Urban Tourism Essay

The massive flood of people caused by tourism has enriched economies, fostered growth, but also suffocated the traditional culture of native lands. It was only until recently that tourism, a social and economic phenomenon, began to be studied by social scientists and beginning in the 1980’s the concept of urban tourism was developed. Up until this point tourism had been deemed an umbrella study and lacked any sort of individual categories. Instead, urban tourism came to be known as “a term describing multiple tourist activities in which city is main destination and place of interest” and while this complex form of tourism had been taking place for a long time, the idea of a city as a destination became “more and more popular phenomenon [in

Scientists have found there to be large economic, socio-culture, as well as environmental effects on urban life. Distinctly described by Dante and Petrarch as Il Bel Paese, the Beautiful Country, Italy is renowned for its diverse terrain, mild climate and culture rich in music and arts, religion, architecture, familial tradition, and cuisine. Tourists flock to this beautiful land making it one of the most visited countries in the world with over 46 million people visiting the country every year (Holloway 2014). Often coined as the “art cities,” Rome, Venice, and Florence, in particular, have seen a large growth of tourism in the last decade. Ultimately, this large influx of urban tourism has had a net positive economic impact on the cities. However, the socio-culture of many Italian cities has faced profound negative consequences due to the insensitive hands of

Scholars, merchants, and artists alike spread their knowledge, cultures, and products by way of trade routes connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa. Along these trade routes, settlements transformed into cities as large commerce centers began to promote growth. The concept of leisurely tourism, particularly within Italy, eventually took hold beginning with the Roman Empire. Feria, meaning “festival” in Latin, was spent far from one’s home and may have as well been one of the earliest forms of tourism. Presumably, it is what we know today as “vacation.” Also notable during this time period, gladiator games held within coliseums attracted an international crowd of both common and wealthy people alike, all seeking a form of entertainment. The concept of tourism then continued to expand as religious tourism started to take form when Christianity became the religion of the land with Constantine and continued to reign even after the Roman Empire had fallen, resulting in mass pilgrimages and floods of people rushing into Rome.

Many centuries later Italy continued to attract tourists eager to learn and witness its distinct culture as the Renaissance Age swept over Europe in a grandeur fashion in the 16th and 17th century casting a large imprint on art forms and architecture thus attracting large numbers of scholars and students. Furthermore, tourism continued to trend upwards