I love to travel. Fifteen countries have graciously welcomed me into their part of the world, allowing me to explore multiple cities and countrysides to learn something new. During these trips, there’s a mutual understanding between myself and the place I’m visiting; if they’re kind enough to let me in, and I know to be respectful of their culture and land.
Except not every tourist respects this agreement. With 1.2 billion international tourists, that can have a lot of repercussions. Even if a small percentage, let’s say 10%, don’t care enough to listen to the rules of their host, that’s still 120 million people wreaking havoc on their destination. Our revered ruins, breathtaking scenery, and Wonders of the World, can’t sustain that much injury.
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Take Iceland for example; it’s a relatively small, rural country with a population of 320,000 people, the majority located in the southwest region. In 2016, it received over 1,350,000 global visitors, almost one million more from ten years ago. Marketing campaigns, film sites, and even your Facebook News Feed helped contribute to this recent influx of tourists. And who wouldn’t want to visit, with its gushing waterfalls, vast lands and charming city? But the country is having trouble balancing the tourists with the locals and landmarks. While I was there, my Airbnb host stated that the two most dangerous things in Iceland are: 1. the weather and, 2. the tourists.
I was a constant witness to people ignoring trails and damaging the flora, trying to interact with the wildlife, and just being a general menace - all to capture the perfect picture. While we were there, one tourist decided to stop her rental car and turn it off in the middle of the road, in the pitch dark, in order to get a picture of the Northern Lights. If it wasn’t for the flash of her camera, an oncoming car would have crashed right into her.
And it’s not just the new destinations that have trouble with disrespectful tourists. People still carve their initials into famous landmarks and pocket pieces of ruins.
Over 4 million people visit the Collosseum every year, what if they all decided to “make their mark” or take a piece home? There would be nothing left.
It’s also important to just be respectful. Not everything you see is a play thing. Last year two tourists destroyed a 300-year-old statue in Italy, because they were climbing on it to take a selfie.
I can admit, I’m not completely innocent when it comes to being the perfect guest. But I’ve learned to be better, and it’s important for everyone else to as well. And maybe you weren’t doing it on purpose. But if you are, remember you’re not more special than the tourist next to you; you don’t deserve to take that artifact home, carve your name, or ignore those signs just for a cool photo. Think about it as if you’re visiting a friend’s house, you wouldn’t stomp all over her bed, write your name on the wall, and then just take her Home Goods table decor just to commemorate a good time (and if you would, I hope that she wouldn’t invite you back).
Traveling is a gift. It allows us to enter the homes of people from different places and be exposed to various cultures. Be kind and respectful to your host. Don’t ruin it for everyone.
