Tourism as Experience and Desire for Territory and Traveling

Abstract

The approach the authors take on tourism is not related to economic analysis, nor even a political analysis stricto sensu. They configure tourism as a cultural activity. The perspective developed on tourism is phenomenological and socio-anthropological. Hence, they do not dwell on business (nec/otium – not/leisure; activity, work, commerce) but mostly on leisure (otium – time free from activity). First, they point out that tourism reflects our current obsession with one territory and traveling in one territory. The second element developed in this chapter is the experience of traveling, which is always a possibility of an encounter – an encounter with the other and an encounter with nature.