Of Tourists and Travellers

So here we are in Madaba, looking at an ancient mosaic depicting the Holy Land. It is only after the third flash of my camera that I realise I haven’t actually looked yet at the object I’m photographing. A quick glance at the rest of the group reveals that I’m not the only one with this issue.

It was this minor incident that made me realise how much our group looks, and to a certain extent behaves, like tourists. I should tread carefully here however; some of my group members might take offense at being called a tourist. And with good reason, for the term ‘tourist’ usually carries a negative connotation. They are generally portrayed as lazy, foolish and mindless consumers of artificial areas such as resort, without any regard for the local culture.

These days, most people would prefer to be seen as travellers. They are the ones who, supposedly, truly interact with the local- culture and environment and thereby create a more meaningful experience.

So it’s no wonder that people, myself and the group included, try to move away from the image of a tourist, and try to embrace the travelling image. For example, when we were in Petra a large part of the group decided to leave our tour guide in order to climb a nearby mountain.

But is this wish to be seen as a traveller truly justified? Obviously, there is a difference between staying in a resort for a week and travelling the countryside. But is one experience truly better? I personally don’t believe so, but I’d be interested to read your comments stating whether you like to perceive yourself as a tourist or as a traveller.

Reference:  McCabe, Scott. "‘Who is a tourist?’A critical review." Tourist studies 5.1 (2005): 85-106.

Why We Travel

Shortly after the start of my second year of the Honours college we received a list with possible summer school destinations. I saw Jordan (and the corresponding course) and signed up without a second thought. Now that I’m back in the safe confines of my home I start to wonder why I so eagerly picked Jordan. “The Jordanian weather!” seems an obvious answer during a Dutch summer downpour, but I like to think there was more to my decision.

Maybe it makes sense to first answer the question: “Why does anybody travel?”. This seemingly simple question hosts a wide array of different answers, depending on whom you ask. “It’s to escape the shackles of daily life!” says Turner. “It’s to find real experiences!” screams MacCannell. Who is right and who is wrong?

Of course, not every tourist hosts the same motivations. And this is exactly what Erik Cohen and later theorists after him realised: There is no one-size-fits-all explanation for tourism. We should therefore discard the notion of mass motivation, and focus on the individual. This makes the previously stated question on why we travel difficult if not impossible to answer: I can only answer why I travel.

To be honest, I don’t think my motivations correspond to both Turner’s and MacCannell’s explanation. I lack the stressful life to need an escape. Furthermore, if I did need an escape I probably would go to a luxurious resort in Belgium instead of the conflict-ridden Middle East. I am also too aware of the ‘fake’ (e.g. put on for tourists; more on that in another blog) experiences in Jordan to accept MacCannell’s theory.

No, I travel for the experience. Not to escape my daily life, but to make that life richer. Not to find experiences, but to create them. That is why I went to Jordan.

Reference: Edensor, Tim. Tourism. Elsevier, 2009.

Prologue

Before I start writing about unbearable temperatures and ancient Nabataean cities, I should probably explain the purpose of this blog. My aim is to critically examine the phenomenon of tourism, while also providing a (hopefully) entertaining travel log of my journey to Jordan.

Naturally, the way I view tourism and the country of Jordan can’t always be neutral. My view, or the tourist gaze as John Urry calls it, will always be influenced by my own thoughts and beliefs. For example, the fact that a Jordanian woman may be severely beaten for disobeying her husband seems backwards from my European viewpoint. That’s why my blog is called ‘A Dutch Gaze in Jordan’; to emphasize that the tourist gaze is my gaze.

Aside from the tourist gaze I will try to mention a broad spectrum of theories of tourism. These may include terms such as authenticity (and the quest for it), back- and front stage tourism, the distinction between tourists and travelers and many more of such. These theories may sound dry or even just plain boring to some readers, but I will try to make them come alive by applying them to a real life setting: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Tourism is one of the most important sectors in the Jordanian economy: Tourism is one of the largest sectors in the Jordanian economy. Furthermore, Jordan hosts a wide array of different forms of tourism, ranging from religious pilgrimages to nightlife exploration. This makes Jordan a great country to apply theories of tourism.

So stay tuned if you are at least slightly interested in theories of tourism or in Jordan, for there is much more to come.