What is ‘mass tourism’? And what’s the problem?
What is ‘mass tourism’? How do we think about it and talk about it? Do we consider all of its contexts, costs, and benefits?
Does mass tourism contribute to good lives? Or do ‘the masses’ only represent threat?
Does leisure travel for the many have its place in a ‘green’ future for us all? Or will it remain the privilege of a few?
Vilhelmiina Vainikka shared this “Good Tourism” Insight at the invitation of Tourism’s Horizon: Travel for the Millions, a “GT” Partner. (You too can write a “GT” Insight.)
Table of contents
- What is ‘mass tourism’?
- Quantitative vs qualitative definitions
- Contexts for mass tourism: The ‘good life’
- Is mass tourism a singularity or a plurality?
- Are the masses a threat?
- Let’s talk about mass tourism … deterministically or flexibly?
- Mass tourism vs the green transition
- Mass mobilities
- What do you think?
- About the author
- Featured image (top of post)
What is ‘mass tourism’?
Why would anyone ask such a question? Isn’t the answer obvious?
Presumably everyone using the term — in industry, academia, and in general — has some idea of what mass tourism might be. After all, it’s likely we have been tourists ourselves, many of us live in places that attract tourists, and many work in tourism.
Mass tourism is integral to our culture. But, as Raymond Williams argued in relation to the term ’culture’ itself, its ubiquity masks a range of contested understandings.
Don’t miss other “GT” posts tagged ‘Carrying capacity, mass tourism, & overtourism’
Researchers of tourism have probably had to define mass tourism in their publications. Tourism students have probably had to learn one or more definitions. We can say that most people — academics too, despite claimed expertise and authority — hold socially-constructed views of mass tourism.
There are many different definitions of and perspectives on mass tourism. My own doctoral research concentrated on the different ways professionals — academic researchers, package tour agents, and tour guides — think of mass tourism. … Read the full “Good Tourism” Insight at The “Good Tourism” Blog.
