The anthropology of tourism is a fairly new area of study. In essence it is the study of hosts and guests. The hosts are the people who live in an area, and the guests are the people who choose to visit that place. How the two groups of people interact forms much of the basis of the tourism experience.

The course begins by offering a definition of what tourism is. Next, we cover the history of tourism including the ancient Greeks and Romans and continuing on until the present day. In addition, we discuss the nature of tourism, why people travel, the economic benefits and drawbacks of the travel industry, and how tourism affects both the visited and the visitors. Finally, we discuss colonialization, marginalization issues, and the environmental, economic, and social impacts of tourism through videos and readings.