THE GOLDEN HORDES: International Tourism and the Pleasure Periphery

by Louis & John Ash Turner ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 22, 1977

A highly observant overview of the modern tourist industry which compares international vacationers to the barbarian invaders because of the cultural disintegration that follows in their wake. Turner and Ash concentrate on the pattern of disruption in the sunbelt colonies--the decline of local agriculture, displacement of native industry, rampant inflation, dictatorial taxi drivers, a general mushrooming of resentments. But the phenomenon appears elsewhere--the authors note labor-force conflicts in Switzerland, bombings in Ireland--and the many aspects of the problem are carefully explored here. Aware of the cultural arrogance implicit in menus that promise ""local delicacies which you can eat in perfect safety,"" they have no illusions about the hoteliers' hostility to ""authenticity and cultural identity"" or the inevitable tensions arising from cultural collision and systematic exploitation. But marketing sanitized Edens has its limits: employees press for a bigger piece of the pie and visitors search out ever-more-bizarre experiences--e.g. tours to cannibal country. Advertisements notwithstanding, The Smile and niceness campaigns are on the way out (Haitian Premier Mitchell cracked, ""To Hell with paradise""); but there are alternatives, especially for Third World countries whose governments make a stand, take charge, and keep the money flow inside local borders. A Cook's Tour of a changing terrain--get your tickets while they last.

Pub Date: March 22, 1977

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1977

Categories: NONFICTION