Travel Editor Judith Bellmunt discusses the ethical line between experience and exploitation in tourism

By Judith Bellmunt | Sep 11 2026

When people think of West Asia, or North Africa, there are certain optics that stand out: camels, deserts, the Dead Sea, the pyramids, etc. However, they rarely think of what else the countries have to offer.

Let me give you two examples: Many tourists who go to Egypt will visit and post to their socials about the pyramids, but never the city of Cairo, which lies a stone's throw away from the pyramids. Within Cairo, there are plenty of things to visit, explore and see. Similarly, they may overlook visiting Alexandria, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

A UCD graduate experienced this phenomenon  when she visited Cuba with her niece. Although they knew to watch out for tourist traps and touristy areas, she mentions the hotel they stayed in La Habana selling them a "Caribbean paradise" or “beach paradise”. She spoke of how one time the hotel had a group of staff dressed up as trovadores, traditional Cuban musicians, singing traditional revolutionary songs to the tourists.

To them, the performance in their commercialised hotel felt out of context and place,  like they were trying to “sell” the experience to tourists. She compares this feeling to listening to revolutionary songs in the local Cuban pubs, where it actually felt right and authentic.

Likewise, she says breakfast at the hotel was carefully curated to be familiar enough for American tourists, just like a breakfast like they would have at home, with “tiny drops of culture” from Cuba. It seems like this is the greater pattern of commercialised  “self-exotisation” of countries for tourism.

The experience is made familiar enough to be “palatable” to tourists, whilst “exotic” enough to catch their interest. Although this is something that happened in the particular hotel they went to, and not everywhere in the country is the same, it is certainly part of a bigger trend that happens globally.

Researchers Causevica and Neal have written in depth on how, at times, historical sites are presented to tourists with no reference to the country's history for a more “sanitized” experience.

They mention how in Oman, although tour guides tend to come from marginalised groups, they collude with the state in what they call a “state-sustained exotic veil on history”, and don’t share that part of history with tourists. Even if the inequality due to historical family, tribal and former slave status affects them personally.

Tourism is heavily political, and can be instrumentalised by the state to present itself in the light they wish to attract more tourists. Of course, countries cannot be entirely blamed for using it to their advantage when tourism is a huge part of many of their economies.

Additionally, many tourists come looking for such “curated” experiences in all-inclusive resorts. When travelling to another country, the bare minimum you should endeavour to do is learn even a little about their culture and history, regardless of whether you do stay in a touristy area or end up in a commercialised hotel. If you don’t know of anyone from the area, you can ask locals what to see and visit once you’re there, and ask for their genuine opinions and recommendations.

You can also look up advice and recommendations online. Social media platforms such as Tiktok and Instagram are changing the way travelling works, allowing people to access advice and recommendations of things to visit from local content creators, allowing for much more authentic and immersive cultural experiences.

Travelling should be about learning about different countries' real histories, the good and the bad, as well as real cultural exchange.