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The New Tourist: Waking Up to the Power and Perils of Travel
A brilliantly evocative, surprising, and page-turning exploration of how tourism has shaped the world, for better and for worse—essential reading for anyone looking for a deeper understanding of the implications of their wanderlust.
Through deep and perceptive dispatches from tourist spots around the globe—from Hawaii to Saudi Arabia, Amsterdam to Angkor Wat— The New Tourist lifts the veil on an industry that accounts for one in ten jobs worldwide and generates nearly ten percent of global GDP. How did a once-niche activity become the world’s most important means of contact across cultures? When does tourism destroy the soul of a city, and when does it offer a place a new lease on life? Is “last chance tourism” prompting a powerful change in perspective, or driving places we love further into the ground?
Filled with revelations about an industry that shapes how we view the world, The New Tourist spotlights painful truths but also delivers a message of that the right kind of tourism—and the right kind of tourist—can be a powerful force for good.
Through deep and perceptive dispatches from tourist spots around the globe—from Hawaii to Saudi Arabia, Amsterdam to Angkor Wat— The New Tourist lifts the veil on an industry that accounts for one in ten jobs worldwide and generates nearly ten percent of global GDP. How did a once-niche activity become the world’s most important means of contact across cultures? When does tourism destroy the soul of a city, and when does it offer a place a new lease on life? Is “last chance tourism” prompting a powerful change in perspective, or driving places we love further into the ground?
Filled with revelations about an industry that shapes how we view the world, The New Tourist spotlights painful truths but also delivers a message of that the right kind of tourism—and the right kind of tourist—can be a powerful force for good.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published June 18, 2024
64 people are currently reading
5853 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
July 23, 2024
As someone who has done my share touring, I was quite interested in Paige McClanahan's new book. Paige is a wonderful travel writer who writes for the travel section of the New York Times and has quite a lot of insights that she has put together in this concise book about the travel industry and how things have changed in the past 50 years. Paige herself is an active tourist and has amassed over 2000 interviews to help give her a perspective on tourism in the 21st century. This is not a hard book to read, but it does show the trends that are ongoing in society. She begins with the story of, two individuals who decided to go from England to India in 1972 in a dilapidated vehicle and basically follow what is known as the Hippie Trail. Lots of good times on the Hippie Trail. Once they got to India, they decided to push onto Australia and when they eventually made it there they had 28 cents in their pocket. Their notes from this trip evolved into the "Lonely Planet Guide ", has gone from a few photocopied sheets of notes to a hugely successful travel guide. She also notes the change in touring, and how people learn about locations as the old travel guides are being replaced by travel influencers. Yes, now we have people who go to countries to photograph themselves or take videos of themselves at touristy locations. Thanks to them multitudes of their followers now go to those locations. That helps bring in tax dollars, but that also brings problems. You see there's both a good side and the bad side to tourism which Paige investigates in her book. Iceland is a country that was little known 30 years ago and now is become exceedingly popular, and then Justin Bieber did a video from Iceland, which turned it into a mega tourist site and unfortunately there were some ecological damage due to all the areas being overrun by tourists. But it is not just one singer making a video, rather it's many people who go to these locations for the thrill of having a picture/video made for sharing on social media.. My daughter just got back from Italy and was apalled to see how people just stop and click a photo and don't even look or examine the site or location. Instead, culture and history are now taking a backseat to being able to cross something off of a bucket list. Paige takes us to Barcelona back in 2013 and the beginning of the anti-tourist movement which has culminated this year and new laws, which will prohibit short term rentals in that town. But it's not the only location to face being overrun by tourists, as places in India, as well as Hawaii also are suffering from an onslaught of tourism, And Japan is also thinking of limiting tourism in the near future. There's responsible tourism and irresponsible tourism. And one of the things she points out is that everybody thought they could go and travel using what's known as carbon offset, Unfortunately, that theory of climate and environmental travel has proven not to be true, and now places are having higher degrees of pollution thanks to the onslaught of the masses. You must also take the consideration the fact that people want to see places before they go out of existence, and once those places are revealed here, come the tourists! This is a book that made me think a lot about traveling and while the days of the grand tour are over, the days of mass travel may very well cause the end of tourism since they're only so many people who can be in one location at any time. The author does us a favor by pointing out the benefits, as well as the evils of travel in this part of the 21st-century and we can only hope that as responsible tourists we will leave the world a
better place than we are finding it right now.
better place than we are finding it right now.
October 6, 2024
The New Tourist is a book that questions but can't fully bring itself to challenge or object to the rise of tourism, especially international tourism. McClanahan starts with a brief history of modern tourism. She explains that as international tourism exploded from 25 million to 500 million over the past half-century as transportation improved and governments opened borders to encourage international commerce and cultural exchange, travel writers, in particular Lonely Planet, published guidebooks to foreign destinations about which there was little written previously. These guidebooks directed tourists to specific locations, which became more well-known and visited as a result. She also notes the role of governments in encouraging tourism, focusing on Barcelona and Iceland, formerly obscure places which successfully marketed themselves as great destinations for international travelers.
Much of the book is focused on the damage done by tourism to popular destinations: the disruption to local communities when tourists swarm an area and the physical damage to sites caused by excessive visitation. McClanahan also criticizes the inauthenticity of tourism: the quest for the perfect Instagram photo and the tendency of trinket shops and tourist restaurants to replace local stores in popular tourist areas, producing an experience unlike what was there before the site became popular.
The points are well-noted, but McClanahan stops short of what seems like a clear conclusion: tourism is destructive, mindless escapism and wanton consumer capitalism rather than the cultural exchange that it was intended to be. This is likely because the blame falls not just on the governments that encouraged the tourism, but also the tourists themselves, like McClanahan. Similarly, McClanahan proposes no clear solutions or changes, probably because the obvious one is also not one she wants to adopt, namely to stop traveling.
Rather, McClanahan invents the idea of the "new tourist"; a person who visits lesser-known destinations and engages with the locals rather than gravitating to all of the places marketed to tourists and made famous on social media for photos and nightlife. It's a nice vision, but how do people find lesser-known places that are worth visiting and visit them in a cost-effective manner without reading/seeing marketing and without the infrastructure that allows people to visit easily and safely, both of which cause more people to come and lead to excessive visitation? The "new tourist" encourages individuals to change behaviors, but the best thing an individual can do to address the problem is simply to travel less.
On a macro level, the solution - which McClanahan even mentions briefly - is for governments to restrict rather than encourage tourism, presumably by restricting tourist visas and imposing large tourism-related taxes and preventing tourist-friendly business and lodging from replacing local residents and businesses. Whether or not this would work, it's hard to imagine this happening at any significant scale considering the damage such policies would do to tourism-dependent local economies, and because it would reverse the trend of democratizing travel and return to a time when only wealthy elites traveled internationally.
In summary, while McClanahan fixes an indicting spotlight on tourism and its effects, she's unprepared personally or culturally to propose the logical but radical actions that her own work suggests.
Much of the book is focused on the damage done by tourism to popular destinations: the disruption to local communities when tourists swarm an area and the physical damage to sites caused by excessive visitation. McClanahan also criticizes the inauthenticity of tourism: the quest for the perfect Instagram photo and the tendency of trinket shops and tourist restaurants to replace local stores in popular tourist areas, producing an experience unlike what was there before the site became popular.
The points are well-noted, but McClanahan stops short of what seems like a clear conclusion: tourism is destructive, mindless escapism and wanton consumer capitalism rather than the cultural exchange that it was intended to be. This is likely because the blame falls not just on the governments that encouraged the tourism, but also the tourists themselves, like McClanahan. Similarly, McClanahan proposes no clear solutions or changes, probably because the obvious one is also not one she wants to adopt, namely to stop traveling.
Rather, McClanahan invents the idea of the "new tourist"; a person who visits lesser-known destinations and engages with the locals rather than gravitating to all of the places marketed to tourists and made famous on social media for photos and nightlife. It's a nice vision, but how do people find lesser-known places that are worth visiting and visit them in a cost-effective manner without reading/seeing marketing and without the infrastructure that allows people to visit easily and safely, both of which cause more people to come and lead to excessive visitation? The "new tourist" encourages individuals to change behaviors, but the best thing an individual can do to address the problem is simply to travel less.
On a macro level, the solution - which McClanahan even mentions briefly - is for governments to restrict rather than encourage tourism, presumably by restricting tourist visas and imposing large tourism-related taxes and preventing tourist-friendly business and lodging from replacing local residents and businesses. Whether or not this would work, it's hard to imagine this happening at any significant scale considering the damage such policies would do to tourism-dependent local economies, and because it would reverse the trend of democratizing travel and return to a time when only wealthy elites traveled internationally.
In summary, while McClanahan fixes an indicting spotlight on tourism and its effects, she's unprepared personally or culturally to propose the logical but radical actions that her own work suggests.
Read
November 12, 2024DNF. Tourism could be bad, or not. Tourism could be good, or not. Anecdotes.
Alternative: Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism
Alternative: Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism
September 29, 2024
I felt this nonfiction book was interesting about the negative impact of tourism. But, I was left with the feeling of, other than just not ever leaving my house, what can I do? I like to travel. I like to write about my travel. I feel that I am respectful in my travel (I certainly don’t pee on buildings, vomit on sidewalks or take drugs at the places I visit, as she gives as an example in Amsterdam). But, other than government regulations, I didn’t really get what I can do other than to just stop traveling.
January 6, 2025
Well-meaning, well-written, shallow and problematic. In a book about being less self-centered and engaging more deeply with the places we visit, the author places herself squarely as the main character. The discussions of various destinations typically stay at the surface, in ways I found troubling. She refers to purchasing burkas on Amazon for her trip to Saudi Arabia, a country where women are no longer required to cover their hair and where anyway the burka is not worn (it’s the hijab for hair, niqab for hair+face).
More importantly, it skims over or skips entirely some of the deepest problems with tourism. Colonialism is mentioned a few times but never engaged in any depth. The yawning divide in who gets to be a tourist—rooted in disparities of wealth and visa regimes—is obscured by nebulous references to the democratization of travel.
And maybe most fundamentally, the feel good discussion of tourism as a force for cultural exchange leaves out the point that soaring rates of tourism coincide with soaring levels of racism and xenophobia in our politics—including in countries, like the US and UK, at the forefront of global tourism. The upshot is that the book feels like a long travel blog light on history or analysis, which ultimately serves to reassure us all that we can make small changes to count ourselves among the good tourists rather than part of much bigger structural problems.
For a corrective, I highly recommend Nanjala Nyabola’s brilliant “Traveling while black”
More importantly, it skims over or skips entirely some of the deepest problems with tourism. Colonialism is mentioned a few times but never engaged in any depth. The yawning divide in who gets to be a tourist—rooted in disparities of wealth and visa regimes—is obscured by nebulous references to the democratization of travel.
And maybe most fundamentally, the feel good discussion of tourism as a force for cultural exchange leaves out the point that soaring rates of tourism coincide with soaring levels of racism and xenophobia in our politics—including in countries, like the US and UK, at the forefront of global tourism. The upshot is that the book feels like a long travel blog light on history or analysis, which ultimately serves to reassure us all that we can make small changes to count ourselves among the good tourists rather than part of much bigger structural problems.
For a corrective, I highly recommend Nanjala Nyabola’s brilliant “Traveling while black”
Read
September 9, 2024What does it mean to be a tourist today, and how is it evolving from earlier understandings of that term? Paige McClanahan’s The New Tourist explains how travel and tourism have been affected, influenced, and altered by the internet, social media, climate change, and geopolitical dynamics. She discusses important perspectives on different kinds of travelers, how to have valuable experiences, and the ethical responsibilities travelers have toward destinations and the people (and nature) who live there. In addition to exploring personal ethics involved in travel, McClanahan also examines the roles of governments and the travel industry. Sometimes a city or region promotes tourism; at other times, they present obstacles to tourists. The promotion is usually about money, and the obstacles are usually in response to over-saturation. McClanahan provides revealing details about places including Hawaii, Disneyland Paris, Iceland, Amsterdam, Saudi Arabia, and many others. The New Tourist captivatingly guarantees that readers will consider new dimensions of how they plan their next trip.
June 28, 2024
The global tourism industry is massive and the resulting economic, social and environmental impacts are equally so. Author Paige McClanahan takes us on a journey to a few well known-tourist spots as she highlights how tourism has impacted - for better or worse - those locations and the people who live there. I enjoyed her interviews with locals to get their perspectives. Overall, people globally are willing to share their communities with tourists who are interested and respectful and are unwilling to with obnoxious ones. As well, strategic and thoughtful management of the impacts of tourism on their communities by countries is vital, for example, housing. I appreciated the unpretentious approach the author takes as well - she unabashedly heads to Amsterdam’s Red Light District - as she plays tourist. I enjoyed the book - it kept me interested and made me ruminate on my travels and my role as a tourist. In my opinion, the pros of tourism outweigh the cons. When managed well and tourists respect local people, customs and places, the positive impacts of tourism are boundless. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
June 5, 2024
“Even if, like all of us, she sometimes takes comfort in the familiar, the new tourist is humbled by her travels, which open her eyes to her smallness in the great stretch of history and the vast sea of humanity. The new tourist embraces the chance to encounter people whose backgrounds are very different from her own, and to learn from cultures or religions that she might otherwise fear or regard with contempt… Because of her travels, the new tourist is a more open and generous human being.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love a book that makes me think about things differently and as someone who values travel and hopes to do a lot more of it, this read really hit the spot. THE NEW TOURIST offers readers a look at how to be better (more conscientious, more sustainable, more educated) tourists and travelers and I think everyone, whether you’ve visited 100 countries or 1, can learn something from this book.
McClanahan doesn’t shy away from discussing the negative impacts and consequences of tourism, but her book felt encouraging, not just full of doom and gloom. THE NEW TOURIST is well researched and informative, but also full of personal anecdotes from McClanahan’s own experiences that helped to make the writing even more approachable.
I could probably ramble on for days about how much this book taught me and how many interesting tidbits I took away from reading it. Instead, I’ll spare you and just say that I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy traveling or want to travel more in the future!
🥳 PUB DAY: JUNE 18th
Thank you to @scribnerbooks for allowing me to be an early reader! All opinions are my own!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love a book that makes me think about things differently and as someone who values travel and hopes to do a lot more of it, this read really hit the spot. THE NEW TOURIST offers readers a look at how to be better (more conscientious, more sustainable, more educated) tourists and travelers and I think everyone, whether you’ve visited 100 countries or 1, can learn something from this book.
McClanahan doesn’t shy away from discussing the negative impacts and consequences of tourism, but her book felt encouraging, not just full of doom and gloom. THE NEW TOURIST is well researched and informative, but also full of personal anecdotes from McClanahan’s own experiences that helped to make the writing even more approachable.
I could probably ramble on for days about how much this book taught me and how many interesting tidbits I took away from reading it. Instead, I’ll spare you and just say that I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy traveling or want to travel more in the future!
🥳 PUB DAY: JUNE 18th
Thank you to @scribnerbooks for allowing me to be an early reader! All opinions are my own!
August 22, 2024
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the free copy to review.
As someone who loves to travel I was very interested in this book and how tourists impact the places they go. For the most part I thought it was positive but I also know not everyone has an appreciation for the culture and land that they are visiting, and I am guilty of that at times myself. This book had such an impact on me, both good and bad and it has definitely inspired me to do better as a tourist when I go to places rather than be oblivious or complain about inconveniences. I highly recommend this important read for those that want to travel or are avid travelers both.
As someone who loves to travel I was very interested in this book and how tourists impact the places they go. For the most part I thought it was positive but I also know not everyone has an appreciation for the culture and land that they are visiting, and I am guilty of that at times myself. This book had such an impact on me, both good and bad and it has definitely inspired me to do better as a tourist when I go to places rather than be oblivious or complain about inconveniences. I highly recommend this important read for those that want to travel or are avid travelers both.
July 8, 2024
I was really excited for this one because I’m a weirdo and I’m super interested in the societal significance of travel. It’s useful, interesting, and a great read. One of those books that gets you to think deeply about something that normally lives in the periphery of your mind - the question of why we travel and how it impacts the world. There’s a lot of nuanced consideration here of positive and negative impacts of tourism, as well as a case for becoming more conscious travelers. It’s all told in easy prose and reads like an extended NYT travel article - written for a broad audience. Definitely worth a read even if you’re not normally a travel person.
July 26, 2024
Informative and thought-provoking, but I felt it came across kind of as a "check your privilege" for travel enthusiasts like myself with no real solutions other than to feel more socially-conscious, or guilty for booking that next vacation. Flying? Too much carbon emissions. Tourists traps? It's all superficial escapism. Want to go instead off the beaten path? Just don't project your egoism, and definitely don't post about it on social media, lest the place becomes the next tourist trap and residents get priced out. Maybe get out and enjoy the outdoors instead? Your very presence is flattening natural landscapes and disrupting the delicate balance of the environment.
McClanahan makes a lot of good points, and there are a fair share of self-centered and naughty tourists who deserve to be banned from flights and tourist spots. But I don't think they're smart enough to be the audience that McClanahan is writing to. Yes, we need all need to be "new tourists", but I'm still not sure what that looks like as I book my next flight to Europe.
McClanahan makes a lot of good points, and there are a fair share of self-centered and naughty tourists who deserve to be banned from flights and tourist spots. But I don't think they're smart enough to be the audience that McClanahan is writing to. Yes, we need all need to be "new tourists", but I'm still not sure what that looks like as I book my next flight to Europe.
October 21, 2024
TL;DR? I’ll summarize: Don’t be an obnoxious boor. Limit your use of AirBnB. Talk to the locals and get to know them. Try not to create too much garbage. Maybe buy carbon offsets for your plane tickets.
Experienced travelers won’t find much new here, nor will readers of the NYT. The most interesting section is the first- about the incredible rise and effect of the Lonely Planet and other guidebooks, now a relic of tourism history.
Experienced travelers won’t find much new here, nor will readers of the NYT. The most interesting section is the first- about the incredible rise and effect of the Lonely Planet and other guidebooks, now a relic of tourism history.
October 9, 2024
This was interesting and very informative don’t get me wrong I was just bored.
June 7, 2025
Thought-provoking book on the good and bad of tourism, encouraging readers to think critically about how to be a better, more conscientious, less harmful tourist who uses travel to expand their horizons rather than check experiences off a list.
Of course, McClanahan is not going to say that tourism is only pernicious – she truly believes that (to echo the famous Mark Twain quote) travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. But she gives concrete examples of how tourism has harmed local residents and ecosystems that many of us are familiar with - Hawaii being the most famous one, but also discussing ecological destruction in Iceland, glacial expeditions in the Alps, Airbnb in Barcelona, and tourists as public nuisances in Amsterdam.
She also gives many examples of places where tourism is done well: the Native Hawaiian tourist educators protecting reefs from sunscreen and snorkeling, French mountaineering guides who teach ice climbing lessons rather than ferrying tourists to the glacier, the state of Kerala paying locals to be guides as part of its Responsible Tourism Project.
My complaints about the book are that it was a bit surface level and meandering, not fully diving into any one of the myriad problems with modern-day tourism but instead giving a few anecdotes and moving on to the next topic. For example, I thought she could have spent a lot more time on how Airbnb is destroying local housing markets + the regulatory actions taken to combat the rise of Airbnbs to support her thesis about how governments carry major responsibility in crafting responsible tourism.
She could have been much harsher, but I understand that she wanted to make this book friendly and accessible to the everyday people engaging in tourism, not some holier-than-thou academic send-up of tourism written by someone who's already experienced the privilege of world travel. That being said, for an entry-level book on the topic, I wish she had concluded with some concrete takeaways for travelers and governments. More than just "engage with locals," what are tangible steps anyone wanting to be a "new tourist" should take on their next trip? What are some screening criteria we should use for places, businesses, and guides? What are best practices governments should leverage to create an ecosystem of responsible tourism? As it stood, the book presents some fairly general guidelines, but I think her readers could benefit from an easily accessible set of recommendations for future use.
Of course, McClanahan is not going to say that tourism is only pernicious – she truly believes that (to echo the famous Mark Twain quote) travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. But she gives concrete examples of how tourism has harmed local residents and ecosystems that many of us are familiar with - Hawaii being the most famous one, but also discussing ecological destruction in Iceland, glacial expeditions in the Alps, Airbnb in Barcelona, and tourists as public nuisances in Amsterdam.
She also gives many examples of places where tourism is done well: the Native Hawaiian tourist educators protecting reefs from sunscreen and snorkeling, French mountaineering guides who teach ice climbing lessons rather than ferrying tourists to the glacier, the state of Kerala paying locals to be guides as part of its Responsible Tourism Project.
My complaints about the book are that it was a bit surface level and meandering, not fully diving into any one of the myriad problems with modern-day tourism but instead giving a few anecdotes and moving on to the next topic. For example, I thought she could have spent a lot more time on how Airbnb is destroying local housing markets + the regulatory actions taken to combat the rise of Airbnbs to support her thesis about how governments carry major responsibility in crafting responsible tourism.
She could have been much harsher, but I understand that she wanted to make this book friendly and accessible to the everyday people engaging in tourism, not some holier-than-thou academic send-up of tourism written by someone who's already experienced the privilege of world travel. That being said, for an entry-level book on the topic, I wish she had concluded with some concrete takeaways for travelers and governments. More than just "engage with locals," what are tangible steps anyone wanting to be a "new tourist" should take on their next trip? What are some screening criteria we should use for places, businesses, and guides? What are best practices governments should leverage to create an ecosystem of responsible tourism? As it stood, the book presents some fairly general guidelines, but I think her readers could benefit from an easily accessible set of recommendations for future use.
June 7, 2024
*This was an ARC Goodreads Giveaway*
I am someone who loves to travel, and as I've been traveling more, I've been contemplating many of the topics discussed in this book. I've also seen the changes in how I and others travel, from when I was studying abroad before smart phones, to now as an adult.
I loved the guidebook section, and thought about how I love to buy a book to study and write comments, but then will go to the internet for other details. Despite all of the information at our fingertips, I still highly value information casually shared between boarders in the hostels.
I resonated with the "travel writing", how I first recorded everything on Facebook. And now, how I think critically about how I share my journeys on Instagram.
I had been to many of the places mentioned in the book, and enjoyed those memories, mapping my own experiences to those described in the book.
I, too, try to think that I am above tourist nonsense. And yet, I've still been to many of the tourist traps.
This is perfect for anyone who loves to travel and wants to continue.
I am someone who loves to travel, and as I've been traveling more, I've been contemplating many of the topics discussed in this book. I've also seen the changes in how I and others travel, from when I was studying abroad before smart phones, to now as an adult.
I loved the guidebook section, and thought about how I love to buy a book to study and write comments, but then will go to the internet for other details. Despite all of the information at our fingertips, I still highly value information casually shared between boarders in the hostels.
I resonated with the "travel writing", how I first recorded everything on Facebook. And now, how I think critically about how I share my journeys on Instagram.
I had been to many of the places mentioned in the book, and enjoyed those memories, mapping my own experiences to those described in the book.
I, too, try to think that I am above tourist nonsense. And yet, I've still been to many of the tourist traps.
This is perfect for anyone who loves to travel and wants to continue.
June 19, 2024
Thanks Scribner for the gifted copy of The New Tourist.
I'm so torn on this book. On the one hand, the message is so important. We need to be aware of how our travel and touring impacts the land and people we're visiting. On the other hand, I was so bored while reading it. I hate to even say that but it's true! There are plenty of stories of the author's travels, but they're all interwoven with lessons about the impact of travel and problems tourists are causing and are almost didactic in nature rather than entertaining. Again, I think this is the point, so perhaps it's on me for picking this up... to that end, I'd recommend this to folks who are interested in hearing about the "power and perils" of travel. It's probably not the right book for you if you're interested in hearing about her travels. Rating the book as a 4 because it wasn't so boring that I stopped reading it and because I came in with the wrong expectations.
I'm so torn on this book. On the one hand, the message is so important. We need to be aware of how our travel and touring impacts the land and people we're visiting. On the other hand, I was so bored while reading it. I hate to even say that but it's true! There are plenty of stories of the author's travels, but they're all interwoven with lessons about the impact of travel and problems tourists are causing and are almost didactic in nature rather than entertaining. Again, I think this is the point, so perhaps it's on me for picking this up... to that end, I'd recommend this to folks who are interested in hearing about the "power and perils" of travel. It's probably not the right book for you if you're interested in hearing about her travels. Rating the book as a 4 because it wasn't so boring that I stopped reading it and because I came in with the wrong expectations.
February 15, 2025
Interesting thoughts and research on a topic very close to my heart - I have been pondering these themes for quite a while and was grateful to find a book on the subject. But it feels terribly written (as well as read), amateurish, and I was more than half way through before I thought I could figure out the point of the book. It is valuable to draw attention to what has become of
the tourism sector, and I learned a lot of specifics from her travels, but there are no solutions and in the end we just have to keep being mindful and intentional.
the tourism sector, and I learned a lot of specifics from her travels, but there are no solutions and in the end we just have to keep being mindful and intentional.
June 9, 2025
Real rate: 4.5/5, but I’m rounding up to help balance out some of the more critical reviews of McClanahan’s work. Fundamentally, I think this book is an important read for (the very likely huge group of) anyone who will be traveling in the near future.
As someone who spent a large amount of time focusing on tourism studies in undergrad, I was so excited by McClanahan’s work. Deeply researched with historical context of travel and tourism, McClanahan does a great job of painting the picture of how tourism has grown over time to become such a huge global force. She covers some of the most interesting topics and concerns of tourism today - the influencer / travel writer industry, “tourist traps”, climate change and nature travel, Disneyland and artificial attractions, Hawaii and the politics of travel, and the way governments directly are involved with creating and curbing tourism.
My stars off (as it seems similar for others) is directly related to what is likely a lighter than could be indictment of tourism as a destructive, neocolonial force that harms local communities. McClanahan uses Saudi Arabia as a discussion of politically misaligned places for a tourist to travel, and attempts to humanize it, but I also think that her exploration could’ve gone further and would’ve really hit the point home by exploring Tel Aviv and the way tourism can obfuscate harm by the state through highlighting some aspects of a place and not others. Additionally, I would have loved seeing McClanahan really push to highlight organizations and people that are working to help improve tourism more, although her highlighting of mountaineers, Hawaiian environmentalists, and the people in India working to get local families and communities involved in tourism did make some drops in this bucket.
Ultimately, I think McClanahan aimed this book at the average tourist with a hope of both destigmatizing some of the more “constructed” or artificial tourist experiences, as well as recognizing how we as tourists have power in deciding where and how we travel and pay. A lot of this book highlights a variety of data, and leaves personal actions in the realm of mindset shifts and personal questioning. Overall, with a background in journalism, I think she does a great job of backing up the viewpoints she presents, and helping folks to feel more mentally present in the process of tourism and recognize how many different ways our participating in this system has material and tangible impacts. If I ever teach a class on modern tourism and travel, I’d love to use this text as an entry point that is both evidential and well supported.
As someone who spent a large amount of time focusing on tourism studies in undergrad, I was so excited by McClanahan’s work. Deeply researched with historical context of travel and tourism, McClanahan does a great job of painting the picture of how tourism has grown over time to become such a huge global force. She covers some of the most interesting topics and concerns of tourism today - the influencer / travel writer industry, “tourist traps”, climate change and nature travel, Disneyland and artificial attractions, Hawaii and the politics of travel, and the way governments directly are involved with creating and curbing tourism.
My stars off (as it seems similar for others) is directly related to what is likely a lighter than could be indictment of tourism as a destructive, neocolonial force that harms local communities. McClanahan uses Saudi Arabia as a discussion of politically misaligned places for a tourist to travel, and attempts to humanize it, but I also think that her exploration could’ve gone further and would’ve really hit the point home by exploring Tel Aviv and the way tourism can obfuscate harm by the state through highlighting some aspects of a place and not others. Additionally, I would have loved seeing McClanahan really push to highlight organizations and people that are working to help improve tourism more, although her highlighting of mountaineers, Hawaiian environmentalists, and the people in India working to get local families and communities involved in tourism did make some drops in this bucket.
Ultimately, I think McClanahan aimed this book at the average tourist with a hope of both destigmatizing some of the more “constructed” or artificial tourist experiences, as well as recognizing how we as tourists have power in deciding where and how we travel and pay. A lot of this book highlights a variety of data, and leaves personal actions in the realm of mindset shifts and personal questioning. Overall, with a background in journalism, I think she does a great job of backing up the viewpoints she presents, and helping folks to feel more mentally present in the process of tourism and recognize how many different ways our participating in this system has material and tangible impacts. If I ever teach a class on modern tourism and travel, I’d love to use this text as an entry point that is both evidential and well supported.
June 25, 2024
What kind of traveler are you? Do you enjoy visiting a new place and seeing its most well known spots? Or do you like to go somewhere new and less well known? Or is your travel more of the last chance variety? In The New Tourist: Waking up to the Power and Perils of Travel Paige McClanahan discusses all these topics along with research about the history of travel and her own personal experiences in many different places. It’s a wide ranging exploration of the world of tourism with a plethora of interviews with industrial insiders and activists.
The book is divided into 7 chapters, each around its own theme. For each one McClanahan pulls from research and her own visits to talk through the topic. Chapter 1 details the rise of the Lonely Planet travel guides as the main example, while also sharing the history of the travel guide and how necessary and widespread they were pre internet before needed to adjust to the World Wide Web. Other chapters include: last chance, under the influence, tourists go home and tourist traps.
A key component of the book is learning about the costs environmentally, socially and culturally that are caused by tourism. McClanahan visits Hawaii, India, Angkor Wat, Liverpool, Disneyland Paris and most memorably Amsterdam’s red-light district. Each of these places fits in with the overall chapter theme, but McClanahan writes about their history as tourist destinations and the way that has shaped the locations and what it has cost the natural environments and the people who try to leave there year round. The research for the book was impacted by COVID and many of McClanahan’s interviewees use the evidence of lock down in their discussions. The Disneyland Europe section highlights a visit right when it was reopening for visitors following the lockdown.
You don’t have to give up exploring, but in your preparation ask what you’re looking for, an escape or the last chance to see?
Recommended for readers of travel writing, nonfiction or environmentalism.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
The book is divided into 7 chapters, each around its own theme. For each one McClanahan pulls from research and her own visits to talk through the topic. Chapter 1 details the rise of the Lonely Planet travel guides as the main example, while also sharing the history of the travel guide and how necessary and widespread they were pre internet before needed to adjust to the World Wide Web. Other chapters include: last chance, under the influence, tourists go home and tourist traps.
A key component of the book is learning about the costs environmentally, socially and culturally that are caused by tourism. McClanahan visits Hawaii, India, Angkor Wat, Liverpool, Disneyland Paris and most memorably Amsterdam’s red-light district. Each of these places fits in with the overall chapter theme, but McClanahan writes about their history as tourist destinations and the way that has shaped the locations and what it has cost the natural environments and the people who try to leave there year round. The research for the book was impacted by COVID and many of McClanahan’s interviewees use the evidence of lock down in their discussions. The Disneyland Europe section highlights a visit right when it was reopening for visitors following the lockdown.
You don’t have to give up exploring, but in your preparation ask what you’re looking for, an escape or the last chance to see?
Recommended for readers of travel writing, nonfiction or environmentalism.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
June 25, 2024
*this was an ARC Goodreads giveaway*
Being someone who has always thoroughly enjoyed traveling and considered themselves as a “travel buff” amongst their peers, this book was an extremely welcome addition to my shelves as it really fit that piece of my soul. This book, which perfectly balances history, personal stories, and thought-provoking arguments, forces the reader to have a consistent inner dialogue with oneself to reflect on their own travel practices and perceptions.
I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s use of her own travels in the book to convey points she was trying to make, while also including additional historical facts, quotations, and interviews to create a complete picture for consideration. I would whole-heartedly recommend this novel to anyone who has traveled or is interested in traveling in the future to help start the conversation, either personally or with travel companions, about what it means to travel, how to balance being an “old” and “new” tourist, and how to educate oneself to help the environment and culture visited.
Being someone who has always thoroughly enjoyed traveling and considered themselves as a “travel buff” amongst their peers, this book was an extremely welcome addition to my shelves as it really fit that piece of my soul. This book, which perfectly balances history, personal stories, and thought-provoking arguments, forces the reader to have a consistent inner dialogue with oneself to reflect on their own travel practices and perceptions.
I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s use of her own travels in the book to convey points she was trying to make, while also including additional historical facts, quotations, and interviews to create a complete picture for consideration. I would whole-heartedly recommend this novel to anyone who has traveled or is interested in traveling in the future to help start the conversation, either personally or with travel companions, about what it means to travel, how to balance being an “old” and “new” tourist, and how to educate oneself to help the environment and culture visited.
July 21, 2024
3.75
A really good, well rounded and unbiased look at the role of tourism in today’s world. It looked at the benefits and harms of tourism and what we need to change.
This would have gotten a higher rating, but the epilogue in Hawaii at the end was incredibly disappointing.
A really good, well rounded and unbiased look at the role of tourism in today’s world. It looked at the benefits and harms of tourism and what we need to change.
This would have gotten a higher rating, but the epilogue in Hawaii at the end was incredibly disappointing.
July 17, 2024
A very well written book about tourism/traveling today. Very insightful, giving me pause to think about my travel habits. If you’re a traveler, you definitely need to read this.
September 22, 2024
Excellent questions are raised and for those that could be, answered. I love to travel and this opened my eyes to some things I can do differently to still experience all the world but conserve it as much as possible.
June 10, 2025
I’m enjoyed this view on tourism. It made me think about what kind of tourist/traveler am or want to be.
March 27, 2025
Loved this book. As a lover of travel myself it was interesting to read about the impact we have on travel and what it does to impact us. Definitely recommend.
October 8, 2025
While a couple of the chapters felt like they needed tightening, overall I really appreciated reading this book before I head out to be a tourist myself. The climate tourism chapter in particular was very strong.
March 21, 2025
A compelling subject — how tourists are loving certain parts of the world to death — that doesn’t go very far. Maybe a travel writer was the wrong person for the job.
May 4, 2025
Required reading for anyone who likes to travel. As a self admitted tourist this book had me reflecting on how I travel and the impact to the communities we visit.
August 12, 2025
Engagingly written and had some interesting sections on history of guide books and anti-tourist sentiment in Barcelona and Hawai'i, but stayed superficial, got repetitive, and was entirely focused on famous destinations in Europe and Hawaii and a very specific type of travel by a specific subset of the white, western, wealthy demographic.
Was criticizing the stereotypical obnoxious "old tourist" that only visits tourist traps, but when describing a model "new tourist" got wishy-washy and vague.
Would've liked discussion or at least acknowledgment of all the other forms of travel besides the "top 10"/"best of"/grand tour/instagram stuff - no discussion at all of cruises, safaris, voluntourism, programs like doctors without borders, medical tourism, missionary work, more fraught destinations like Afghanistan or North Korea, favela tours, study abroad, sports/adventure focused or overland expeditions etc etc etc. Mentioned that hajj exists in a single sentence with 0 elaboration?? (0 mention of Chinese New year or golden week)
I get that tourism is a big subject, but "new tourist" as a term was left so vague it was meaningless. Some discussion of how these other types of travel are or aren't aligned with the actions of a "new tourist" would've helped define them.
Besides Saudi Arabia, a home in India, Angkor Wat, and single paragraph on the Great Barrier Reef, no study of destinations outside Europe and Hawai'i. By the end I was even doubting if this author has even been to Central or South America, Africa, or anywhere else in all of Asia & the Pacific. So weird to omit most of the world in a book about international travel!
Seemed written for the stereotypical NYT reader, not for me.
---
Edit: Adjusted rating down, thought about this more and kept thinking how disappointed I was. Was expecting an informative deep-dive into the tourist industry, and maybe suggestions how to travel more ethically, but this was basically just the author's travelogue and it seems the author is the exact sort of traveler that she derides. Author has not only the privilege to travel, but the platform of this book, so it's super frustrating to see it wasted on her sharing banal personal anecdotes!
Besides the limited scope of destinations, 2 other major omissions are bothering me -
(1) she seemed to have was mostly interviewed government officials, and random guides and tourists. If the author wanted to make a pro-tourism argument, where were the interviews with industry reps who could've offered hard numbers re: job creation and tax revenue? What about hearing from travel agencies like National Geographic, Viking River Cruises, G Adventures, OAT, etc? They must have fascinating insight into demographics, consumer demand for "off-the-beaten"/"authentic" experiences and what goes into creating itineraries.
(2) covid-19 is a weird elephant in the room. there's allusions to it, but given how clear-cut the effects of lockdowns were they really ought have been acknowledged more. Eg. something like the documentary "The Year Earth Changed" reveals how much we can unknowingly be causing harm by showing how natural environments bounced back when people were gone. where's her counter argument for that?
Such a huge and fascinating subject and this book just wastes the opportunity to actually explore it!
Was criticizing the stereotypical obnoxious "old tourist" that only visits tourist traps, but when describing a model "new tourist" got wishy-washy and vague.
Would've liked discussion or at least acknowledgment of all the other forms of travel besides the "top 10"/"best of"/grand tour/instagram stuff - no discussion at all of cruises, safaris, voluntourism, programs like doctors without borders, medical tourism, missionary work, more fraught destinations like Afghanistan or North Korea, favela tours, study abroad, sports/adventure focused or overland expeditions etc etc etc. Mentioned that hajj exists in a single sentence with 0 elaboration?? (0 mention of Chinese New year or golden week)
I get that tourism is a big subject, but "new tourist" as a term was left so vague it was meaningless. Some discussion of how these other types of travel are or aren't aligned with the actions of a "new tourist" would've helped define them.
Besides Saudi Arabia, a home in India, Angkor Wat, and single paragraph on the Great Barrier Reef, no study of destinations outside Europe and Hawai'i. By the end I was even doubting if this author has even been to Central or South America, Africa, or anywhere else in all of Asia & the Pacific. So weird to omit most of the world in a book about international travel!
Seemed written for the stereotypical NYT reader, not for me.
---
Edit: Adjusted rating down, thought about this more and kept thinking how disappointed I was. Was expecting an informative deep-dive into the tourist industry, and maybe suggestions how to travel more ethically, but this was basically just the author's travelogue and it seems the author is the exact sort of traveler that she derides. Author has not only the privilege to travel, but the platform of this book, so it's super frustrating to see it wasted on her sharing banal personal anecdotes!
Besides the limited scope of destinations, 2 other major omissions are bothering me -
(1) she seemed to have was mostly interviewed government officials, and random guides and tourists. If the author wanted to make a pro-tourism argument, where were the interviews with industry reps who could've offered hard numbers re: job creation and tax revenue? What about hearing from travel agencies like National Geographic, Viking River Cruises, G Adventures, OAT, etc? They must have fascinating insight into demographics, consumer demand for "off-the-beaten"/"authentic" experiences and what goes into creating itineraries.
(2) covid-19 is a weird elephant in the room. there's allusions to it, but given how clear-cut the effects of lockdowns were they really ought have been acknowledged more. Eg. something like the documentary "The Year Earth Changed" reveals how much we can unknowingly be causing harm by showing how natural environments bounced back when people were gone. where's her counter argument for that?
Such a huge and fascinating subject and this book just wastes the opportunity to actually explore it!
April 29, 2024
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
On a walk I noticed a female high school student walking 20 feet ahead of me, drinking what appeared to be iced tea from a glass bottle. She set the half-finished bottle on the sidewalk and kept walking, unresponsive to anyone asking her to pick up her trash and dispose of it responsibly. Apparently the irresponsible student couldn’t be bothered to recycle or find a trash can. The sidewalk was her I-can’t-be-bothered personal trash can stand-in. As an entitled person, she appeared to give no consideration for the environment. Perhaps she expected someone else to clean up her trash. Ugh. If she does that in her home town, I can imagine she’s a nightmare when traveling.
Raised in a tourist town and fully aware of the positive (and not so positive) impacts of tourism, I was excited to read Paige McClanahan’s new book, The New Tourist.
Learning languages and implementing Rick Steves’s “back door” traveling style have always been my favorite way to immerse myself in the local culture. Stay off the beaten path. Find the hidden gems. Learn about the people living there and avoid the tourist traps. Where do the locals go for fun? Where do the locals eat? I don’t wish to take selfies in polluted, diesel-stench-filled waterways because everyone else has decided what’s social-media-worthy, when there are real-life consequences to those decisions/actions.
How often do we “leave no trace” when traveling? I’ve always considered that phrase when hiking and/or camping, leaving things better than you found them. Disgusting, anger-inducing stories such as a group of people trashing a lake campsite for others to clean up, or where national parks have been graffitied or looted, populate the evening news. People need to be accountable for their actions.
For other travel, I’ve applied the concept in my own way and enjoyed volunteering in a new city in order to leave things better than I found them, to leave a positive imprint on my stay, such as giving back to the local community through volunteerism and contributing to important grassroots efforts to help displaced animals and marginalized communities.
In one case, my article on an important local artist received national attention. A small kindness reaped a major impact. But were the consequences of that act positive for the city? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Surreal travel includes learning that the Alhambra has an ATM. Do we ever truly contemplate the consequences of travel and tourism? Or do we just not care about our actions and any impact they may have?
Paige McClanahan’s new book, The New Tourist, addresses those impacts. An important read.
On a walk I noticed a female high school student walking 20 feet ahead of me, drinking what appeared to be iced tea from a glass bottle. She set the half-finished bottle on the sidewalk and kept walking, unresponsive to anyone asking her to pick up her trash and dispose of it responsibly. Apparently the irresponsible student couldn’t be bothered to recycle or find a trash can. The sidewalk was her I-can’t-be-bothered personal trash can stand-in. As an entitled person, she appeared to give no consideration for the environment. Perhaps she expected someone else to clean up her trash. Ugh. If she does that in her home town, I can imagine she’s a nightmare when traveling.
Raised in a tourist town and fully aware of the positive (and not so positive) impacts of tourism, I was excited to read Paige McClanahan’s new book, The New Tourist.
Learning languages and implementing Rick Steves’s “back door” traveling style have always been my favorite way to immerse myself in the local culture. Stay off the beaten path. Find the hidden gems. Learn about the people living there and avoid the tourist traps. Where do the locals go for fun? Where do the locals eat? I don’t wish to take selfies in polluted, diesel-stench-filled waterways because everyone else has decided what’s social-media-worthy, when there are real-life consequences to those decisions/actions.
How often do we “leave no trace” when traveling? I’ve always considered that phrase when hiking and/or camping, leaving things better than you found them. Disgusting, anger-inducing stories such as a group of people trashing a lake campsite for others to clean up, or where national parks have been graffitied or looted, populate the evening news. People need to be accountable for their actions.
For other travel, I’ve applied the concept in my own way and enjoyed volunteering in a new city in order to leave things better than I found them, to leave a positive imprint on my stay, such as giving back to the local community through volunteerism and contributing to important grassroots efforts to help displaced animals and marginalized communities.
In one case, my article on an important local artist received national attention. A small kindness reaped a major impact. But were the consequences of that act positive for the city? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Surreal travel includes learning that the Alhambra has an ATM. Do we ever truly contemplate the consequences of travel and tourism? Or do we just not care about our actions and any impact they may have?
Paige McClanahan’s new book, The New Tourist, addresses those impacts. An important read.
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