The Ugly Tourist By Jamaica Kincaid

Trask is able to use logos to prove how tourism has affected the Hawaiian culture. Trask refers to Hawaii as a “She” who “Rubs off” on the visitor with her magical presence. The beauty of Hawaii is used as an escape from “Rawness and violence” for most Americans though, Trask mentions that the land has a “Western sexual sickness” (Trask 1993). “Of course, all this hype is necessary to hide the truth about tourism, the awful exploitative truth that the industry is the major cause of environmental degradation, low wages, land dispossession, and the highest cost of living in the United States” (Trask 1993). Trask says that the areas of Hawaii which were “sacred” to the Hawaiian’s have now been turned into top of the line hotels. The beaches that were once full of fishermen and their nets are used for recreational activities like surfing getting a tan and jet skiing. On most of the beaches owned by resorts, the beaches are reserved for hotel residences only. In the essay, Trask gives the readers logos as to how tourism is changing the land. For example, thirty years ago the ratio of Hawaiians outnumbered the tourist 2:1. Today,

Kincaid clearly attacks the tourists for not understanding the value of Antigua and its heritage; they are “ugly human being(s)” (115) because of their ignorance. The vacant gazers are ugly because when they have reached the zenith of banality in their own lives, they use the poverty of the natives of a tourist destination like Antigua to feel better about themselves; the natives’ lack of wealth, opportunities and education all make that pasty-skinned tourist feel superior. The ugliness stems from the tourist’s use of the native’s backwardness to propel themselves forward.

Daily, hundreds of thousands of people are traveling, whether it’s by plane, car, bus, boat, or foot, people are traveling to new locations and being immersed in different cultures. Many fail to realize how ignorant of a tourist they are. Kincaid explains that tourists are morally “ugly” and use other, less fortunate people, for their own amusement. She tries to enlighten those who are privileged to be more considerate when they are visiting new places. Published author Jamaica Kincaid wrote “The Ugly Tourist,” originally written in her book, A Small Place, where she tries to convince readers that tourists are, “a piece of rubbish” (207). Kincaid’s attempt to convey to the audience that tourists are ignorant and morally “ugly” is partially successful, due to her satisfactory emotional appeal, yet inability to produce a less angry tone, along with minimal logical appeal.

And it must not be forgotten, that knowledge also includes an understanding of one’s own culture, nation, and personal history which might be represented by a public monument. Yet Antigua lacks all of these marks that may indicate to a vacationer, that there, knowledge dwells. Then Kincaid abruptly and sarcastically shifts the subject to the beauty of an island. What does a lack of education, medical and technological advance, and culture matter in an island so beautiful? Why would “you,” a tourist, care about the absence of knowledge in “your” vacation destination? Kincaid successfully points out in a mordant tone that, absurdly, a lack of knowledge in Antigua is considered unimportant in wake of the tourist-attracting splendor of the island.

In “A Small Place” by Jamaica Kincaid, Kincaid criticizes tourists for being heartless and ignorant to the problems that the people of Antigua had and the sacrifices that had to be made to make Antigua a tremendous tourist/vacation spot. While Kincaid makes a strong argument, her argument suggests that she doesn't realize what tourism is for the tourists. In other words, tourism is an escape for those who are going on vacation and the tourists are well within their rights to be “ignorant”, especially because no one is telling them what is wrong with Antigua.

Most of us in America take traveling to foreign countries for granted. We visit these foreign countries, not really understanding the culture behind the places we are visiting, or stopping to acknowledge what goes on behind the scenes of the hotels we stay in, restaurants we eat in, and places we sightsee. Behind the Smile, by George Gmelch, provides the readers a powerful insight of what it’s like to live and work in a country that has been inundated with tourists for decades by building on his experience of research and writing about the Caribbean Islands. Behind the Smile stumbles upon a fantastic way to introduce the culture of Barbados with 20 personal profiles of men and women who work in the tourist industry on the island. From taxi

Annie John is a young girl that loves her mother dearly, but she is hurt and shocked when her mother tells that she will need to live on her own one day. She uses people and other distractions to fill in the need for her mother and to let go of childhood.

The article ‘Being a Lowly Tourist in a Pretentious Paris: How to Thrive in the City of Light’ by Jacqueline Herrera is an interesting read. I have travelled to many countries including a couple of them in Europe but not to Paris yet, so can’t relate much to this article. Not all countries are resistant to tourists. For example, the Middle East, they embrace tourists. The

Jamaica Kincaid: A Small Place is a piece of realistic fiction that describes the impact of tourism on the small island of Antigua. Though an assertive yet poetic voice, Kincaid takes the reader through a virtual tour of the Island presenting a dark outlook on the tourism industry of the west indies. This book is highly informative book educating the reader about the society and relationship between tourist and the local residences, while examining issues such as economy, Social hierarchy and racism.

The Italian tourism business in the modern times is appealing to those internationally and nationally within the country. Before, during, and after the Fascism reign was when the policies that organizations of today were being created and trying to be put in use for the betterment of the economy and industry at the times. The nation’s tourist structures functioned better and helped bring the economy out of their hard times caused by the mistakes of Fascism. Italy had remained a poor country during Fascism, destroying the progress after the First World War and eventually coming out of it after Fascism with the knowledge of the need for international currency in the economy. The economy and the people of Italy all were affected by the need and growth of tourism during the rise and fall of the Fascist regime.

I didn’t know what it meant to be tourist until I left Vietnam to study in the US and 2 years later came back to Vietnam with a “tourist” mindset. Having left one place, especially a place where I grew up and spent 12 years of my early childhood, allowed me to embrace the things that my previous self would consider as “ordinary.” I was beyond ecstatic to once again get to sit on a

From the view of a native Antiguan, tourism is not as glamourous as it is perceived to be. For the tourist that visits the island it is of lush lands and beautiful waters but the natives only see the environmental and cultural mess they create. Kincaid arises the idea that the average tourist is unware of what their impact is on their country, “You see yourself, you see yourself. You must not wonder what exactly happened to the contents of your lavatory when you flushed it. You must not wonder where your bath water went when you pulled the stopper. You must not wonder what happened when you brushed your teeth” (p. 13-14). She describes the tourists to be unaware and disconnected with their impact on their island. The tourist’s effect on the island is a negative one and their waste from food to bodily functions spoils their land. Though it may only be a short time for tourist it is a lifetime impact for the lives in Antigua. Nevertheless, tourism carries the economy in Antigua but the natives do not view it in that such way.

Slum tourism is becoming an emerging trend now, especially in developing countries. In fact, it has become one of the fastest growing market in the tourism industry. One of the reasons for that is due to the expansion of slum in developing countries. Frenzel et al., (2015) argue that as the number of locations has increased in the past 20 years, so has the number of tourists participating in slum tourism. They then presented a graph on the rise of slum tourism and the estimated numbers of tourists per year. It all begins in the 90s, where South Africa and Brazil had first developed slum tourism. It then moves to North America, where Mexico was involved in around 1995. During the early 20s, the expansion of countries arrived in Asia. The number of slum tourist destinations has continued increased and has later transformed into a type of tourism. This indeed could generate income especially with developing countries that are heavily rely on tourism. As Frenzel (2013) states that slum tourism could contribute to development by creating a variety sources of income and non-material benefits. These benefits are not actually benefiting the community but acts as a form of exploitation instead. As a result, this paper argues how slum tourism is being portrayed as a form of exploitation through poverty, the ethics in participating in slum tourism and how it does not lead to economic development.

In this article Horowitz talks about how tourism effects Venice, and how many of its inhabitants view it. For many, the tourists brought by cruise ships are unwelcomed, but the revenue the tourists bring is needed by the city. The large tourist traffic often obstructs the regular activity of Venice which is an essential part of its identity. The enormous cruise ships, which are often big enough to eclipse structures such as St. Mark’s Square, are also another major problem that the Venetians have with the amount of tourism their home receives.

Tourism is a tool of cultural colonisation as well as being a source of income for each country. Margaret McClure wrote that tourism as an industry didn’t thrive until the 1960’s because New Zealanders at the time were possessive over their country and the Treasury didn’t think the industry could general national profits. Travel posters in the decade preceding the fifties somewhat negate that notion. While McClure represents mid-century New Zealanders as snobbish guardians on the vista, Hardingham writes them as welcoming tourists who were happy to share the country with foreigners. Acknowledging the different agendas behind advertising and academia, the stark difference between these accounts of 1950’s New Zealanders is interesting. McClure claims that the tourism industry picked up speed in the 1960’s before becoming profitable in the 1980’s; therefore, it’s possible that Hardingham’s travel guide is a product of Tourism Hotel Corporation. McClure commented that the New Zealand way of life in the 1950’s, referring to shutting down over the weekends as well as strict liquor laws, was restrictive and