Tourism, Leisure, Culture, Society & Politics Essay

Tourism, Leisure, Culture, Society & Politics - Essay Example First and foremost, tourism is a result of consumerism. It deals with a set of services people have at their disposal for a particular amount of money. The financial issue is one of the most significant drives in touristic choices (Haan, 2008). That is to say, tourism and consumerism are close in their practical meaning with landscape as the main medium of attraction for tourists (Aitchison, MacLeod, & Shaw, 2001). In turn, capitalism is always consumerism regarding to the notion among Western countries. Hence, it is indicative of many people to be troublemakers instead of tourists, as they intrude into the milieu of cultural and ethnical diversity of some people with no excuse as long as they are driven by the idea of their right for letting loose in accordance with money they spent for such a pleasure. Besides, there is a clear distinction between tourism and traveling. Andrews (2011) admits that tourism does more harm to the environment than traveling, since it the former touches upon invasion, pollution, and narrow-mindedness while the latter is characterized by discovery, understanding, intelligence, adventures, and broad-mindedness. In this vein, tourism is a mark of a person’s identity looking at the places one visits and the services one prefers most of all with an idea of a cultural merge in mind (Weiermair & Mathies, 2004). It is all about the financial substantiality of individuals. Thus, they want to pay for their pleasure in terms of the price to be paid for that. On the other hand, tourism, leisure, political activities, rights of individuals are all incorporated in the field of globalization. To say more, tourism and leisure are socially constructed and are subject to the power of a man’s feelings and inner states (Andrews, Deconstructing tourism & leisure, 2011). In the historical cut, individuals tried to perceive multiculturalism when traveling around the globe. In some cases it was favorable (India, Africa) in some other (Magell an and the Philippines) it ended up ferociously. Nonetheless, tourism has become an exploration of one’s ability to cope with different identities and in close relation with the local authenticity. The works by Paul Gauguin, Somerset Maugham, Jules Verne, and many other representatives of art and literature were among the pioneers of the global trend for cultural and aesthetical tourism. However, it was nice at a glance from the very outset. It changed significantly with the advent of commodification versus authenticity. Cole (2007) points out in his study that commodification of different places (so attractive for tourists) leads to negative outcomes based on the political manipulation over the villagers for the sake of the tourists’ well-being. In fact, such a trend designates the very purpose of tourism in this or that location and in accordance with this or that cultural identity. Talking on the commodification and authenticity, one should bear it in mind that tour ism is a direct search for difference and dominance as long as some experts compare it with neo-imperialism (Andrews, Creating ‘the Other’: People as Tourist Commodities, 2011). In addition, it is Western people who are more devoted to explore other countries in the same manner as their predecessors did in the colonial age. Thus, it is a hidden drive for pleasure and its