The Tourist Gaze

The "Tourist Gaze" is a concept that describes how tourists view and interpret unfamiliar places based on expectations influenced by media, culture, and personal perceptions. It shapes what they notice, value, and find interesting, often emphasizing certain landmarks or aesthetics while overlooking everyday realities. Essentially, it highlights that tourism involves not just visiting a place but experiencing it through a lens shaped by cultural ideas and desires, which can influence their understanding and memory of the destination.