Crossroads Events
Crossroads: Practicing the Liberal Arts is an array of integrated programming that spans the full range of disciplines, departments, and spaces on the Hamilton campus.
Event Description
A Community Conversation on International Travel: Benefit or Burden?
With global borders fully open post-COVID, 2024 marked a full recovery for international tourism. Over 1.4 billion tourist arrivals were recorded worldwide in 2024 and tourism spending was estimated at $11.1 trillion. At the same time, anti-tourism protests in many parts of Europe made news. In Barcelona, overwhelmed locals shot tourists with water guns. In Venice, residents protested Jeff Bezos’ tourist-filled wedding and, in Paris, staff of the Louvre staged a walk-out. These protests have not done much to dissuade travelers, however. Student travel and study-abroad programs, in particular, remain popular, especially at Hamilton.
So how should we think about international travel? Is it a vehicle for cultural exchange and economic uplift or does it commodify local traditions and drain local resources? Are we expanding our horizons or simply consuming destinations? Join us for lunch to discuss the ethics of global exploration, the reality of “authenticity,” and whether we can ever truly be travelers and not just tourists.
This is a Crossroads Event. Community Conversations are made possible by The Alan McCullough, Jr. Fund for Applied Philosophy.
Contact
Contact Name
Christina Strong
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