I recently spent five weeks as a traveler and volunteer in the Dominican Republic and since then I have vowed to never be a tourist again.
But what exactly is the difference between a traveler and a tourist? A traveler and a tourist are differentiated by the experiences that they have. My volunteer project leaders defined a tourist as someone who goes to a foreign country to be entertained by images and experiences created especially for a tourist market. However, a traveler visits to learn and experience the culture and environments within the host country.
We each make our own decisions when we travel. We decide what souvenirs to buy, what food to eat, and how to travel. For example, our travel group chose not to buy souvenirs made from coral in the Dominican Republic because it is an endangered organism.
Tourism has positive and negative social and environmental effects on every country. Examples of positive tourism include generating revenue, creating jobs, and a spread of knowledge about languages and cultures.
On the other side though, negative tourism includes carbon footprints, lack of education amongst the locals, and the increase of irresponsible waste and consumption of resources and energy.
Every person who visits another country leaves an impact -- we simply choose whether to impact it in a positive or negative way.
I saw how I affected the Dominican Republic through the choices I made during my five week stay. By "taking only pictures, leaving only footprints and wasting only time" I learned to be a traveler.
To read more about tourism's effect on the environment, read Theodore Koumelis' article in Travel Daily News.
Sources:
www.isvoline.com
www.traveldailynews.com
I believe myself to be both a traveler and a tourist. I am a traveler because I try to embrace the culture of the country and the people but i am also still a tourist because i have to learn about the culture before it is possible to embrace it fully.
ReplyDeleteWay to make it clear. It is pretty simple to be a positive tourist. As a journalist I would like to know where the red quote came from;)
ReplyDeleteKeep me updated when you post new stuff!
Brittany: I never thought about it like that. Thanks for giving me a new perspective.
ReplyDeleteElaine: Oh, well I have the link to the website under my sources. I heard it from a great program called International Student Volunteers (ISV)--maybe you've heard of it? ;)
I prefer the experience of a traveler, but I still think there is importance in being a 'tourist'. For example if you went to Paris, would you not go to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre for the sake of avoiding the title of a cliche vacationer? The places we think of as 'touristy' are that way for a reason. They have a history and an importance with the country, and everyone should have the opportunity to experience them. It is important to see significant parts of a place, regardless of their popularity.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, as a traveler, I do prefer experiencing these places in the most authentic way possible. This summer, I visited the Great Wall on two separate occasions. My first experience was on an 8-mile hike along the Jinshanling to Simatai ruins pass. Besides seeing 3 foreigners, the only other people I encountered on the 5-hour trek were local Mongolian farmers selling cheap bottles of water. My second trip was on a tour, where we visited the 'touristy' part of the Great Wall, called Badaling. There were thousands of people wandering off of charter buses, most of them being retired Europeans with fanny packs and oversized cameras. At that point, I became thankful to experience a landmark in its unspoiled state.
I agree completely Megan. When I was referring to tourists I was really directing my comments towards people who simply do not see the country they're in--whether that be because they do not leave their resort or only eat McDonald's during their stay.
ReplyDeleteI would consider seeing the famous and historical sights learning about the culture of that foreign country. It is a part of the attraction to the foreign country.
Thanks for your input!