Revenge Tourism! What the hell is this? I exclaimed as I heard this term for the first-time last evening. Apparently, it’s been doing rounds of social media. Having stayed away from Instagram (the only social media I actively pursue) for a while now, naturally I have no clue. Being overly occupied in certain other aspects of life also does its bit in contributing to such ignorance. Quite often, I find myself staggering behind and completely lost about these current trends and other such things brewing out there. Certainly, they aren’t important and hence don’t matter. But people pick up these terminologies and casually use them in everyday conversations. Sometimes, they go a step ahead and make you feel foolish and dumb when you express your unfamiliarity. I couldn’t care less though!
Revenge Tourism, as I understand, means tourism with a vengeance to make up for all the times people couldn’t travel. The phrase feels somewhat negative to me. Are we challenging Mother Nature in some way? – was my immediate thought. Probably, I am being judgmental as I have no idea how this terminology came into being and under what circumstances it might have been coined. Probably I am just envious as I haven’t had the opportunity to participate in Revenge Tourism just yet. However, to travel with a vengeful mindset feels strange and weird, doesn’t it? Afterall, what we think is just as important as what we say and do. Our thoughts matter, they make us who we are. It’s important to be mindful, not just of speech and action, but thought too. I wouldn’t dare to invite Mother Nature’s ire by indulging in any form of activity that might upset her, least of all by making a blatant display of my arrogance.
Revenge Tourism or Reward Tourism or whatever Tourism be it, the most important thing to remember is the entire economic angle around it. Tons of people have their livelihood dependent on tourism. So, let travel happen while making sure that protocols are adhered to and the right amount of balance is maintained.
To me travel still feels like a faraway dream, at least the kind of travel I used to do. Pre-pandemic travel sometimes feels like a thing of another life – a past life. I would go on long trips at least thrice a year and that would be interspersed with smaller trips to nearby places. All of that, feels like a dream now. I shouldn’t be just blaming the pandemic though. Life has changed personally in certain other ways too and it feels like a new phase. I had never given much thought to the fact that travel can be dependent on extraneous factors, many of which aren’t in one’s direct control. Well, life waxes and wanes and all we can do is just flow along.
Now, I hadn’t set out to put down my thoughts around Revenge Tourism today. Neither did I plan to tell my travel sob stories. This post was supposed to be about something else altogether. I wanted to sum up all the things I did between the end of December and beginning of January, which incidentally includes some bit of travel too. Let me just keep that aside for my next post.
Seasons of Life! 
You present great
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your kind comment. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t heard the term either and it sounds too aggressive for me. We’re about to head off on a cross Canada trip. That’s as much tourism as we’ll get for the next few months. And we’re not our for revenge😊 Maggie
LikeLiked by 3 people
That’s fantastic. A trip across Canada is definitely good travel. Will read all the adventures in your blog. Have fun and be safe.
I was mentioning the phrase to my colleagues in the US, even they hadn’t heard about it. This makes me think that it’s doing the rounds only in India perhaps.
Thanks for visiting, Maggie. 🙂
LikeLike
I hadn’t heard the term “revenge tourism” till I chanced upon your site. My wife and I are planning to vacation this autumn. It will not be an example of revenge tourism, but it will be real good to get away nonetheless.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m certain not everyone who travels now is doing so with that mindset. People just start using terminologies without putting in much thought around them. I hope you have a great time in your Autumn break.
Thank you so much for visiting. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
What??? 😀 😀
Vengeance is a negative term in any form. Good to read you back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha….people are crazy!
Thanks for visiting, Abhay. I have become a little irregular with WP of late.
Hope you’re doing well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Same to same, I too have become irregular. Nonetheless, good to read you back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Revenge tourism sounds like a very self-centered thing to me. Sure, I miss traveling to faraway places. I miss going to new countries. But when that day comes, when this is possible again, being vengeful is the last thing I will have in mind. It’s the small businesses, the tourism-reliant local communities, and just normal people who were forced out of their jobs due to the pandemic that I will think of, because for them it will be a day when they will finally be able to breathe normally again.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Very well said, Bama. That’s precisely the reason why tourism needs to start off again. Also, missing traveling is one thing but thinking of it as a revenge of sorts is another. I do hope we all get to do our favorite thing again in the way we want to while maintaining all the checks and balances.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
I am yet to catch up on your posts. There’s a treasure trove out there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t like that term either. I’m itching to be back in the mountains, and seeing other countries, but that’s hardly possible now. Instead, I’m looking at little places closer to home, tourism related things run by individuals and families. I also find it heartening how resilient some of them are.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s such a unique thing to do. Surely they’ll be some great experiences. You’re giving me ideas and I will surely check out this option.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tourism can’t be revenge. Tourism is meant for enhancing your horizon. Of course time is bad, it does not mean that you can go against nature. Patience is the greatest virtue now. Hope better days would come soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very truly said, Ramasamy Sir. We all have to be patient and let Mother Nature heal. All things will happen at the right time.
LikeLike
That sounds rather like a counter-productive concept, if at all it would matter to the aggrieved (?), self-centred, voracious individuals! You have put across your thoughts very well and I could not agree more. One of those cases where I would not say – to each his own…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes Narendra, this certainly isn’t a “to each his own”. It’s about acceptance and doing things in moderation, which also includes how we think. Thank you so much for always taking time to read my posts. I’ve been exceedingly irregular in visiting and reading the blogs I enjoy. Hope to get back soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s always a pleasure to read your blog, and more so since I think I understand where you’re coming from when you make your point. 😊
Hope it is the busi-ness of the routine that’s keeping you away and all is well. Look forward to reading more, more often. 🙂
LikeLike
It is mostly busi-ness of the routine but not entirely. I do need to manage my time better. Hope all is good with you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I often think this planet would be a lot better off without us… 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
You said it! 😦 😦
LikeLike
I feel like revenge tourism is what’s happening in Hawaii at the moment- they’re having so many tourists the traffic is insane and they’re running out of fresh water with the heat!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s surprising. Good that people are traveling but tipping the balance isn’t a good idea. And, if essentials like water is becoming short then something isn’t quite okay. 🙂
Thanks for visiting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t think people go into travel in a vengeful way, is just a peculiar term and the propensity to use it. But you are right, I don’t like the casual overuse of it, just like I don’t like the new normal term either.
Let us just be happy whenever we can travel. Hope you are doing great! I have been away from WP for quite some time now, and will be away for couple of months more due to work related stuff, and will look forward to read more of your travel stories when I can be back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Surely nobody does but when such hashtags do rounds of social media, it gets you wondering.
Don’t know when I can again travel like I used to. Hope all is good with you other than the obvious work pressure. Be back soon.
LikeLike
I can’t relate to the term either. Like you say, it sounds angry and maybe a bit entitled as well. (“That’ll teach you, Mother Nature, for sending us a pandemic. We’re going to put out TWICE as much carbon as we did before!”)
Even fully vaccinated and with things reasonably stable here I’m far from ready to travel outside my city just yet. On the other hand, last weekend Sage and I took a 30 minute bus ride uptown to a big library and it really did feel like an exciting outing – as if we were leaving for a trip. So if anything, instead of feeling like I want to get Mother Nature back for what she’s done, I’m more inclined to keep appreciating the small things nearby.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s completely relatable. I am also confined at home most of the times. But many people aren’t. And, social media is splashed with travel pictures and stories. Even treks to the Himalayas. Sometimes I think I understand that people are desperate to get out of the monotony. But it also feels sort of frivolous (especially the splashing of pics in social media), without being judgmental though. As so many people are still suffering across the world, the pandemic is far from over. Facebook especially just so often does a good job of pulling your spirts down. 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Rashid's Blog: An Educational Portal.
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing! I’m a 4th-year tourism management student, and this is the 1st time I’ve heard of this particular term. You’re so right about people becoming judgemental when you haven’t heard of an odd term like this before. However, I do agree with you that this term comes from people wanting to make up for the time they couldn’t travel due to the pandemic. This term does sound very aggressive, but for many people travel is an escape from their mundane lifestyles – and this was pre covid. A year and a half later of being constantly consumed by the new covid lifestyle, many are looking for some sort of travel, even if it’s only domestic for now. I am looking forward for tourism to surge again once it becomes safe to do so ☺️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely, people who love travel can’t wait to get out in the normal way again. I am also one of them. It’s just the terminology that doesn’t seem fit. Aggressive, like you mention. Tourism has already started off and it isn’t as bad as it was last year. In India I find most people planning their trips. Also, with the opportunity to work remotely, many people are traveling to their desired destination and working from there.
Thank you so much, Elizabeth, for giving this post a read and leaving your thoughts. Best wishes for your management degree. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person