The Characteristics of an Ugly Tourist

In 1958 the novel The Ugly American was published. The book was intended to expose the failing foreign policies of America towards the countries of Southeast Asia. Since then, however, the term has come to refer to Americans who travel or live abroad and are insensitive to the culture of the country they are in. They view everything through the lens of American values and standards. However, Americans are not the only ones who can fall prey to this conditions so I am using the term ugly tourist.

Today in the United States as well as in many parts of the world, we are facing the reality of how a dominant culture has imposed its values and restrained those of other cultures. The Black Lives Movement has shone the spotlight on how White culture has taken advantage of not only Blacks but also Native Americans and Latinos. It has been a difficult and heart wrenching time for many.

The question that I want to raise here is how does this issue impact our tourist industry? People are traveling like never before, and not just Americans but Asians and Europeans as well. Of course the worldwide pandemic has stopped almost all travel for now, but that gives us time to reflect. How will our actions and attitudes be different when we begin again to travel the world? Racism can express itself in ways both great and small. Here are some ways I see people exemplifying an ugly tourist.

One of the main characteristics of an ugly tourist is they tend not to acknowledge the people around them that in the end help make their experience. In the United States these are often people of color or immigrants. These are the people who clean the hotel rooms, wash the laundry, serve the meals, take tickets at museums and theaters, help us with our luggage, direct us at airports, etc. In many ways they are invisible. However, if they ever make a mistake, the ugly tourist is quick to point it out and will complain and even berate. Mistakes happen. Looking these individuals in the eye and thanking them for their efforts is an act of generosity the ugly tourist needs to learn. A tip is even more appreciated.

On a different note ugly tourists thinks that everyone should speak their language. Many Americans assume that they can use English in all parts of the world. English, indeed, is quite common, but more remote places may be more challenging. My first encounter with an ugly American was when I lived in the Dominican Republic. I saw an American man on the street talking to an ice cream vendor. He was trying to get a vanilla ice cream cone, but apparently the vendor was not understanding him. The man began to talk louder and slower in an angry tone as if he were speaking to an ignorant child. At that point I was embarrassed to be an American. He came across as so condescending in the way he was treating the poor ice cream vendor.

The truth is it speaks poorly of Americans that many of them cannot speak a second language. My experience in Malawi this past January was interesting. I was trying to help the students improve their English, but they would be down on themselves. I would often encourage them with the fact that their ability to speak English, however poorly, was a sign of their intelligence as many Americans can only speak one language, but they spoke two languages. They certainly weren’t dumb for speaking English poorly.

Another characteristic of an ugly tourist is their lack of respect for the places they are visiting. They don’t follow the local rules assuming that the rules don’t apply to them. Their disrespectful actions include such things as littering, climbing into fountains, touching artifacts, feeding animal despite warning signs, or in other ways destroying that which is valuable to others. I think of the men who posted a video of themselves knocking over a rock formation at a Utah state park a few years ago. Their disregard for the environment was repugnant to many. They were being ugly tourists in their own backyard. We need to recognize that we are visitors when we travel, and visitors need to respect the places they are visiting.

A common characteristic of ugly tourists is the attitude that they are the only ones that matters; their needs come first. One of the ways this attitude comes out is in the area of photography. Today with the ease of cell phones, everyone is taking pictures. Hogging a scene so they can get their picture or taking up more time than they should characterizes ugly tourists.

A few years ago we traveled to Switzerland in April. On the best weather day we headed to the top of Mt. Pilatus near Lucerne. At the top we encountered a group of Chinese tourists with a woman who loved to be the center of attention. Her husband was following her around as she would primp and pose for photos. We were at one view point which looked down over the valley. People were taking turns going up for a chance at a photo. She spent longer than anyone else going through various poses and inviting friends to pose with her while others were waiting for their turn. She won my vote for ugly tourist that day.

Another example of being an ugly tourist is to not respect the dress standards of the country and culture you are visiting. Americans are known for their casual often sloppy appearance. In fact you can often spot the Americans. However, this goes beyond that. Sometimes churches are open as tourist attractions. They may have dress expectations. It is important that those rules be followed. Muslim mosques are particularly sensitive to that. The ugly tourist will try to sneak in or ignore the rules.

Over 20 years ago I went with my son to the Dominican Republic to teach for a month. He had just finished 5th grade. One weekend we went to the beach. I had gone to this beach quite a few times when I had lived there 15 years or so before then. However, things had changed. Europeans had discovered this tropical paradise, and it had become a tourist destination. The problem was the Europeans came with their expectations, and we encountered women walking around topless. It was embarrassing for my son and me, but more importantly I felt it disregarded the morals of the Dominican people who would not have thought that was appropriate behavior.

A final way to be an ugly tourist is to try to be as cheap as possible. There is a fine line here, but I think it is important to consider. I am an admitted budget tourist. However, when I compare my income to that of the average person in a third world country, I am indeed the rich American they will often see me as. Will they try to take advantage of me. Yes! I will try to pay a reasonable price, but if I overpay, it will probably not hurt me much and will perhaps help them. This is particularly true of bargaining. One can be hard-nosed about it, or one can play the game with a smile and end up paying a reasonable amount. Most likely you will always pay less than if you bought it in your home country.

I’ll never forget what a friend of mine said when I lived in the Dominican Republic. He observed, “Americans brag about how little they pay for something. We Dominicans brag how much we pay for something.” In other words Americans, who can generally afford more, are always looking for a bargain. Dominicans, who have little, like to brag when they can afford something that seems expensive. I thought that was a very thoughtful observation.

Perhaps you have some other ideas of the characteristics of an ugly tourist. Perhaps you have seen an ugly tourist in action. Be sure to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Fortunately most people do act in a polite and respectful way when they travel. However, as our recent times have shown us, sometimes we are not even aware of the ways we may act in an offensive manner. So let’s unite together to try to make sure that all tourists are beautiful tourists and treat each other with the courtesy and respect all human beings deserve.

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Credit: The following photos are courtesy of Andrea Lee: “Dressed for the Mosque,” “Donkey Guide in Morocco,” “Fixing Breakfast in Paris,” “Selling Trinkets in Morocco,” and “Market in Sri Lanka”