Travellers and tourists belong to two different worlds
17 May 2013
posted by Salman Rashid @ 08:42,
13 Comments:
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At 17 May 2013 at 09:02,
Sydney Fruit Baskets said...
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I agree, travellers are much more respectful and aware - tourists are too often caught up in the marketing hype.
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At 17 May 2013 at 11:22,
Aghader Ami said...
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I thought both the 'species' substantiate each other; travelers discover and write for tourists (and readers). What would be tourism industry without those noisy tourists who come to places and actually spend their money?
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At 17 May 2013 at 12:07,
Salman Rashid said...
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The industry may not be anything without the noisy tourists, but the trouble is they don't see, they don't hear - because they are too noisy and too busy playing cricket with their plastic bats and balls. This class of tourist does not read so the work of the travel writer is nothing for them.
As far as the Pakistani tourist is concerned, especially the one that goes to the North, they are accustomed to the meaningless fictitious travel writing of Urdu which tells them nothing other than a few place names. It also does not inspire the urge to read anything more meaningful and to learn. -
At 17 May 2013 at 16:08,
Starr said...
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Yes, the two are completely different breeds. But we all need to stop being tourists, and start being travelers and enjoying journeys as much as destinations, the local food, places and its people. We need to change. And the travel writers can be engines for such a change.
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At 18 May 2013 at 23:42,
Kausar Bilal said...
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Hmmm...interesting!
Actually, in Pakistan, we don't have a reading culture at all. Those who get opportunity to travel, they never study about the place they are about to visit. Rather, we never explore our own whereabouts if it is not needed. But now, it's time to develop new habits and spread awareness on issues like travel.
What I believe is, we cannot bridge much gap between a traveler and a tourist despite all the effort, because they both belong to the different poles.
Thanks for highlighting the issue! -
At 19 May 2013 at 17:13,
said...
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Was there any travel writing or travel if there were no tourists? I don't think so.
May be they both are lazim o malzom for each other. -
At 20 May 2013 at 14:37,
Salman Rashid said...
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Karim Dad, tourists can never be travel writers. They simply lack the intellectual content. They can write diaries of their travels (as it happens in Urdu) which any Grade 4 student can too. Sir, travel writing takes much more than a reading of Isobel Shaw's trekking guide.
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At 22 May 2013 at 10:22,
said...
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With what is happening all over the country, do you think there still are any tourists left in Pakistan? I don't see any. People are afraid to get out.
JJ -
At 22 May 2013 at 12:25,
Salman Rashid said...
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No tourists, JJ. Except of course in Gilgit-Baltistan. But there are still some mad travellers like me and a few more.
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At 14 September 2013 at 21:48,
Unknown said...
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Absolutely...the tourists come to fairy meadows n r greatly disappointed b/c there wasn't. any chicken karahi... Very well observed n very aptly recorded. It's a blessing that G.B is still an option for travellers.
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At 14 September 2013 at 22:01,
Unknown said...
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Absolutely...all that a tourist wants is chicken karahi n the majestic Nanga Parbat with its ethereal beauty goes unnoticed...just imagine.
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At 15 September 2013 at 09:43,
Salman Rashid said...
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Idea is to get away from the heat, Memoona. And if there is a chicken karahi to be had, why not?
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At 29 September 2014 at 16:07,
Unknown said...
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Interesting, I think it's a human characteristic, a person can either be a traveller or a tourist. If that person already have an instinct for travelling it won't make much difference who he/she is travelling with either it is with a group of tourists or few travel partners, a traveller will always find out his/her way.
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