Notes on mass tourism

Mass tourism starts out as just some wanderer exploring and discovering a "new" place. In due time, others follow and the "new" place quickly becomes a "destination". Drifters begin to leave and the "travel influencers" start coming. If the destination becomes popular enough, everyone else, the "tourists", come in droves. The mass tourist phase has then occurred.

A tourist can then no longer arrive at this destination without encountering multitudes of other tourists. A sick irony begins to haunt the scene: the destination no longer feels like an escape from one's hometown but as an extension thereof! Infrastructure becomes over-developed and the locale starts to mimic any globalized metropolis.

Mass tourism thus occurs when tourism at a place reaches a critical point at which the place no longer feels like a refuge but a rite-of-passage!

The development of international tourism

• 17th-18th century : "here comes somebody!"
  • origins with the "Grand Tour" taken by the rich
  • ostensibly to round out their education with cultural enrichment
  • extraction of local items as precursor to souvenir collection
  • only way for them to hear foreign music or see foreign art
• post-WWII : "here comes other people!"
  • paid holidays (either by national law or employers' allowance)
  • relatively cheaper air travel
  • standardization of transport, accommodation and guided tours
• 21st century : "here comes everybody!"
  • widespread internet adoption
    • "Expedia"-ification to ease booking
    • "YouTube"-ification to ease planning
    • Google Maps to ease navigating
  • contactless credit card usage
  • increased "personalization" of tour packages
  • tour guides acting as liaisons between locals and tourists
  • "viral knowledge" (i.e. "trendiness") of "new" places to the general public

Popularization of tourism

• "Package"-ization
  • attractive bundling of trip elements (i.e. accommodation, transportation, meals, etc.) to reduce or eliminate planning
• Paid holidays
  • companies traditionally provided these to keep employees happy
• Transportation infrastructure
  • higher speed mass transit
  • wider and better paved roads
  • air travel in both availability and cost
• Accommodation standardization
  • check-in and check-out process
  • use of keycards regardless of hotel class
  • room amenities now include private bathroom and in-room fridge
• Awareness
  • 20th century television commercials
  • 21st century Internet (especially video-based websites)

Stages of tourist places

• Exploration
  • the "next frontier"
  • infrastructure non-existent
  • locals may or may not know what's going on
  • National Geographic might mention it
  • (rare today)
• Involvement
  • the "next big thing"
  • more locals get involved in infrastructure for travellers
    • accommodation might involve locals' homes
    • informal walking tours
    • restaurants start expanding
  • locals largely know about "the foreigners"
  • savvy travellers might blog about it or keep it a secret
  • (in remote places of the world today)
• Development
  • the "growing industry"
  • tourism eclipses any previous economic activity of locals
    • accommodation begins to involve specialized hotels run by locals
    • established walking tours
    • restaurants with "local" cuisine geared at tourists
  • locals begin to have "tourist fatigue"
  • "social media influencers" will start talking about it
  • (in lesser known urban places of the world today)
• Consolidation
  • the "mature industry"
  • tourism becomes "old hat" and fine-tuned
    • accommodation largely consists of chain hotels
    • walking tours begin to be guided by non-locals
    • "tourist cards" offered
    • restaurants of all cuisines
  • locals have "tourist fatigue" and stay away from "the downtown"
  • "wannabe influencers" will post about it
  • in established urban centres of the world today
• Stagnation
  • Rejuvenation
    • some places might welcome tourism again after going through a period of slower growth
  • Reduced growth
    • other places may start to scale back
  • Stabilization
    • yet others might continue until tourists themselves find the destination "out of style"
      • e.g. Japan in the 2010s
  • Decline
    • tourists find the destination "out of style" and over-run by other tourists, but still go for nostalgia or "bucket list" reasons
      • e.g. Barcelona, Disneyland, Hollywood
  • Collapse
    • tourists avoid the destination at all costs due to over-tourism