The new tourist Waking up to the power and perils of travel

Travel journalist McClanahan debuts with an insightful exploration of tourism as a leisure activity, a global economic driver, and a locally transformative force. Beginning with the travelogues of the 19th century, the author charts how the rise of such travel guides as Fodor's was driven by and helped to drive a "democratization of travel" in the latter half of the 20th century, a development abetted in the early 2000s by the growth of the global middle class and online bookings. The aughts also saw the advent of social media, which brought the voices of diverse travel influencers to the fore, while reinforcing harmful notions that the wealthy "have the right to 'consume' a destination" via the "making and sharing of... images." McClanahan calls for readers to become "new tourists" who actively learn from other cultures, though she also places responsibility for sustainable tourism on governments' efforts to protect residents and sites. She examines successes (Liverpool's transformation from failing industrial center to tourist destination) as well as failures (Amsterdam's 2010 campaign urging visitors to indulge in the "ultimate sloppy night out"). Elsewhere, she details the clashing interests of politicians, local populations, and corporations in Hawaii. While travelers might wish for more hands-on guidance, they'll appreciate McClanahan's smart balance of informed critique and hopeful discussions of the travel industry's potential for positive change. It's a trip worth taking. (June)

An appeal for more responsible tourism replete with respectful and inquisitive travelers. An American journalist and travel writer based in France, McClanahan, a regular contributor to the New York Times, believes that contemporary global tourism should turn away from commercialization, which is often insensitive to the harm caused to local communities and the environment. In her estimation, contemporary international tourism is destructive and self-indulgent. Reform, though, will require a proportional expansion in tourists who value diverse cultures and learn from their tourist experiences. This "new tourist" could counterbalance the many people who visit tourist enclaves solely to consume theatrical versions of local culture. The author chronicles the rise in the 1970s of travel books that appealed to less affluent and more adventurous travelers and the impact in the 2000s of social media on print-based travel writing. She examines the post-1970s commitment to tourism as an integral component of government economic development policies, the emergence of "tourist traps" that cater to fantasy versions of a place, and the inevitable backlash when tourism drives up rent, takes over beaches, damages the local environment, and undermines traditional culture. McClanahan also tells stories of local groups and local governments working to better manage tourism. She illustrates these themes with descriptions of her visits to such places as Angkor Wat, downtown Liverpool, Barcelona, the French Alps, Hawaii, Amsterdam's red-light district, and Disneyland Paris (formerly Euro Disney). By deftly weaving together her impressions of these places and stories of the people she interviewed, McClanahan creates an engaging and thoughtful assessment of international tourism. She offers few recommendations beyond more community involvement and stronger governmental regulation, however. Rather, her goal is to provide a "framework" for readers to ask pertinent questions about other places. An instructive engagement with the world of travel writing and a first-class exemplar of its practice. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.