Tourists behaving badly . . .
Emma Vandore looks into the reasons why people become so obnoxious on holiday, and what our hosts expect of us
This summer millions of British holidaymakers will behave badly all over the world. In the West holidays are for letting off steam, and nobody is allowed to get in the way of tourists having a good time - after all they've paid for the right to do so.
It used to be the myth that travellers spending significant amounts of time tasting other world cultures were somehow more enlightened, and would show their hosts the respect they deserve. Sadly, this is not the case. I have seen many travellers behaving atrociously - the docile hippie screaming abuse at a rickshaw driver over a few rupees or full moon revellers stumbling through the streets after a party, leaving their rubbish behind on the mountain top from where they came. Loutish behaviour is not exclusive to the Costas.
Globalisation has given us the world to consume, and it is now cheaper and easier to travel to far-flung destinations. In this process people from different cultures are coming into contact with each other and intermingling on a more frequent basis, but this hasn't resulted in greater understanding or respect.
I spent an evening on Caye Caulker in Belize chatting to an infamous local Rastafarian, Raz Creek. He talked at length about his beliefs about peace, harmony and sharing - while we were being smoked out of our tree top bar by a neighbour burning huge amounts of toxic plastic and wafting it in our direction. He had been driven to it by lack of sleep. We were making too much noise, but when he complained he was told to ''take it easy man'' - the tourists were still spending money.
Raz went on to tell me how the peaceful community was splitting apart. He, like many of the Rastas, had given up his job as a fisherman to take tourists out to the reefs. Now there are so many boats going to the same spots - the best place to see sharks for example - that the fish were leaving, and the rastas were fighting. Their living now depended on the fickle tourist market, and they were competing, often viciously, for a depleting piece of the pie.
Large numbers of tourists cause a lot of disruption, and while they are tolerated for the money they bring with them, it is usually under duress.
In Edinburgh, we bemoan the hordes that besiege the city at Festival time and at Hogmany - but are happy to accept their tourist dollars. I wonder how that attitude would change if most of the money leaked away to tour operators from other countries. Tourists are tolerated, but only on our terms. If they displayed the same flagrant disregard for our culture we show when we go abroad, I suspect most of us would tell them where to go.
Many arguments boil down to money. Travellers have a constant fear of being ripped off. It can make you feel insecure not knowing what things cost, especially when your budget depends on it. Running out of money is a big concern for travellers, but reactions go past financial anxiety.
The desire to feel worldly-wise and ''one of them'' is deflated if you find out you have been charged extra because you are a tourist. Finding the cheapest place to stay or the lowest price often becomes a competition to be the most streetwise or the best haggler, especially among male travellers.
I once witnessed an ugly scene in San Agustin, Colombia, between the owner of a cafe and some Israeli travellers who were disputing the cost of breakfast. When I asked why they were making such a fuss, they said they were not worried about the few pence under discussion, it was ''the principle of the thing.'' They felt challenged by a little woman who was suggesting they didn't know the way things worked - and were therefore vulnerable. The fact is that these sorts of interaction do not take place on an equal playing field. The disparity between rich and poor countries is massive, and no matter how poor you are or how limited your budget, you are in a privileged position. Traders are more aware of this than you probably are - and quite naturally expect you to put a little of that wealth their way.
The opportunity to travel far from home provides a lot of freedom, but not much global responsibility as was loudly demonstrated by the Lewisham 12. We all see the world in different ways, and an attempt to look through another person's cultural goggies is not only common courtesy, it will only make your experience richer.
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