Future of tourism? Meeting the locals

Let’s admit it: tourism is mainly about our own enjoyment and sense of adventure. We even feel we have the right to it: we deserve a break from our hectic life, and (in Northern Europe) our bodies yearn for the sun. When holidays come around, we daydream about sunny beaches, delicious new food and exciting cultural sights. But there is another aspect of tourism, which we increasingly strive for: meeting and interacting with the locals. Many of us are eager to talk to people who live elsewhere, to understand their lifestyle and compare it to ours. Those moments of insight prove our common humanity and often make us more open to other cultures than any other activity.

In some developing countries the tourism industry still thrives on an exclusive model: you are flown in to a paradise resort and there you are happily confined, enjoying the occasional excursion. So your chances to meet and get to know the locals are slim. Luckily, more Europeans are now exchanging that old tried model for a new one: travelling with local agencies, moving around the country on their own and making last moment decisions on where to eat or sleep. This way we get to interact more with the locals and we can spend our money where it is needed the most.

Sometimes, to our delight, the locals are communicative and helpful. Other times the situation is different and they seem distant and serious. So what can we do to break the ice? How can we improve our communication and get to know the “other”? One way is to stop using our camera so often. We tourists often make the mistake of pointing a camera at other people’s faces the first time we see them. This can create feelings of unease and even animosity among the “subjects” of the photos. So if you want to take a photo of someone with your camera please smile at the person, wave your hand to say hello, come closer and say something, in any language you know. You can even shake hands and introduce yourself. With these actions you show that you are a friend and not a foe. Only then should your camera intervene.

Another thing we tourists often do, and which prevents us from getting closer to the locals, is to appear uninterested in their lives. In the western world it is not common to ask strangers many questions because it might seem rude and inquisitive. But in most developing countries, especially the warm ones, life revolves around chatting. So asking the locals a few concrete questions will not throw them of track. Travelling is a great opportunity to understand how people feel about their country, their government, their schools and their lives in general. Certain questions lead us to new horizons of understanding. The more you ask, the more they see you care and the more they open up. Works universally!

And then there is a great barrier, which consists in feelings of guilt. When you visit a country where many people live in poverty, you are clearly aware (although no one would dare show it) that this fact alone separates them from you. It is indeed a strange feeling and we do not understand why, but we do feel guilty. Are we more privileged because we work in offices rather than do manual labour? Are we luckier to have a monthly salary and get to travel and really enjoy the fruits of our work? Definitely, we are. But although this can cause some envy in the locals, it does not mean they hate us. In most cases they have other things to worry about. And they surely have reasons to feel luckier than we are in many other aspects. So we need to get rid of the guilt. It is not the tourists’ fault that a country is poor. Even if it is true that in the past our Europeans nations colonised many developing countries and have deprived them of valuable resources, times have changed. We are a new people and these countries have new exciting opportunities ahead. By visiting a country, by buying their products, and using their services we are contributing to their economy. We are also acknowledging that the country exists, that we consider it beautiful and worth the visit. And when we feel that some locals only see us as a walking dollar (or euro) we need to break the negative circle immediately. We should not feel obliged to pay people for their kindness or to buy things from them we really don’t like. We need to be friendly and show through our interaction that we are much more than walking dollars.

And that brings me to customer service. Any country, no matter how poor it is, has the possibility to improve the life of its people by making sure they are offering a good quality and friendly service to its tourists. In the tourism industry this can be done by explaining to hotel and restaurant staff how tourists like to be treated and by asking for our feedback as much as possible. We tourists often hang around hotels and restaurant managed by westerners because we know what to expect in terms of service. If positive experiences abound in locally managed places we will definitely prefer to go there.

So, wherever you go next, be open to talking to local people. The kind of holiday where you meet the locals and truly get to know them will be the one you will never forget!