The present paper asks whether one can apply the modern concept of
tourism to Greek, Roman or Western Medieval societies. It analyses records left by
ancient visitors, graffiti, travel records and memoirs, based on several current
definitions of tourism in sociological and psychological studies. It argues that most
definitions of modern tourism are only formulated with contemporary society in
mind. Those definitions that stress the experience of the tourist are the ones best
applicable to ancient evidence. It also argues that many of these ancient authors of
traveling literature were willing to immerse themselves in a foreign place, to
experience the uniqueness of surroundings and people other than their own.
Although literary records represent only the intellectual elite, there is some evidence
that the rest of the population, the silent majority, was capable of similar
experiences. Furthermore, medieval theological notions that pilgrimage should be
separated from light traveling, i.e. tourism, should be seen as artificial and
inapplicable to the historical record. For the ancient tourist both light and serious,
both religious and pleasurable to the eyes visits were present in equal measure.