​​We can distinguish 3 periods in the Mass Tourism History in the industrial countries : 
1 - The mass tourism based on the notion of the quantity. From 45 to 75. Everybody knows the catch phrase: sea sex and sun! With a uniform tourism, only during summer holidays, the seaside resorts, and a heavy consumption after the Second World War.
2 - After the 75’s, until 21st century, the mass tourism more qualitative come. With the increase of the society of information. Here we talk about the development of the cultural tourism, the business tourism or the short trip.
3 - Nowadays, the mass tourism still exists but it becomes more diversified. We look for more quality, more security, more freedom, and the explosion of the urbanization, the individualism, the free time, or mass media develops others ways to see the tourism. Also others preoccupations than economical aspect, like environmental, social, or cultural aspects become essential for the tourism’s concept and the people’s mind.

​Ok. The “glorious thirty” era is older. But however, the mass tourism still attracts because we are in a society where we want again and again more, nothing is enough to satisfy us and the mass tourism permits to answer this needs. 

In many Earth areas, tourism is the first economical activity, as we can see in Greece for exemple. It has impacts on employments, bring a population mix, a circulation of informations... Here, I will deal specifically with tourism and travel cultural contribution, and with the advantages they bring with the creation of minds more open to the unknown. When I will write about travel or tourism here, it means « ethical tourism », where travelers are much more close to the local people than in mass tourism.

At the center of every travel is created a personal experience, a lived experience. In ourselves, travel develop different things. It brings an opening to other relations between us and the space, us and the others, us and the time. We learn to adapt and to integrate ourselves in an other environment and in an other culture. We change ourselves and become someone else when we are in contact with elsewhere.

Travel become a school of life and teach us ethical relations with the others, which create more sharing and more opening.

Symbolically, the travel would be a research of the truth : its aim would be to learn at the knowledge source, to free the mind of every illusions. According to Buddhism and Hinduism, travel would be a search of ourselves by the experience of other environments. Here, experience would become knowledge, and travel would answer to two quests : a deep desire of personal change, and a meeting with another world.
Travel appear as a test, which is related many times in the Odyssey of Homer as the charcacter of Ulysse. It highlight the fact that travel is migration and acceptance of loosing your marks, firstly because you move in the space, and secondly because you're far from your daily environment.
When he was living, the greek traveler seperated himself with political and social life of his own city. Go away here meant to put a distance between you and you're own culture, and meant to be different from the others.

Most of us have already try the all inclusive holidays. The princip ? Very easy let me give you the notice :

1.       open your laptop

2.       go on google and write something like : holiday/beach/sun and cheap of course (crisis crisis guy !)

3.       wait 3 min and the idea of paradise for most us will appear on your screen For an unbeatable price !

They will cell you  the fly, the five stars hostels, the private beach with fine sand and turquoise blue sea and of course a lot of local staff who will be there so that you felt as king. All of that for only 400€ here we go !! Of course you deserve it, you worked hard this year after all and then the children are going to be delighted there are organizers to take care of them in clubs inside the hostel. So it will be holidays for parents and children perfect !!!

Summertime is arriving time to pack your bag and enjoy your trip. At the airport your children start to play with others in the waiting room and you start a discussion with the parents then you realise that you will be in the same hostel great !

When the plane lands no time to know where you are that we already put you in the bus for the hostel.

Most of the time you arrive, you discover a place outside city with only hostels resorts. The staff is very kind with you they show you your room and you are happy to start your holiday. You spend a nice week, beach, nice cocktail, buy some souvenirs in the hostel’s shop.

The week was too short, you come-back and you say to your friends  people are so nice in this country is so beautiful and people have nothing but share everything and smile all the time !

But concretly what did you see of this country ? What did you share with native people ? What did you learn about the culture of this country ? And you know why it was so cheap ? Did you realise that all the staff are local but the manager most of the time come from europe ?

Let me give you some answers, it’s cheap because the staff have a very low salary, yes you can think it’s good thing to go in this kind of countries because you contribute to the economy of the country but what is the difference between travel and consume ? By travel like that which relationship we established except client to subordinate ?

Who benefits this mass tourism ?

It is colonial inheritance and the new « soft » form of colonization.

So next time before to click for book your holidays please think few minutes of the consequences of this kind of tourism.

                                                                                                                    Manali.C