According to experts, inappropriate behavior of tourists can be caused by psychological problems or basic ignorance of the culture of another country.
Stories about travelers, There are more and more people behaving inappropriately on vacation every year. This causes justifiable indignation and protests from local residents and tourism workers against “excessive tourism” and guests who do not know how to behave.
BBC writes about this.
According to Javier Laburt, a licensed clinical psychotherapist and avid traveler, the reasons for this behavior of tourists can vary. What is considered tourist “bad behavior” can in some cases be unconscious actions, such as blocking a footpath for the perfect Instagram shot. But sometimes these activities are offensive or dangerous, from posing naked in public to trying to approach wild animals.
According to Dr. Alana Dillette, assistant professor of hospitality and tourism management at San Diego State University, sometimes tourists behave inappropriately simply because they are unaware of social norms and unacceptable practices in communities with a different culture.
“I think a lot of people travel and think about what kind of experience they'll have. But they don't think about how their actions affect the place because they just don't have the knowledge.” she explained.
Another classic form of tourist misbehavior is the so-called “protagonist energy.”
Dr Kirsty Sedgman, a behavioural scientist at the University of Bristol, believes that when away from home, some people become rude and overly demanding, mistakenly believing that everyone around them is obliged to serve them.
“It's not just that people behave worse. It's that often when people are called out for bad behaviour, they get angry. And that 'don't tell me what to do' feeling is very powerful,” explains Dr Sedgman.
However, Javier Labourt believes that such behavior may be a consequence of deeper psychological problems, in particular the unpreparedness of many people for the emotional and behavioral changes that being in an unusual cultural environment requires. Leaving your emotional comfort zone while traveling can ultimately lead to antisocial behavior among tourists.
A separate problem is tourist vandalism, which has not only psychological, but also financial consequences and cultural and historical damage, which is often simply impossible to calculate. Moreover, sometimes the damage caused by tourist vandalism cannot be restored. For example, in 2021, a visitor to Big Bend National Park in Texas scratched his name into a 4,000-year-old petroglyph stone, forever destroying a priceless artifact.
Dr. Dillett believes that the problem of shameless tourists is exacerbated by incorrect tourism advertising, which gives people a false sense of permissiveness.
“The whole purpose [of such advertising – ed.] is simply to bring people to a place where they can overdrink, overeat, overconsume. It's like setting them up for failure,” she is sure.
Governments around the world are trying to curb bad tourist behavior by establishing harsher laws and imposing hefty fines. From Amsterdam's “Stay-Away” campaign targeting drunken British tourists to a flurry of new restrictions and fines in Italy aimed at curbing tourism and discouraging bad behavior.
According to experts, the cure for this behavior ultimately lies in changing the mindset of potential tourists. Before traveling, people need to realize that they are traveling as guests who may not be invited next time if they do not behave thoughtfully and respectfully with their hosts.
Let us remind you that “Ukrainian Venice” is welcoming tourists again this year.
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