.
Also people who randomly use the word "b*tch" in conversation as you just did are what are known as "chavs" and "scallies" in your English area of Wales.
@@jenjones90
Guess his passport is incorrect by saying he's Welsh! I'll tell his whole family that they are no longer "authentic" despite their whole lineage being Welsh! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 You're so funny! I am very aware that different regions all across the world have variations of cuisine, I just find it funny that it's marketed a certain way when if you ordered it in Mexico or a Mexican restaurant, it wouldn't be what you pictured it! Same with Chinese food which is notorious for being very different in the UK. Nothing wrong with that! It would just be nice if you and others in the UK could experience the real tastes of Mexico, and the all the tastes of the world! You just gotta look up better recipes! I ended up making the enchilada kit with chicken and peppers and onions and beans (you can use refried or black), just add a little salsa and garlic to the red sauce and water it down a bit, add some jalapeño juice or jalapeños. And use a different cheese! I mixed some red leicester and white cheddar and it was good!
Also I guess you took my usage of the word "bitch" in an angry way, but it's just slang! Do you not exaggerate when you retell a story?? I'll edit it out if you want to "employee" or "dude" or "person", but I wasn't mean to them. 😄 imagine me blasting off over some mayo lmaooo I took it home and used it on something else, so yay for free condiments!
I hope in your REAL Wales that you're MUCH happier than us "fakes" down here in the south lmaoooo enjoy all your meals and all the different kinds of each dish 😁 makes no difference to me, I know how to cook and I'm happy to do it too. I like exploring all the supermarkets and seeing what I come up with. I hope you get excited over cooking, too. It's a great way to appreciate what you're capable of, and if it's a success or not you should be proud of your creations 🩷 I hope you have the day that you deserve!
@@Khvidviewer37 I always wanted to go to Las Vegas for it's culture, what's it like living there?
@@kaitlynlehman7414 Hiya! Las Vegas has changed a lot since I was a kid. It's definitely not super family friendly like it used to be. But still has a lot of cool stuff to look at! It's also still verrryyy hot like all the time. Best time is like November to February for cool weather, March and everything in between is a toss up on heat lol but I hear there's lots of nice pools to visit if you're exploring hotels. Variety of food and a mix of people from all over the world! It's definitely worth visiting at least once, but I wouldn't recommend living there unless it's for good work, you love the heat, or you really like the nightlife and all the events happening throughout the year :) Hope that answered your question!
One of the worst parts of being Hawaiian and watching as tourist flock to Hawaii, was watching as they raved about how beautiful and clean it was while simultaneously throwing their garbage on the floor or not cleaning up after themselves, using copious amounts of sunscreen that was harmful to our reefs, stepping all over our lively coral, harassing beach wildlife, and never listening to us when we say not to do something because it was dangerous.
Insane, I feel like some people came out of the sewer idk
I agree, but i’d like to ask what alternative to sunscreen you could use? Or a specific brand of sunscreen that is less harmful to coral & other flora?
@@Dr_zevia mineral sunscreens. Most places in Hawaii themselves sell safe sunscreens, since the governor has banned the harmful ones. It’s people bringing their sunscreens to Hawaii that are the problem, generally.
@@Dr_zevia mineral sunscreens give people a false since of security. The effectiveness is very low and it’s just better to use whatever sunscreen protects your skin.
Don’t risk your health like that.
@@DersiteDuke when I searched it up, I read that mineral sunscreens were more effective actually
Edit: Just want to add that there's nothing wrong with doing stereotypical touristy things. Just always try to be mindful and respectful.
As a tourism graduate what I've learned is that :
1) When travelling there's essentially only one thing that matters: be respectful to the place you're visiting, you're a guest.
2) authenticity is (more often than not) manufactured,
3) some people like to put themselves above others when the truth is travelling a lot or often only means one thing: you have disposable income. That's it.
You can travel a ton and learn absolutely nothing about the place you're visiting and grown nothing as a person. People who genuinely like to travel usually (unless they are pretentious) don't care what you call them and don't get upset if you call them tourists because they know that - by definition - they are and there's nothing wrong with it.
o.o
Can I ask about this tourism graduate? Was it a course of study you did, and where? I've always been fascinated by traveling as a thing to study, maybe anthropologically is the right term...?
@@crazy4beatles not op but I know there are universities which teach international hospitality and tourism studies at bachelor and masters level
Well said! Being a tourist isn’t a moral indictment. It’s just a fact. If you don’t normally live somewhere (and especially if you don’t speak the local language), you are a tourist, and such knowledge should carry humility and wonder in equal portions. The ability to travel is a privilege and a luxury, and even the most ‘worldly’ or well-informed tourists will take cringe worthy photos and make cultural blunders. Such is life!
Yes! I absolutely agree!
i feel like when traveling in the us or in western societies there’s this idea that you can eventually come back whereas going to eastern countries like Japan or Singapore or even like Australia there’s this pressure that you have to do everything because its for most people a once in a lifetime experience and you dont want to miss out
Absolutely! The distance and cost/difficulty of getting back somewhere makes a big difference in whether you feel like you’ve gotta “see it all” in one trip
I've really never thought about it like this! So interesting
honestly as an australian its pretty basic here. if you want a good soul changing trip in australia head out to country with my blakfellas you will learn and experience so much about life
right! in my case tho even going from the west to east coast is treated as a once in a lifetime experience 😅😅 but everyone's situation is different and the point still stands
Yea I live in Aus and I go the same eastern countries here all the time. It feels kinda laid back to me. Going up north would be a huge exciting trip for me where I would do as many touristy things as possible. :)
This reminded me of the political disparity currently going on in Venice, Italy. Venice, as you may know, is an ancient city built on wooden pillars in the sea. Recently, with the uprise of travel by cruise ships, the city has been basically overrun by tourists. Even one giant cruise ship brings in thousands of people. As a result, the city has begun to sink into the ground because of the weight of all the people. Now the locals are petitioning to install a limit of how many people are allowed to visit, many are against the cruise ships docking at all.
And they're definitely freaking right on that. If Venice's sinks, they will be the ones without a home.
They should charge a large amount per person, it’s only fair.
I've been to Venice once as a tourist, and it was so sad to see that the whole city has become one big tourist trap. We've started calling Venice "Italian Disneyland" because of hwo tailored almost everything is to tourists. You barely see any locals anymore, only tourists.
Wow this is truly astounding!!!
@@BlitzsieLDiscoLSnow my mom lived in Italy for a few years in the 80s and she says that one of her biggest regrets from that time is never getting to see Venice. I wonder how different it was back then.
Oh ive seen this first hand. I'm from Uruguay, a farm country in latin america. We are known for our producion of raw materials such as milk and wool.
Many tourists come visit us because they want to live the "true farm experience". It is funny, they actually go to luxury farm hotels where people do everything BUT the normal things a farm would do here. WIth big pools, fancy accomodations and what not, and maybe ride a horse once in their whole stay. We call these "cheto" houses, which means rich people houses.
I myself have seen first hand what happens when you take these people to an actual farm house, im born and raised alongside my dad who does farming for a living.
For context: We don't have a lot of electricty (sun powered) nor a giant water heater, we dont have ACs or tvs. In fact theres no tvs or "big" electrical equipment. Dad wakes up at 5am every day to start working and goes to sleep at 8pm . I may be around 6 hours horse riding cuz we have to check up on the whole lands for sick animals. You get the drill we do farm things.
People from the US have come to visit my dads farm interested in the "true experience", we take them in for free as a sorta friendly gesture because dad doenst mind company and we have extra beds anyways. They only have to provide extra food.
I kid you not they cant last a weekend. Every single time. Either because its a bit hot and they dont have an AC, or because the shower isnt some fancy regulated thing, or even because the food is "subpar" (We do .. farm food, stews, pasta, what we have in the moment, its in the middle of nowhere we dont have a walmart and buy groceries once a week cuz its a 1 hour drive) . But what gets me is that they KNEW this wasnt a hotel, we told them so and they agreed to it. They knew all of the terms when they asked to come. We dont even charge them!
We may not have fancy pools and restaurants but we fish by the river, care for the sweetest animals, watch the stars at night and see the sky go thru every hue possible at sunset. Its seriously a beautiful retreat, i know it cuz i go back to my dad when im away from college and its legit relaxing.
Either way my point is that the idea of the "true experience" is absolutely fabricated, specifically for the people who want a very specific niche of accomodation (basically all benefit no effort) When people come here saying they want the "true farm experience" we know by now they mean a farm hotel not an actual farm. In a way they want that countrys version of a rich people house. All inclusive while not paying a dime or even helping out.
And its a shame cuz the "raw" countryside here is baller, fishing at night by a campfire while u can see the whole cosmos above u just hits different you know. The fact your phone is out of battery and theres only a radio with old tango adds to the whole deal.
I hope some day someone shows up ACTUALLY wanting the legit countryside experience. Maybe its a minority of the toursists but i want to be able to meet one someday. My dad is the sweetest person on earth and he loves what he does, all he wants is to be able to share it and enjoy it with others.
Are you gonna get a bit muddy and play hide and seek with the chickens eggs because they lay them everywhere BUT their nests? Maybe! But thats the fun of it!
You and your dad seem such kind and welcoming people, I would love to go to your farm some day - it must be beautiful!:)
Wow, the way you described this was so beautiful! I'm sorry for your past experiences and can totally see why - people can feel so entitled it's mind blowing. I hope you are able to come across the right match and have a guest who can really enjoy and appreciate the farm for what it is! :) I think you might be able to find people with a better attitude and/or mindset through forums like Workaway or maybe even Couchsurfing, but of course there's entitled and spoiled, high-maintenance people on those websites too. And in all honesty, I would love to visit myself haha. Besos y abrazos de Finlandia!
Your dads place sounds wonderful! I'm really sorry that people come and act so entitled/out of touch especially since they aren't providing anything in return. Your dad sounds incredibly selfess, and kind hearted to open up his home to others, I admire his passion of wanting to share the beauty of your homeland with others. I would love to visit your dads farm honestly. I personally would enjoy this sort of accommodation much more, as I love and really value being able to create a genuine connection with some locals, hear their stories and be able to help them directly, versus having my money essentially go into a rich persons pockets. I wish you and your family the absolute best, good luck with your studies!
I think most of these tourists are like me: born and raised in big cities. Like, everything you wrote sounds reaaaly lovely but im even scared of ants i don't think i could handle that lifestyle more than a day or i would go mad.
I’m from the US, and that sounds amazing! But, I don’t think I could afford the trip. You’re incredibly kind to offer your home for free, but I would still need to pay to get there and back (and to get a passport). I’d also need to take time off work.
I think there are a lot of Americans who would thrive on a visit to your family’s farm, but those folks can’t afford to go. Or even if they can afford it, they just need a relaxing break from their own work. The people who are romanticizing farms are rich people who don’t have much experience with doing physical labor. I’m sorry you keep getting a terrible sample of Americans. I hope that one day, someone who really understands farm labor is able to come by and visit, and I hope that you become lifelong friends :)
i'm from a place near florence, italy and go to school there. i can definitely vouch for the fact that so called travellers, especially of the rich white american kind, are way worse than casual tourists that visit in groups. they are often very rude to us and they are basically the reason why the city has become such an expensive place: the centre is full of bnbs and exclusive hotels, most flats in the historical buildings are owned by rich foreigners or rented out just for them for insane amounts of money, causing working and middle class folks to flock to the outskirts because they cant afford a house there anymore, and florence to lose its lively cultural identity and become this simulacrum, basically a vacation village. the museums and even the central churches are pay to enter and the tickets are insane. its basically a "città vetrina" a "shop window city", as a huge graffiti looking onto the central river says. you cant imagine my frustration everytime i visit the centre, and i come from farmers who always lived in the rural part of the province, still even if i dont consider myself a florence native i feel like part of my culture has become so devoid of meaning by becoming this commercial feature, and hate it.
Same thing is happening here in Lisbon.
As an American who visited Italy, I was embarrassed by the other americans
I never been to Italy so I am sorry if I sound ignorant but as far as muesems which city would be worth the trip?
@@ayanomar1408 Uffizi Gallery. I've been there and it's super fun.
As someone who grew up in a tourist location, you're literally never going to get an "authentic" experience as a visitor, because locals don't live the life someone would on holiday. We go to work, we exercise, we buy food and cook it at home, and then we sit in front of the TV for 3 hours. Sometimes we go out to a restaurant or a bar, or even go to a museum or something, but at that point we are essentially a tourist too.
Yeah I wouldn't sell my everyday life as exciting lol. Tourists should go on the winery tours and lay out on the beach all day, it's much more fun than what local workers have going on lol
Came here to say the same
My city was basically made for tourism and at this point, most places are made for tourists to enjoy. So yeah the most authentic thing to do really is sit in the bad traffic, go to the dingy neighborhood bar that isn’t even good just cheaper, and work in a hotel 😂
as a new yorker, the only place i can think of that both tourists and locals visit regularly is central park. other than that, you really can’t do authentically new york things.
I think whatever locals do on their days off should be what tourists on vacation do "authentically". Of course that's usually still just cleaning the house 😅
I think the stereotype that people think indigenous people are frozen in the past also applies to indigenous people from the western countries. I work at a museum in my community (in Quebec, Canada) and some people expect us to still be living in tipis when they visit...
This happens a lot in México, tourists think they are living the authentic ~indigenous~ experience because they go to rituals and stuff like that when it's just what we know they want so we do it but like, it's still stuff for tourists. No one does that in their routine, we are people with jobs and stuff to do too lol
@@andysv8217
No dude there are an incredible amount of traditions done in southern Mexico in the Yucatan. Not to mention other stuff like brujeria. Cleaning your spirit is still a traditional activity done in those small sectors as well.
@@ericktellez7632 Ik I'm from Oaxaca but a lot of the time it's mostly a show rather than the actual traditions people actually engage in
Indigenous communities in North America are often considered completely disconnected from mainstream European American society, as if they're completely different. Especially by tourists. So exoticism would also apply here.
As someone whose family grew up on the navajo reservation, I've yet to meet anyone who fits the stereotype of "native and natural and one with the environment." People are still people and also cultures modernize.
Don't indigenous people often themselves tell how they're big conservationists of nature?
@@gamermapper yeah but caring about nature conversation just makes you care about nature conversation and not talk to rocks and the spirit of the trees and have birds sit on your head because you're one with nature.
@@gamermapper Theres a difference between being conservationists and "being one with the nature and trees" stereotype
That's why Reservation Dogs was such a breath of fresh air to me- funny, touching, and handled aspects of stereotype so well
This 'frozen in time' idea is so prevalent in the US. I am an Indian staying in US for an year for work, and I am feeling/hearing this strange ideas of India not only from white Americans, but from the Indian origin immigrants. I think the idea of the place in their mind stays at the time when they left India, and merged with Western media, its still elephants, Maharajas and Cows on the streets. Its exhausting and sometimes too funny to know how uninformed people are.
I think this largely happens due to movies and series portrayal of various countries. The impact of especially the US moviemakers' knowledge and perception of other cultures is so immense nowadays and they fell into such stereotypical ways... I mean, some cultures are portrayed literally the same way they were in movies 20-40 years old! People underestimate how much nonsense they subconsciously start to associate with those places until they actually visit them or at least maybe watch a recent documentary about them.
@@roose468 Not to mention the sepia filter…
We have the same problem with Ireland, they expect us to have little stone cottages in rural areas, where everyone knows each other, and there's no electricity or running water, and we just eat cabbage and boiled potatoes. And of course, there is no such thing as Black Irish people, or Asian Irish people, to the point where Black friends of mine who were born and raised here are told they're "less authentically Irish" than someone whose family left during The Famine and have never been back...
Absolutely. Here in the UK a lot of the British-born Indians have only been back to India a handful of times, and their families are usually from villages, so they genuinely think that's what all of India is like. I moved here as a child but I go back nearly every year to visit my grandparents, who live in a major city. Both my parents grew up in that urban lifestyle, and the three of us even lived in Mumbai briefly before coming here. What's ironic is that a lot of these people who barely know India at present still hang onto archaic conservative values like casteism and how women should dress and behave, meanwhile my parents who lived in India for 30 years are far more progressive because they were there when India moved on with the times. Hell my cousins who still live in India are all more progressive than some of these people who grew up in the UK!
I'm from Southern Italy and I know what you're talking about. Sad.
I spent two years planning to travel to India and it took me a long time to decide if I wanted to see the Taj Mahal or not. When I went it was a very surreal experience. It looks like a hologram or like it's photoshopped in, too perfect to be real. I've never experienced that feeling before because it is one of the most famous buildings, we've all seen it. I didn't expect to be so blown away by it I guess. That's why I would recommend going to the sights. Sometimes there's more to it than the photos allow.
This topic has been on my mind recently.
A girl I follow on Instagram, an acquaintance from childhood, went to Bali recently for a couple weeks and wouldn’t stop talking about Indonesian culture like she didn’t stay in a western hotel, eat mostly western food, and hang out around mostly other western tourists. She posts about how much she “misses Indonesian food” and how “she wants to wear her sarong all the time”. As someone who’s parents are from Indonesia and someone who spent time growing up in Indonesia, I’ve seen her type in-person. They don’t actually care about the culture, people, or country.
I’m not trying to speak from a holier-than-thou position, as I also travel and participate in tourism, but it’s almost expected that when an upper-middle-class-white girl travels abroad, they come back thinking they know everything about where they just went for a few days. They travel, don’t actually learn anything about actual culture and then think they’re better because they’ve “travelled”. (Obviously there are many people in the category that I mentioned that are fully aware of everything I just talked about and don’t act like this. I mean no offense to them).
The same ones who take a gap year 'volunteering' or backpacking around the world then return home and tell people that they should save the planet by not going on holiday abroad. I've heard bad things about these 'volunteering' projects where unskilled school leavers get sent to Africa to build a well and the local villagers who are skilled at construction see how how badly it was built then have to demolish it in the night and rebuild it. Stay at home and work in a normal job for a year and earn money.
I’ve visited Bali in two ways, and both were equally rewarding: with a group of friends, renting a villa near the beach, doing the “touristy” things like getting massages and taking cooking classes, and a few years later in college as part of a research trip to study a certain species of bird in Southeast Asia, spending the whole day in the Barat National Park. On the second trip, we spent time with local guides and their families, enjoyed their delicious food, and saw gorgeous sights… but also were actually working and spent 99% of the day doing what the project leads wanted us students to do. Yeah, it was “authentically getting near nature” and yes, the national park was incredible, but if I went to Bali again I’d probably find a hotel which treated its workers well and just go to enjoy the beautiful beaches and sights.
I would rather learn about culture by reading books written by people from different countries and then relax and have fun on vacation. Lol.
I did a 10 week study abroad in Madagascar and when I came back, people were shocked when I told them I didn’t see a single lion, zebra, giraffe, or hippo… because those only exist in the movie Madagascar and not the actual country
Are you seriously telling me that movies aren't completely truthful? My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined 😔
....did they not watch the movie? I don't recall any suggestion that there were herds of native zebras in Madagascar. Though when I watched it as a kid I was left with the impression that it was uninhabited by humans lol
How was your experience there?
@@Farimira I was retrenching the main characters of the movie because I feel like the titles presumes that they’re all animals you regularly find walking around in madagascar
This is funny because the movie doesn't even imply that they are native to the island. They only find similar animals to them when they crash in Kenya where they were originally meant to be delivered.
On the photo section - after my first trip to Europe, I realized that Google can provide way better photos than I could ever hope to take, so there's really no point in bothering to take many, if any. Pictures of my local friends and I out at lunch is way more worth the time and effort when I can do a quick search and see professional photography of everything at whatever attraction I wandered past.
Hahaha yes I’ve had the same thoughts! My landscape photos are not going to be stunning but I love pictures of my friends
o.o
100%. I traveled to Greece a lot as a kid and I have tons of photos of me and my family in tavernas, Ancient ruins, and on the beach. These bring back so many more happy memories than any picture of a sight ever could.
i so get this!! i love taking photos as an activity and i find it really satisfying, but when you look back at my photos from a trip you’ll see a cool angle of a door or the way the sun was shining on the side of a building, not anything really representative of that city or place.
on my last trip before the pandemic hit I just bought a disposable camera (yes I know wasteful...) but it only had space for like ~30 pictures on the camera roll. So me and my friend decided each of us would take ~15 pictures. That made it way more special :) They turned out way more grainy than those taken by a digital camera but it just added to the specialness. we chose completely different shots than we would have otherwise. and in the end we split the pics. highly recommend (even tho its kinda wasteful)
I'm an Indian who was born in Canada. One occasion that sticks with me was my friend who romanticised my culture and being very interested in our lavish weddings for example, but then was unimpressed when she actually travelled to India. It's totally valid that she didn't have a good time, but I have to wonder if it was in part because she was expecting an Eat Pray Love version of India that was all tranquil and spiritual. It is those things in some places, but not most. And it's a gosh darn third world country!! What do you expect!!
I'm French and have been living in Paris for more than a decade. I still can't get enough of the Tour Eiffel, the Louvre and Notre Dame (and the Seine, the Invalides, the Henri IV bridge. the Concorde, the Canal St Martin...). Sometimes, there are reasons why "Must Sees" must indeed be seen.
We travelled the Loire valley before we stayed in Paris and I was honestly turning my nose up because I thought it would be so "touristy." oh how I ate my words, I fell in love instantly with Paris and did all the touristy things! The Louvre was my favorite and just generally the landscape and architecture. The tourist destinations are really spectacular.
I’m a sucker for tourists traps; something about riding around on the upper level of a Big Bus to take a break from walking sits very well with me.
When I was in my early 20s I was totally like, backpacking and local transportation all the way. Then after a couple years I did a tour and realized hey, this gets me to where I want to go with waaaaay less hassle and I'm having a great time! Lol.
Me too
Tour buses are actually very efficient!
ruclips.net/video/OJ_xXkhgs3U/видео.html
Those tourist buses are sometimes the most cost efficient way to explore the UK. Travelling via taxis, TFL & local transport is expensive
Can you talk about how people from first world countries and predominantly Caucasian are "Expatriates" but those from poorer countries traveling to first world countries are labeled "immigrants"
I asked my geography teacher about the difference and they said that it was mainly for job reasons and if you were there for only a couple of years for work etc vs wanted to start a life there (which would make anyone an immigrant, you are immigrating if you move across your town or across the world). However practically this means the same thing that it is the upper vs lower income equivalents of the same word
I first heard that term a long time ago without context and was baffled why they didn't just say "immigrants"
Expats are not immigrant. I’m white, I immigrated permanently to Canada, therefore I’m an immigrant. Expats travel temporarily to a different country for work. I personally associate it with people who do not assimilate, do not plan on staying, and often don’t even bother learning the local language.
Expats can be immigrants. It is just a matter of perspective. If you you are the sending country you refer to the people who left to live elsewhere as expats (expatriates). This is an English word and may or may not have an equivalent in other any given language, but it is equally applicable to an Ethipian referring to Ethiopians who live abroad, or Vitnamese people in Vietnam discussing their Vietnamese friend and relatives who live in Australia.
It is about *who is discussing the people, NOT where the people are from* Do you understand?
@@emkiris The issue us that a lot of white people will move to a country, get married, have a kid, etc and still say they are an expact. Saw this when I was in China. White guy had a whole family in had been in Chongqing for almost 2 decades. Like you are an immigrant now. I understand if you initially intended on staying for only a little bit but after a while you just gotta call a spade a spade.
I’d love an analysis on the “Mexico is so cheap” phenomenon lots of white people moving to Mexico (and other countries) since they’re working remotely while earning in dolaras and basically gentrifying some areas. It was really hard for me to find an affordable apartment here in Mx because there’s people willing to pay double since they are earning dollars. I’ve seen a lot of people doing it and flaunting it on social media: Mexico is so cheap!
This is so important!!!! Gringos are ruining affordable housing
That would be such an interesting topic. The Mexico is so cheap thing sound so invasive and privileged. One time I read someone saying that Spain was dirt cheap (to invest). Same mentality I guess...
I've heard similar things about Thailand, Indonesia, etc etc. Like I wonder why things are cheap, maybe because you have a stronger currency being from a colonial power and the locals you claim to love you're actually exploiting??
@@zkkitty2436 exactly and always this. if you're paid in dollars but pay in say turkish lira (i am from turkey so that's the best example i can give), you have>10x the local buying power. local landlords will also prefer you to locla renters bc of the stable dollar you earn and rent that's cheap to you but exorbitant to even local middle class. this inevitably leads to gentrification of especially the urban core and nicer suburbia. along with that every business becomes more pricey in such an "expat" gentrified neighborhood, so local can be cut off everything. you're basically exploiting the exploitation of the local, and multiplying it.
Same case with bali
I'm originally from Egypt and grew up in Canada. We're lucky that when we go back to Egypt, most of my family has the means to take time off of work and do all the touristy things with us. I have a lot of Canadian-Egyptian friends who don't enjoy going back there because they end up just sitting in their relatives' houses for the entire trip, doing the normal boring things that people do at home. Why would a tourist to another country want that? The nice thing about knowing locals is that they know which places are worth it and which ones to avoid, but I certainly don't want to only "do what the locals do". I know that if somebody visited me in Canada, I wouldn't take them to the boring places I go to daily, I'd take them to the fun tourist places that I visit once in a blue moon.
As someone who lives in Rio de Janeiro Brazil I see the lack of notion of risk that tourists have. We say that gringos have too easy in life so they put themselfs in unnecessary dangerous situation.
i have no idea if this is applicable to brazil, but i know with places like mount everest, it's encouraged for locals to put themselves at risk/die to help the foreigners get up and down safely because a western people dying there would be far more newsworthy than a local and they don't want to stop the tourism industry
@@cesarionoexisto2848 that's messed up..
Here in Guatemala City something similar happens! They walk around with cameras, backpacks and cellphones in dangerous neighborhoods without care...
Same thing here in colombia! You honestly think i would walk around in the downtown of bogotá with my phone out and flashing money without care? gringos hardly take care of themseleves, it's annoying. non to mention that they say "authentic experience" but then go and partake in sexual tourism which is just human trafficking.
as a fellow carioca i was going to comment this lol i don't live in rio anymore but world cup 2014 and the olympics were insane i will never forget when i saw a camelô selling a fake flamengo jersey for 250 bucks (which was clearly a fake) outside the olympic complex to a couple of american tourists (not that a fake flamengo jersey is dangerous, but it was still pretty funny).
To be fair when I go on a vacation I do not want "authentic experience" I want a comfortable trip somewhere warm with good food.
I just wrote a response more longwinded than this but yeah. I don't vibe with going on holiday and living in worse conditions than I live in at home haha
Fr people are making themselves miserable in the name of being pretentious and “authentic”
So basically Mexico?
lol Same here! and I want to do all the touristy things! I am here for the historic tours and musiems👏🏾
I think it’s also important to acknowledge the intersection between disability, ableism, and how people look down on travel that’s too “easy” or accessible.
For years definitely fell into that "I'm a traveler, not a tourist" mindset 🤢. I think it's 'cuz I subconsciously equated being a "tourist" with being rich and privileged - completely not realizing that it is a privilege to be able to travel at all, especially on a Western passport.
A stint of unemployment, and being in a pandemic for 2 years has definitely changed my view on traveling as being a "necessity" in my life to now accurately viewing it as a hobby I love to do & am willing to save up for - which has actually make me savor each trip I plan more than before.
Instead of checking off a bucket list I now put more emphasis on having intrinsic motivations for visiting a place, respecting the local community, and doing my best to make sure my money isn't being used harmfully (ex: not staying in Airbnb's that are solely dedicated for tourists). As a traveler/tourist I think that's the best way to go - regardless of your travel style.
Oh and also the "traveler" versus "tourist" debate needs to die! If you travel somewhere, you're a tourist - period.
Like you don’t stay in Airbnb’s or you make a point to only stay in Airbnb’s? I’m curious
@@rileyblanton7281 If I use airbnbs I'll try to make sure it's in someone's guest house, or a private room within the owner's house, rather than a place that's completely rented out used solely for Airbnb guests. Properties that seem to be solely focused on airbnbs reservations takes away housing from the local community and so I try to mitigate my role in that as much as I can.
Nowadays my first choice is a hostel or hotel over an Airbnb when I'm traveling
@@technojunkie123 couldn't a room or guesthouse also be used for housing the local community too? i sometimes use airbnb as i can't afford hotel prices, but i never considered it could be harmful. i'll look into it more. also, even guesthouses can cause problems - i stayed with a Hmong family in Sapa, Vietnam, and they told me lots of the 'authentic guesthouses' are actually owned by people from the city who are trying to get in on the tourism industry! i think we really need to do research and talk to people when we travel!
What about full-time RVers in the US? Are they all tourists or travelers of their own country?
You can be a traveller by being a Roma or Irish traveller
I think my main issue with this travel vs tourism debate is that the whole argument centers around which type of performativity is better or worse. Travel/tourism has become performative. Personaly, I dont like to post to social media when I travel. I've done both travel and tourism, everything from spending a couple weeks with my family in a tiny village in india, to theme parks in Dubai. My parents engrained in us from a young age that you travel to learn, no matter where you are going or what you are doing. And by learn, I dont mean just the generic 'learn about other cultures'. I mean learn patience, to deal with the unexpected, and other soft and experiential skills like that. For example, in india I learned a bit about how my family lived before they immigrated. In dubai, I learned patience and resilience, not being able to get a taxi on new years eve and having to walk all the way back to the hotel at well after midnight. For me, that's the point of travel. Learn from the experiences as they come. I have a preference for the less touristy things particularly because, coming from Africa, I know how things are exoticised and made touristy. I also understand the horrific 'need' for that. So much of our local economy relies on tourism. But it's also sad to see deep heritage and culture reduced in this manner.
o.o
As an non-native english speaker I've always found it to be funny/interesting how people from USA seem to be so ashamed of using English abroad (at least the more aware ones). When I was travelling in S Korea I was happily using English with the locals and felt no shame about using it since English was foreign language to all the parties and I felt better about using a "neutral" language than try butchering Korean.
Personally, as a fellow ESL (English as a second language), I usually try to use small phrases such as "excuse me" or "hello" as a door opener, metaphorically, before switching back to English. It depends on how awkward it is going to be as well.
Bro I use english because the likelihood of the other person knowing some english is higher than for other languages besides their native one.
"Living like a local" can be incredibly harmful. I'm German, so my solid knowledge spans Germany and neighbouring countries, so with that focus here are some things that are harming local communities here and - in different and often much more severe ways - other communities around the globe:
The rise of AirBnB promised the "best of both worlds" aka living hotel-like but in local neighbourhoods. The AirBnB system started out as locals renting out a room or their flat to tourists to make a bit of cash while they themselves were on a trip, thus benefitting actual humans. Nowadays companies buy apartments in "authentic" neighbourhoods for a high price and filling them with luxuries. That drives up rent and housing prices for the whole area, cause why rent/sell to a family with €, if you could sell to a small company which offers €€€?
Many European countries have "tourism tax", that specifically targets the fact, that tourists come to the places and sleep there. This tax also goes to the town and is uses for town benefits. But AirBnBs don't have to pay that tax (at least they didn't have to pay in 2019, I hope this'll change soon) due to the official privat renting factor in their business plan. So there's no benefit for the community.
Those AirBnB tourists need food, so they go tho the nearest supermarket, corner store, gas station etc. to grab food or late night snacks. Owners pick up on that. Tourists are willing to pay more money for items because they have limited options and are often in a splurging mood since it's their hard earned getaway time. Prices of stores increase with more commercial AirBnBs around, raising the cost of living for locals to crucial levels. They move to cheaper neighbourhoods and yet another place gets commercialised.
Places like the canary islands also reported harsh conditions for local water supplies due to AirBnbs all having their own little pools instead of one big hotel pool many people share. There was a big news article a few years ago targeting these injustices.The owners payed a lot of money to ensure their apartments have enough water supplied to fill those pools, water the lawns etc, all while locals were advised to save water at all cost during the dry season (that gets drier every time).
And lastly, having a steady stream of tourists right next door can be disruptive and uncomfortable to deal with year round. "Getting the authentic video clip or photo" means sticking a camera into the faces of people who just want to live their live in peace, not with snooping foreigners shadowing their every move like a reality tv show crew.
This is not to shame people, don't get me wrong. But the key point to tourism/travel is doing research and using common sense the whole trip. Which is actually vey authentic in the "old fashion travel hardship" kinda way. Being sensible for your won impact while in the area should be a given. Don't get trapped in shady attractions (mostly to do with animals and picture taking). Don't feel bad for going to the big highlights of the places (they're often highlights for a reason). The things you find interesting are personal to you and comparing trips is only making your experience stressful. read up on stuff beforehand. Talk to people. Branch out on foot or with small day trips. Be spontaneous. All those things make traveling an adventure, not finding that "perfectly secret" spot at all costs.
Your point about the "authentic" photo often involves sticking cameras in locals faces without their consent reminded me of a postcard I got in Florence, Italy of two old men playing guitars in front of a local shop. I love it and its better than anything I could take and doesn't violate people's privacy. Postcards are also such an easy way to remember what happened on your trip even if you don't end up sending them to anyone. AND if you are lucky you might come across postcards that feature local artists and photographers which helps support those people too!
this is so true
i totally agree with you
This is happening in México too! Housing in centric areas is now impossible for a local to pay. Many "digital nomads" brag about how México City is so cheap and housing is so cheap because they earn in dollars and can afford a great quality of life, meanwhile, locals with a normal salary are being pushed to the outside of the city unable to afford something better because exactly "why rent a local if I can earn more $$$ renting to a foreigner". Some even have the audacity to tell people on their YT channel "if you want to live well in México, don't get a mexican job" OMG
Ahh the story about the woman commenting on Samoan lifestyle reminded me of something -- I went to visit family in the Balkans and I did a weeklong school program while I was there (for college credit lmao). I was the only American, but there were many Northern and Western Europeans. At some point, we went to a town that was a little more "midwesterny," not quite rural but in that direction. I recall some of the Europeans commenting on how quaint it was, how not-as-dangerous-as-they-expected it was, how pastoral it was, what a shame things were changing/industrializing, and wouldn't it be nice to preserve everything how it is so people could come see it. Someone even made a comment about paying "these countries" to keep some of their towns like this or even regress them back into "pastoral villages." I remember being surprised at how angry this made me, the assumption they had that these people's lives were sort of meant as a living museum for their viewing pleasure, that *they* can live in civilization but prevent others from living economically modern lives.
Anyway, that experience gave me even more perspective when traveling to other countries afterward.
I'm from the Balkans, and yes, the views you mentioned are very widespread in Western Europe.
Our peninsula is seen as very backwards and uncivilised, dangerous, or stuck in the past. The people that live in poverty in the mountain villages are glorified like they are the only authentic locals around. What's more, since these remote villages sometimes don't have running water or electricity, foreigners think that NONE of the cities have it either?
Personally, I find it very discouraging and disappointing because this part of the world has so much to offer to tourists if they just look.
the entitlement of these people making me mad too
We should absolutely preserve indigenous buildings and pre-modern villages. It is more than about being a spectacle, preserving history and valuing traditional building techniques is important. A lot of the time people abandoning their building styles isn't cause modern is better, they are being brainwashed to want what is advertised to them, seen on tv and in big cities. Replacing actually ingenious building techniques with a one-size-fits-all shitty cement home.
This attitude you have against wanting to preserve traditional lifesyles is misguided. I can guarantee you not only international travelers, but those families OWN children will want to see the way people in their culture used to live and build.
The only thing I have to add here is that modern isn't necessarily better. Modernity as we understand it was built on the exploitation of people in the global south by colonial powers. It's built on taking advantage of people. I think the priority should be to achieve sovereignty with and for the people in question, to give them the option to preserve tradition or change it and blend it as they wish. It's THEIR culture and their option of choice over it is taken away by colonial powers, and the problem with tourism is that it continues to exploit people.
I'm from the Balkan and LOL.
I never been more ready for a ‘tell me that you hate poor people without telling me you hate poor people”-trend. I’ll be researching some 1%-videos after this 😇
rich people dont have to love you. It isn't by force. ew
@@madamluis2537 I never talked about love.
@@madamluis2537 But they should respect you like any other person and allow you to live your life.
As someone who lives in Colombia I see this every time, my country i seen as a paradise for tourists because our currency is down to hell, meanwhile for us travelling to other countries can be really expensive (almost impossible, we have to save many years to be able to go to places like France or the US for a couple of weeks), tourism is shaped for people from first world countries. For example as you metioned in caribbean islands like San Andres things are super expensive, only luxury travel and tourism moves the island but people there live in horrible life conditions and the money that comes from that is barely seen. There is actually a law that forbids people that isn't from the island to buy property from there or I am guessing it would happen the same as it happens in Hawaii
Oh! The Mona Lisa in the Louvre is the perfect example of "get the pic and go". The room it's in is FULL of amazing artwork that we had such a good time looking at because nobody else was
That was my first time experience of the Louvre. I tried to look at as many paintings as possible and there weren't a lot of people around until I came to the Mona Lisa.
My mom and I travel together a lot and the greatest benefit I can see in "tourist" travel over living like a local is accessibility. My mom has disabilities/chronic illnesses and access to hotels that have western toilets, restaurants that meet dietary needs, and tours that don't require heavy hiking are ESSENTIAL to her enjoyment of an environment. I think valuing your needs over a country's more traditional standards is not always a bad thing either.
I understand why traveling "authentically" is appealing and on top of that, it's often perceived as sustainable, because it's not mass tourism. Not to say that mass tourism is great for the environment or anything, but actually, sometimes the "touristy" option is more sustainable. For example choosing a (best case: locally run) hotel can be better for the local economy than an airbnb, as people choose to rent their apartments to tourists rather than locals. Guided tours through nature are often guided for a reason - to destroy as little as possible as guides are usually educated.
If travel to most countries was authentic you'd have to lose your wallet or something.
The racism of thinking they don't have decent hotels in the middle of Africa
Racism or ignorance?
Ignorance informed by white supremacy is racism
so tempted to send this to the people in my life I call "competitive travelers" people who are aggressively hunting for their next ticket out, adventure seekers for the sake of being gone/busy. 100% believe it is based on some version of elitism.
Gatekeeping travel seems stupid to me, especially when travel is a primary source of income for many of the “exotic” places these supposed authentic travelers seem to enjoy. Also, I find it really funny how some people wish for an authentic travel but (although some do) don’t take the time or effort to learn about the place their visiting, even within our home countries. When travelling, I think it’s important to know you are a guest, accommodations are there for a reason, and respecting those boundaries are important and show respect towards the host countries.
Yes! Like, remember that this is a place where people are just living their normal lives, and give that precedence over whatever "experience" you are expecting.
Hearing you mention the differences in currency when talking about tourism really had me thinking. I’d love to hear you talk about the differences in the value of currency in the context of sustainable living (like people always telling others to stop buying this or that or giving alternatives and saying “it’s cheap. It’s only $20 or whatever). $20 equals hundreds of dollars to some of us. I don’t think others (Americans especially) really understand how fortunate they are in some situations to have their money be ‘worth more’. Some of us don’t have thrift stores in our countries or have access to higher quality clothes. Some of us don’t have access to ‘better’ food alternatives. And for those of us that might have access to these sustainable options, it costs an arm and a leg to get it because of the differences in the value of currency.
This! I’ve been living abroad too long and forgetting how far a dollar can go in a different country. Growing up in Bali I always think foreigners who visit us are bloody rich, but no it’s just that they have a different currency. Would love to see a video on this too!
Yes! I felt like it was near impossible to do anything in America simply because everything was mind boggling expensive in my currency. And on the other hand I've visited many countries with currencies which are less strong than mine. I think one of the most sobering videos I've viewed on this currency inequality is about the tourism industry surrounding Mount Everest - the local Nepalese get paid ten times less compared to their Western tour guide counterparts and they do majority of the skilled dangerous work. But they are willing as catering to tourists is the most profitable job they can get in their situation.
Are they really fortunate tho? Or did they just inherit all of the riches of colonization and neocolonialist exploitation. No doubt about it- they are still privileged. But I wouldnt necessarily say living that eay is fortunate. It only feels fortunate bc u dont see how ur lifestyle is powered by others suffering down the line but I guess thats life. Anyway, human extinction is on the way so I dont care. Hope Jeff Bezos and his offspring have fun in space. They can only do coke so long before they get bored and off themselves
I've sometimes wondered, if at some place they earn way less, but everything is also way cheaper, does this mean they have the same purchasing power as in richer countries?
@@gamermapper if you take a pack of cigarettes as an example. In France, it is around 10 euros with a minimum salary of 1200 euros. In a country like Bulgaria it must be like 3 euros with a minimum wage of about 300 euros... this is just an example. When I travel to poorer places (I am French but I live in Spain) and get to buy "cheap stuff" I think of the local minimum wage to see how cheap it feels (paying 3 euros for cigarettes when you only make 300 euros a month) and it usually doesn't feel that cheap. From what I have observed, a higher salary with a higher cost of living usually goes a longer way than the other way around^^
I'm from Finland and every travelling show I've seen of Finland underlines how crucial part of our culture it is to swim in iced lakes during winter (by making holes to them). I've dipped my toes once in an icy lake and that was it for me. None of my friends been swimming in icy lakes. Nor my parents/siblings/cousins. * shrug *
But I hope all the tourists fooled into it at least enjoy it. (I know there are people in Finland swimming during winter but I think it is a bit of a stretch to think most, or even half of us do.)
as an american - this made me laugh really hard. it is certainly quite the stretch to think that all people in finland genuinely enjoy swimming in freezing water. i mean seriously who would want that lol
Hence why I ignore travel shows.
This is such a Finnish trait though, to trick outsiders into doing something really wacky, and watch them writhe in pain while quietly standing by !
@@mhizzydr A lot of Finnish people do though. I wouldn't even though it's now a craze in the UK like partner dancing was in the 00's and singing in a choir in the 10's but like most crazes it's not going to last.
I've never done it either but tbh cold water swimming is a very Finnish thing, fairly unique in a global context making it interesting to foreigners and it's still pretty common here, especially among older folks. I never eat salmiakki either but it's still extremely finnish and something to try while here
Also, there is this weird phenomenom that has been going on in México for a while with the people who want the "genuine local experience" oftenly they end up hanging out with what i think of as their mexican counterparts, meaning privileged people who usually live in the nice historic (gentrified) neighbourhoods that the cool Airbnbs are at, who are probably very similar to them: academia educated people, english speakers, interested in similar things. Usually "whitexicans" who show them their genuine experience that is vastly different from 80% of the mexican population.
Or they try to go with the people of the 'pueblo' and to common places like mercados and plazas; they want to experience things genuine but in their own terms and oftenly want to find magic or art in normal people and things and end up in explotation or tokenism.
I work with garments and have seen lots of foreigners that come here and find traditional wear, textiles, patterns and techniques "so magical" and think we dont appreciate them enough, so they come back, start their "sustainable" labels that end up being just not that fair or simply exploitative and even ruining the hope people put on those labels and not really helping.
Wow, they are ridiculous and a bunch of intruders, I hate it.
I loved this video and feel like you did a really great job of rounding out this topic (it’s such a complex topic with many potential tangents).
I always stand by the notion that, the really touristy places must be touristy for a reason so of course, go see them! But then also try to go off the main road for a hot second, mingle with the locals, go to the grocery store etc. Often times you don’t have to go far to find an “adventure” abroad!
love your videos Hannah!!
Love your content Hannah!
As someone born and raised in a very touristy area, believe me when I say that we're just as exasperated by your presence whether you're "authentic" or "commercial". Being struck by a floodwave leaves little room or necessity for distinction.
Pretty much this. I live in Crete (which is the biggest island in Greece so we have it better when it comes to resources, but the Greek islands are typically very small and barren) water shortage can be a HUGE issue during the summer months in touristy areas because hotels are hogging most of it. Meanwhile the locals can't shower, flush the toilet, hell, sometimes even drink water during the "busiest" times of the day. When the locals have to wake up at the crack of dawn while most tourists are asleep just so they can do the laundry, bathe properly or idk, save some drinkable water for the day, I guarantee you they really couldn't care less whether you think you are travelling "authentically" or "commercially"- the result of your stay is the exact same.
And that's not even getting into how the ecosystems or culture are affected by tourism. I like to wear recreations of Minoan jewelry and while foreigners always respond enthusiastically to it, the response I often get from fellow Greeks? "Why do you wear that touristy crap?" We are so used to commercializing our own culture that so many of us only ever recognize it as a product to be sold to tourists. That's an issue in Greece in general but I find it's especially felt in the islands.
I work in tourism during the summer (shocker, you don't have much of a choice when you live in the isles if you actually want to make enough money to start saving) and I've also noticed that making an effort to "look" more Greek- that is, performing the image tourists have of Greek people- tips way better. So I'm stuck between "am I really okay with spending a big chunk of my year treating myself like I'm an "experience" for tourists" and "but I could really use the money though :(".
(To clarify, in no way do I think any of this is a problem unique to Greece. This is more of a "country with a high influx of tourists where big part of the appeal is the culture" problem).
I think big part of the problem is that people who don't live as locals in touristy areas can't even begin to think of these things unless they are pointed out. The image of a place manufactured specifically for tourists is too different from the living reality of locals- and the most insidious part of the industry is that as locals it's in our best monetary interest to shut up and keep it as idyllic-seeming as possible.
Stop it, that is not true. The actual people working on the industry need tourists.
@@ericktellez7632 The fact that something results in job opportunities for a subset of a population does not mean that it's a net positive when looking at it from all available viewpoints. If jobs and GDP was the main focus, sweat shops should be preserved. Toxic spills keep ecotoxicologists in work and shouldn't be stopped. Coal mines in the U.S. should be kept open. Et cetera.
I know people who work in the tourist industry, and believe me when I say that I would rather they didn't have to change careers. But there are other considerations. Tourism exists on a spectrum from light to heavy. Light to moderate tourism generally has a light to moderate negative ecological and cultural impact. But living somewhere with heavy tourism can have significant negative effects both on the environment and on the well-being of the residents. I'm sure you can imagine that it takes its toll on you when you literally feel like your home is a theme park set up for the enjoyment of visitors. Or when your garden dies for lack of watering and you have to skip showering because the population doubling for 2 months of the year has left the ground water levels dangerously low.
@@ericktellez7632 Well, as a person actually working in the industry- they are absolutely right. This issue needs to be discussed with so much more nuance than “tourists are good for business therefore they are good”. There are so many things I’m struggling to reconcile in this job- the negative consequences of tourism with the positive ones, the guilt of acknowledging in what ways the industry exploits me and harms my home yet still profiting off of it- all while simultaneously knowing that I can’t reasonably leave the industry if I want to make a living because it’s the one job that’s in high demand and consistently pays well because the market over here is otherwise over-saturated and there are hardly any good job opportunities for young people. This has never been as simple as “I work in tourism so keep the tourists coming”.
@@chiefpurrfect8389
I am
Not talking about you rich people, i am talking about the families that work on the beach renting the chairs or tables, that have to walk up and down selling gifts and bracelets or the people who set up a tent to sell their coco water. Not you educated with the degree BS. They need the tourists.
I grew up in Hawaii and every time I mention where I'm from either during college and afterwards, at work, everyone would always mention "I always wanted to go there" or "I went there when I was [x] years old." It's a great convo starter and I do like that I always have something to talk about with almost anyone I meet, so there is a plus. And I like to think we are pretty good at herding our tourist to their tourist spots like Waikiki.
For one particular example of an "authentic" spot getting ruined for me personally: I get sad seeing the wait times at Kahuku shrimp. Growing up, Kahuku shrimp was an hour wait for some REALLY good garlic shrimp, but now when I go home the wait can be 3-4 hours because it blew up on the Internet as the place that locals go for shrimp. And similar things happen to hiking trails I like that weren't popular as a kid when I would hike them with my dad and now, are full of tourists who want to catch the hikes that locals go on.
Also, really happy at the acknowledgement of the difference between locals and indigenous people. The number of times people asked my if I'm Hawaiian or if I speak Hawaiian kinda makes me feel awkward, cause, no. I'm local. But I'm not Hawaiian. If you ask me if I am "culturally Hawaiian." haha, no. I'm a local. I am not Hawaiian. I danced hula for 10 year and I know how to count to 10 in Hawaiian, but there is a huge difference between my identity and how I view those who are the real Hawaiians.
Y'all should do like some (a lot) people do in Brasil... charge double/triple from inconvenient tourists.
Hello Tiffany! So I'm from Portugal - developed country, member of EU - but considered to be poor compared with the rest of Europe. And as much as turism was crucial for us when we were recovering from the 2011 economic crises, now we are being hit by it's consequences. Especially real state prices, portuguese people just can't afford a house or an apartment in historical centers anymore. There are cases that people that've lived their whole lives in these old buildings are kicked out so (foreign) investors can turn these people's houses into hotels/hostels/airbnbs. Also students can't afford living in these cities anymore. In most cases, renting a room in a shared house is more expensive than the monthly student fee.
Also, the jobs that turism creates are more like restaurants and hotels and stuff and in these sectors the majority of employees are imigrants and young people that are overworked and underpayed so.... turism can be great but there's need to be regulation or else things will just get out of control.
I am from Croatia. It also fits the description "developed country, member of EU - but considered to be poor compared with the rest of Europe." and we have similar problems. Also, bc we have beautiful coast a lot of Croatians are going there for summer vacation, but in the last 10ish years, every year the prices go up and the quality stays the same, or even is going down because no one is investing in the housing, food, etc. Now, a lot of people can't afford to visit the coast even if it is 3 hour drive, and only do day trips. I worked in family resorts during summer in Kids Clubs and it is so sad to work 60+ hours a month to receive amount of money that average family spends in a day, maybe two if they are on a budget. I earned 600 euros a month and high end is around 1000 euros. I love to travel and Croatian tourism is so expensive. It is absurd to me that now, with higher than average Croatian salary, I still can't visit some of the cities and islands in my own country bc even the cheapest hostel is way to expensive... And people are not stupid, tourists see how expensive things are getting and they are seeking for more realistic prices. Our economy depends on tourism and Government is too corrupt to fix the issues...
Hi neighbor! Totally agree, we're having exactly the same issues in Catalonia as well. Living in a touristic area for us means expensive housing and exploitative jobs. And now, even the more rural areas are being gentrified by the city people...
I live in Alaska where local people can’t even afford to do “authentic Alaskan” attractions. Dog sledding is around $350 per person. Many local people who dog sled do it for their livelihood, competition or tourism. People aren’t just up here mushing all winter. Tourist overwhelm the peninsula and charter boats to catch as many fish as possible. Sometimes I wonder if all the fish the Catch even get eaten. Over fishing is a big problem here but also big bucks in the tourist industry. 🤷♀️ It always makes me scratch my head when people say they want an Alaskan experience, because usually they mean I want to rough it in the woods for a week see moose, fight a grizzly bear, catch salmon with my bare hands and climb Denali 🤣
I bet most people who live in Alaska would have had some experience of dog sledding even if they don't do it for a living.
Lately I've had this kind of dumb fascination with the idea of going to places that aren't really tourist destinations but do have some form of tourism and going and doing their touristy things. This comes from the fact that my city, Memphis, is definitely not a widely considered destination, people don't dream about coming here or go out of their way to come here like with other well known American cities like New Orleans, New York, LA, San Diego, etc... but we DO have tourism, just the tourists that come here do so because our attractions are relevant to specific interests (Black history, barbeque, music, Elvis, the 10th largest pyramid in the world that happened to get turned into a giant weird Bass Pro Shop) which is cool, and it's always super funny to me as a local when someone visiting wants me to take them to the tourist stuff, it becomes novel and fun for me too since I rarely go to those areas and do those activities. So I like the idea of going to other places that don't have broad tourist appeal and are mostly just "normal" places like here but still have some niche tourism and seeing what that is and learning about more specific things about a place's culture or history. I also think this tends to be the sort of "healthier" tourism... where what amount of tourism we get is definitely helpful for our local economy but it also doesn't like "get in the way of" daily life for locals. I can't imagine living somewhere with HUGE tourist appeal and having to contend with that all the time.
Yes I have this same idea knocking around in my head! I live in a city that also isn't a "destination" but people come for certain activities or stop when driving through and most of my family is from similar types of places. A lot of the "touristy" things are pretty much our regular weekend activities and it's fun to show people around if they visit. I have family in Cleveland and have always had awesome trips visiting and when I tell people about how much fun Cleveland is they're super skeptical! But honestly there's fun things to do anywhere you go so why not take a trip to somewhere you wouldn't put first on your list of places to go? You might have a better trip visiting Omaha than you would have in New York and you'll probably be able to spend a little more on dessert at the end of the trip lol
the bass pro shop pyramid is legendary
@@coscorrodrift she is, truly a legend and an icon
Reading this put a smile on my face! I’m gonna have to visit some touristy places in my city sometime soon! :D
the wanting service in english thing drives me nuts. my family went to spain a few years ago, and no matter how nervous and confused people looked my dad insisted on speaking with them in english as if they spoke it well. my spanish isn’t very good, but i speak portuguese só i can get by, so i took over for the rest of the trip but even knowing everyone preferred to talk to me he!! kept!! trying!! english!!
Urgh, I need to have a mini rant here.
While on holiday in Menorca we sat next to a woman who was loudly complaining about how package holiday goers were ruining her experience of Menorca. How it used to be "authentic" and now it was "full of British people".
The rub? She herself was a British upper-middle-class woman on holiday 😂 (who went EVERY year).
I understand that tourism can seriously affect a place economically, environmentally and culturally (I grew up in a tourist town). But really? A British tourist is annoyed about all the British tourists 😂. Maybe stop going yourself then.
But we all know her argument doesn't apply to herself, does it. What she really meant was: "All these working-class British people are ruining my upper-middle-class idea of what I think Menorca should be like"
Sure, but to be honest "British package holiday goers" and "working-class British tourists" are not necessarily the same. And the first ones tend to ruin any place they go to.
@@mrmBcn Right, I agree that British tourists can be an absolute nightmare (especially if drinking is involved). But this specific situation wasn't really like that.
Menorca is quite a quiet and laid back island (compared to the other balearic islands). Lots of celebrities own property or regularly visit. I guess it's viewed as a "luxury getaway" type of place. It's just a certain image people have.
On the other side of things, there are places built specifically for package holiday goers (mostly tailored to young families) that are more affordable to stay at. Naturally, there is a class divide.
Tbh most of the package holiday people were young families minding their own business and enjoying the touristy stuff like everyone else. No one was being obnoxious or anything. Honesty the only difference between her and them was that they were wearing wristbands, so she could easily spot them. She was just complaining that they were there at all.
Tourist infighting often happens 😂 like immigrant infighting
Just commented about Mallorca in this, Barcelona is plagued with these people as well
Great video! Two other aspects of "authentic travel" vs. tourism: ageism and ableism. By the time some people can actually manage to begin travelling, they may not be able to forego a comfortable bed and food that meets their dietary needs, or may have to deal with mobility challenges like cobblestone roads or stairs when they're in a wheelchair. Taking a cruise may not be "authentic," but for people who love travel but are older and/or physically limited, it's a somewhat more affordable option that allows them to visit places of their dreams.
Agreed! I'm relatively young, but I'm autistic, alone, and physically limited and honestly, a guided travel tour or even just a flight + transfer + hotel with food provided takes a lot of the mental (and physical) load off my plate. Is it touristy? Of course it is! Is it convenient? Hell yes.
I grew up in las vegas and people have very set stereotypes about the place. I've been asked "there are schools in vegas?" and had people joke that I must drink and gamble well even though those things are only for the tourists. People are surprised that people live in las vegas at all because it's thought of more like adult disneyland. Unlike other places people are unaware that locals exist at all and as a local I think tourists staying in the tourist spots set up for them is preferable. Those trying to "live like the locals" likely will get in the way of actual locals trying to live their everyday life.
i had something similar with amsterdam. i lived in america for 5 years but would come back for the summer and before i left it’d always be “ohh smoke a blunt for me” even though that’s more of a tourist attraction
i used to live there and people act like i was living it up on the strip. when i told them that i was actually really poor and couldn’t really afford to do that stuff, they still try to make it seem glamorous
Of course there are schools in Las Vegas. It's where people in the tourism industry send their children and those people also go shopping and see doctors so the retail staff and doctors would need schools to send their children to as well.
@@goeatsanta5600 Don't you go and see a show every now and then?
Yup. I taught there for six years and tourists used to ask which casino I lived in 🙄.
this reminds me of that article about "beg-packers" in Thailand and other Asian countries, white "travellers" begging locals for travel funds on the street. it's a super privileged way to view travel as something other people should pay for you to do, and fuels the idea of asian exoticism, treating Asia like some kind of land of spiritual awakening.
People do that?! Ew!
I hate travellers who beg for discounts or haggling far below what constitutes as ethical. I will always remember and mention where I can, the guy who travel on RUclips, he’s pretty popular now. But his videos used to be very offensive and low quality. He haggled in Hong Kong’s fake market and thought it was okay because locals do it, and they were fake so whatever who cares right? No. You’re already getting a deal. Yes, maybe some of them hike their prices up because they see you’re a foreigner and that’s tacky. But Theres a reason why they do it! No one was doing it in this video. And they were far lower than what even locals might spend and what he would’ve bought in the US. Was weird.
And sometimes when I see people who can clearly afford to pay more for a service that is cheaper in another country. But it’s cheaper because they have to compete with every single person. And then they complain that locals beg from them! A lot the time it is NOT cheaper because of that country’s currency, economy and cost of living.
I hate hate hate this. I've seen a few in the Philippines too. Rich white hippies backpacking through my country depending on the "kindness of the locals" instead of spending their own money to support the local economy. Meanwhile millions of actual locals can barely affort 2 full meals a day.
I REALLY HATE those people.. Yes, while us Asians have to prove by bank statements, tax returns so that we can have a visa. And then there's them '' begging for travel''. 🤬
I see them a lot too....sometimes foreigners can be disruptive and disrespectful so the govt decide to deport them.
There was a drama in Thailand about one group of "content makers" (can't remember if it's RUclips or Facebook) making videos about travelling from Bangkok to the destination in the lower North relying only on "the kindness of the locals" including hiking and semi-forcing the driver to buy food for them. The thing is these people are not white "farang" tourists at all. They are Thai themselves who tried to exploit Thai "kindness". If I recall correctly, that didn't end well in terms of reputations.
This video is really interesting to me. I am latina from a small ''city'' and I have never traveled to other regions in my country nor abroad. This video made me realize how many beliefs I had interiorized about traveling, many of those beliefs come from first world vloggers, your video made me actually deconstruct those beliefs. If I hadn't watched this, maybe my first travel could not meet my unrealistic expectations.
Your videos are amazing Tiffany
I lived in NYC for about a decade, and what people think about an "authentic" NY experience is wild. I think generally, people's lives are much less interesting than any vacation would be. You want MY authentic NY experience? Stay in an apartment with steam heat that makes your room 90° in the winter, take the subway wherever you go, and avoid midtown like the plague. That's not what you're actually going to do if you're visiting the city, you'll probably do the opposite. You go somewhere to have an extraordinary experience, not someone's mundane actual life.
I so relate! When people say “I could never live in NYC and visiting it” they mean they visited the cesspool that is Time Square. Authentic NYC living comes in a lot of forms (uni, family, single life) but getting lost in a grid system trying to get from M&M World to Madame Tussaud’s isn’t it.
"Travail" doesn't mean "trouble", it is the french word for "work", which came from the latin (some thousand and a few years ago) word "trepallium", meaning... "torture". And the english verb "to travel" means "go on a difficult journey". For you to know ^^.
true! I pronounced travail the french way but I think Boorstin was referring to the english version of the word "travail" which is "painful or laborious effort." the latin root meaning torture is fascinating, gotta love linguistics!!
je ne veux pas travailler
My Sociology professor was very intense when we discussed the origin of the word 'work', "trabalho" in portuguese
As someone who has focused more than a decade of life around travelling, I've realized everyone travels for different reasons. I enjoy a mix of experiences. I've done the tour group, the homestay, and the random mountain shrine that many locals don't know about. It all holds value if that's the experience you're looking for. I feel the key is to be respectful. It's being disrespectful to the local people, customs/rules, or environment that turns you into "that tourist" - not the simple act of going to tourist spots.
As someone from a touristic town one of the things I hate the most is how the whole town has changed opening too many night clubs because that's what tourist "want" thus attracting alcohol tourism and the type of people that travel for party are usually animals that just destroy everything around them and disrespect locals because they think the whole town is set only for them :/
Same with the hen and stag weekends that you used to see nearly every weekend before the Covid pandemic. It made me wonder if some of them were only get married so they could have the hen and stag parties, weekends away and weeks away. I can't see that many people getting married in February but I saw the hen and stag parties even then as they start early with them. We once went on a group cycle ride from Port Talbot to Pontypridd which involved getting a train to Port Talbot and they were even there at the station getting a train to Cardiff. Once I went to the Gower on a Saturday morning to the Heritage Centre there and a hen party was there.
I have a Masters in Sustainable Tourism Destinations and Regional Tourism Planning, and I gotta say you did a great job on this, Tiffany! For anyone interested in the topic, I highly recommend the book “Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism” by Elizabeth Becker.
Additionally, I would love to see you do a video on the negatives of Voluntourism. For example, someone may pay $2000 to volunteer in an orphanage in a different country for a week “to make a difference and grow themselves”, but not realize that the money they pay to do so has supported child trafficking and that they can cause abandonment issues in the children they “help”. A good starting point on the topic is the book “Little Princes” by Conor Grennan.
RE: Little Princes - the reviews compare it to Three Cups of Tea, that scared me. Three Cups of Tea was written by a person who did not love or respect the culture of locals he tried to "help", it's full of misinformation and sense of superiority. Do you believe Little Princes was written in good faith?
Sometimes also that "authentical" experience has a lot to do with who you know or meet in your trips. If you are a local in your city maybe you are not familiar with the "immigrant circle" places that are popular.
The past few years there has been a lot of immigration in my city and their authentic experience is VERY different from mine. I have met a lot of Venezuelan people and they have showed me a different city, a different experience, authentic for them, and me and my friends have showed them our authentic experiencie. It is beautiful.
I live in Japan, and domestic travel is really interesting to me. It's really common to see whole days planned out in travel guides (aimed at various demographics, like a cafe tour for young women or onsen your for olds). Train+hotel sets with a discount are common, plus seasonal itineraries or discounts for popular areas (like a fall colors tour). I can also get flight+hotel bundles through my job's health insurance provider.
On a local level, going to "hidden gems" is popular, but these are really just places you hear about from others and not your own finds. There are soooooo many tv shows of celebs or hosts going to restaurants and introducing specific dishes. Or going to a region and eating their famous dish! Food on tv 24/7, no joke.
There are local dishes/foods that cities/states/regions are known for and ppl sometimes go to a specific city just to eat/buy certain things. It's a huge drive of tourism, plus souvenirs are culturally a big deal. Makes it easy to hand someone a cookie from a famous place and brag about your trip lol
I always roll my eyes when people ask what to wear to avoid looking like a tourist or not wanting to go to tourist spots. I love being a tourist.
I always found this funny - when my mom worked in a fancy hotel she said you’d always need to note where the customer is coming from because the british always expected there to be a kettle in their room and the americans always expected a hair dryer and for the air-conditioning to be making the room really cold
I think there is a truth behind going for "authentic" experiences to escape the capitalist commodification common in "tourist" experiences, but what many seeking the former fail to realize is that "authentic" experiences are just as capitalized upon nowadays as "tourist" ones are.
The epic poem "Omeros" by Saint Lucian author Derek Walcott describes the push and pull of tourism and native culture in the Caribbean. It's a great read!
Thank you!
This reminds me a lot of a class I took in college when I had an International Studies minor before I changed it. I went to a Christian university and the minor (and major) was mainly focused around Christian missions. The class itself focused a lot on ethical missions and what it means to ACTUALLY help a community verses hurting them with misguided efforts to help. So much of it focused on empowering communities to build their own sustainable economy that would not rely on foreigners to be successful, as well as allowing the local church to reflect the culture we came into, instead of pushing a Western idea of the Church onto them. It was really a fascinating subject, and if you’re interested, I suggest the book When Helping Hurts. It’s written from a Christian perspective but you may still find some value in it!
That's really great that there's Christian churches today that respect international communities! ☺️ ⛪ ✝️
Thank you, this is really interesting and honest point of view
As someone from a fairly tourism-dependent "developing nation", basically living like the locals here just means waking up, suffering through traffic, going to work, maybe eating out or something, then going home. Even within the indigineous population, it's not like there's some kind of eat, pray, love spritual and cultural event happening everyday. They happen, but only on certain occasions. Those experiences for tourists are fabricated as hell and are therefore not authentic anyway.
That said, I don't mind tourists/travellers as long as they spend their own money and are not rude or disrespectful. Let them take pictures and try to choke down some balut and wear indigienous outfits for rent as long as they're not dicks about it.
You’re killing it with the covered topics lately!
i get this heavily. Im nigerian yoruba (one of the over 300 tribes in nigeria) and if I went to nigeria for a wedding of a family member it might be very different to another tribal groups cultural wedding practice there is way to much variation in the lives of so many places to have just one experience be authentic.
Also gentrification! Due to "I want to live like the locals!" Barcelona city had to regulate the amount of Airbnb the city can offer because rents became unbeareble and hotels are "too turisty"
wow as a jamaican travel blogger, this video was one of my favourites that you've ever made *chef's kiss*...we NEED a part two. this could honestly be an entire series.
I went on a somewhat nightmarish tour of Europe as a teen with my mom, horrible accommodations, taken to places where our tour guide (who was an awful human being who seemed to have an abnormal fascination with talking to us for hours while on a hot bus between countries at length about every countries' historical fascists, their history and the atrocities committed in a way that almost sounded like he was hyping them up-fun!) was given kickbacks and we were treated poorly and received horrible food at all of them (no, I don't think Europe has bad food-we were just taken to bad places, we found some truly excellent food when we were able to break away from the tour).
When we got to Paris and had the opportunity to do non-tour related activities on our own I chose sleeping in, shopping on the champs Elysees, and MacDonalds over seeing Versailles and the Louvre (which would involve waking up at 5AM, no room in the schedule to shop, etc.) I felt like a total ugly American in the situation but have zero regrets about it-I was so thankful for the familiarity of creature comforts from home at that point and chose that over "cultural experiences" even though I haven't eaten McDonalds in over 15 years, it was the best MacDonalds I'd ever had. I was never more happy to have it.
I just stared a master in Cancún. I’m from the Dominican Republic, and my master is Tourism and hotel management (to be honest I just decided to take this master as a “”green cart””” or a insurance for a safe and stable future in my home country or even in other nations. My dad is a hotel general manager btw) but back to the topic. I’m SO interested in this topic just because as a Dominican and someone who has experimenting being a tourist, being a local while my family is part of the tourism industry and being a “local” like in other countries. I would die to have a conversation with you about this topic 😫
I have experienced "authentic travel" a lot with my parents in the early 90s. To me, if you really wanted to do this, it would not be a vacation, but at least a working vacation. Get a cheap apartment, find a job, take on the local gender roles, clothing and activities, learn the language, volunteer, hang out only with the locals. I don't know if that still counts as travelling, or temporarily immigrating.
But just going somewhere fun and looking at what the city wants to show you is fine too. Or making international friends, staying with them and helping them around the house when you aren't sightseeing and doing their leasure activities with them.
But if you do "authentic travel" you will start to realise, there is very little "exotic" in the world. We all cook with water. Do laundry. Pay bills. Hang out outdoors. Eat snacks...
I really love the understanding that "there is very little "exotic" in the world", as you said, and I wish it was spoken about more. I find it very hard to remember, when I see how differently people live all over the world. But when you do come to grips with it, there's actually something quite comforting about having so many things in common with so many people we don't know.
Anyway thanks for the comment (a year later lol) :)
seriously, my best memories of my trip to paris almost 10 years ago with my ex are us listening to nicki minaj in our teeny tiny cheap hotel room while I got ready every day and the view of the city through the small bathroom window.
visiting those tourist spots, moving through the city or going out to eat was so much stress and anxiety for me. we ended up buying groceries (food, wine) at local stores and just preparing and consuming them in our room. (it was horrible cold for april at that time)
Omg yes, I took an Anthropology of tourism in college and it was one of the best classes Ive ever took
What was your degree in?
I'm interested in more videos about this. A lot of people refuse to accept how harmful travel and tourism is because they want to do it without guilt.
I live in a tourist area in Canada, which isn't the same as impoverished areas. But we also have severe housing crises across the country. A lot of rental housing is lost to airbnb. It would be interesting for you to cover as well. It's a global issue. Or even the loss of democracy and socialism in western countries.
Studying Abroad is a weird mid ground, where you're not a tourist but you're not a permanent resident. There's a dynamic between the student and the host country that's complex. I was pretty poor when I studied abroad so I didn't do much outside of trying to find the cheapest food, but some of my fellow students were basically long term tourist.
One of the first tourists' "hot spot" was Venice, and in time it only became more and more popular. Now because of the enormous cruises coming closer and closer to the city, the huge number of daily visitors and climate change the city is slowly dying. I'm not kidding when i say i cannot even recognize what is 'real' here and what is 'fake' or a tourist trap. People can get pretentious too if the city didn't meet their expectations. I'm currently studying here in Venice (university) and following a class on the dangers of making a city 'an open city' with the example of Venice (when a city loses its personality and its idea of citizenship because it's accessible to all) and this video was ver insightful and amazingly written. : )
Okay, this topic has been on my mind in the past, and what I personally think is important to add is that you are comparing the "accessible tourism" with this concept of a sort of "elitist authenticity". And while the history you talk about here makes so much sense, when I look at people I know who engage in what you would describe as tourism - cruises, pre-planned trips, resorts - they seem to do so often more than once a year and have a budget that I will likely not have available to me in any forseeable future. My own travel on the other hand is mostly for work or visiting friends/family and thus maybe resembles much more this cliché idea of an "authentic" experience of the place I'm traveling to.
I appreciate the theoretical look at the concepts of what we expect of and associate with different kinds of travel and this isn't supposed to be some ethical judgment one way or the other - but I think there's also a picture to consider in which these tourists we're talking about are a massively privilged few, not just globally speaking, but also within their own societies.
Very true!!
Great video, really a thought provoking topic!
I also found myself comparing the two types of travellers (checklist vs relaxed). Coming from the Balkans, it was almost like a luxury to travel to West European countries such as France, Spain, Germany... So on the rare family trips we took to such destinations, we were doing crazy "checklist" sightseeing. Since we were economically not in the same position as the countries we were visiting, we had to make the most out of our days there. For example:
- Taking low cost flights with no guaranteed luggage or even punctuality, in airports not in the cities we were staying in, but in smaller towns 2 hours away
- In the city: walking everywhere - to get to places as well to see as much as we can; being so tired in the evening we had to take painkillers so our legs would stop hurting
- Missing out on all the amazing local food we could've tried, because visiting a museum is higher priority - so we ended up mostly eating sandwiches, supermarket food
- Overbooked days with no times to rest at home or outside, rigorous plan with no flexibility to explore things as they come up - which made the trips have this "forced" quality
There are many more examples, but the point is, I realize since I am financially in a higher position than then, and my mentality has really changed. Nowadays while travelling with my friends od my husband, I just list a few key things I would like to see and plan a route around that, but take my time to enjoy the sights, the streets or to allow myself to sit down, to go a different path...
Eating at local restaurants, as well as international cuisine restaurants (Chinese and Japanese restaurants abroad are incredible!), made a HUGE difference, when comparing our family trip to Paris to mine and my husband's trip to the same place. I was so sad that we had to sacrifice that part of experiencing a new culture because of my family's economic status and because we had to prioritize "seeing what we came for".
Sorry for the long comment, your video inspired me to think about my own perspective!
I think the best way the ‘travel authentically’ is to just be respectful and friendly, get to know the people who live there and talk to them about life. That means listening to what they have to say about THEIR country.
You pick the best topics Tiffany. Things I always thought about but never realized I thought about and wanted to expand on more. Thank you so much for these in depth videos!!
Americans and Europeans arriving at my country (🇧🇷) and realizing we don’t spend the whole day playing soccer, dancing samba and petting our monkeys: 👁👄👁
One thing needs to be said, we also have stereotypical visions from other countries of the world and we know not every American (or usonian) or European will act like this.
So fun to see someone use the word Usonian, I really wish it would become a more standard word instead of American! I hadn’t seen anyone use it in a comment until now, but maybe I’m not looking hard enough :’)
@@lilliepaddle well, is new for me too. I’m still adapting, but as a person from another country in the Americas, I like it better
A lot of people living in the favelas do spend their time playing soccer or dancing samba when not at school or at work. If you belong to a samba school you start rehearsing dances and preparing for the next carnival as soon as the previous carnival is over. Costumes have to be designed and made.
In 2015 I camped out at Stonehenge for the Summer solstice. It's a spiritual place, and I was awed by the stones. We stayed up all night. There were people doing contact juggling, playing guitar, I did tai chi. An as the sun rose, the sky became orange and pink. just enough cloud to reflect the light and make it beautiful.
And I couldn't enjoy it because there were a thousand selfie sticks raised in the air, obscuring the view.
Wow that actually sounds very lovely, selfie-sticks and all
@@emilyb3875 I didn't smoke weed at the time but wish I did, I've never been around so many drugs lol but I didn't feel like I was missing out for it, the atmos, the vibe... I recommend it to anyone of a mind, it was pretty awesome. In the morning I heard someone playing the most beautiful guitar, he finished and the crowd around him clapped, and he said "you should hear me when I'm not fucked on speed" it was a hell of an experience, :)
PLEASE cover more of this! i love this topic and i feel like we can bring more awareness to travelling obliviously and projecting standards onto a place through media, thanks fergie 💖
Tiffany, this was a great overview of the tourism industry. I'm into my third year of studying Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management (PTRM) at university; the suggestion of referring back to locals--more specifically the indigenous locals--is spot on when trying to combat the potential "evils" of tourism.
Another important factor in creating sustainable tourism (sustainable tourism in this context means sustaining tourism itself and is commonly paired with the three pillars of tourism [economic, social, environmental]) is planning. New tourism commonly occurs in areas that are on the "unbeaten path" (thanks to elitists who want to explore the "exotic" away from those tourists) and therefore don't have the infrastructure to support it in the first place, as well as the inability to obtain baseline measurements on the three pillars to measure the impact tourism has on it. Tourism often grows mind-boggling fast, leaving little room for well thought out planning/management strategies that help control the negative impacts of tourism. This means most management strategies are treating the symptoms and not the cause. Planning is a key factor, but it has to be done right.
In my opinion, providing and guiding the locals/indigenous people who--keyword here--WANT tourism in their community with management plans, ultimately leaving the decisions up to them, is one good way to make tourism less destructive economically, socially, and environmentally.
Tourism is such a big topic and has so much nuance that it is something I could talk about forever. Just looking at the sustainability of tourism (waste, carbon footprints, environmental degradation) could be an hours long video in itself.