To Travel in France

Paper Summary:

This paper compares and contrasts tourism in France from just before the French Revolution to the present. It argues that the evolution of tourism traces the transformation in national identity, changes in French society itself and the cultural transformation the country underwent from the early 19th century, through the colonial age of empire and to the present. It applies socio-cultural theory in order to understand these long-range effects.

From the Paper:

"A study of tourists and their correspondence reveals as much about the character of French society as it does about the travelers themselves. Although they frequently look at the land and people they are visiting with some degree of ethnocentricity their perceptions are nonetheless valuable in tracing the evolution of French society. The records kept by tourists before the advent of mass tourism in the twentieth century observe primarily high-class society; since only the wealthy could afford the Grand Tour in France, the company they kept and the activities they pursued kept them among French elites. Before the 1900s, the majority of travelers were diplomats or wealthy men touring France for pleasure or cultural betterment . Although not stating it plainly, the company they kept with aristocrats and the bourgeoisie suggest a highly divisive class structure."

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