Recently, journalist Judith Hertog wrote for Foreign Policy about a new and unexpected force that is transforming Tibet: “After decades of trying to subsume this once independent country through force, Beijing may finally have found a way to effectively make Tibet an inseparable part of the Chinese nation: by turning it into a tourist destination.”
Hertog’s deep dive into mass travel to Tibet serves as a reminder that states often turn to tourism to further their political ambitions. The essays and reporting below explore this trend, analyzing how tourism and geopolitics intersect in key destinations around the world.
A tourist dressed up as a Tibetan pilgrim poses for a photo in Lhasa on July 1, 2019.Judith Hertog for Foreign Policy
How Tourism Trapped Tibet
The region is becoming a theme park for the Chinese nation, Judith Hertog writes.
Tourists visited the coast near Antalya, Turkey—a popular destination for Russian and European holidays, on Aug. 4, 2022. Diego Cupolo/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Sanctions Haven’t Stopped Russians From Having Their Fun in the Sun
Boeing aircraft are still plying tourist routes from Moscow to Turkey, Egypt, and Thailand, and they’re refueling—and possibly getting repairs—en route, FP’s Elisabeth Braw writes.
A G-20 logo is seen on a boat in Dal Lake ahead of the G-20 meeting in Srinagar, India, on May 19.Tauseef Mustafa/AFP via Getty Images
Modi Wants to Bring Tourists Back to Kashmir
India’s government wants to turn the war-torn region into a renewed tourist hot spot, David Lepeska writes.
A Uyghur family gathers for a meal during the Corban Festival in Xinjiang province, China, on Sept. 12, 2016. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
China Is Trying to Remake Uyghur Kitchens
Traditional food is painted as backward and dirty—except for tourists, Timothy Grose writes.
A Saudi man visits an art exhibition of work by the late U.S. artist Andy Warhol at the Maraya concert hall in the ruins of al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Feb. 19.Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images
Saudi Arabia Really Wants You to Think It’s Cool
The desert kingdom’s rebranding project goes way beyond sportswashing. But it’s all a little too contrived, FP’s Steven A. Cook writes.