A brief history of tourism
It takes a certain level of economic activity to generate tourists. Someone has to be wealthy enough to travel for the sake of it, rather than the usual reasons of trade, famine, or running away from secret police. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the upper classes in the UK were wealthy enough to take “The Grand Tour”, to study Classical and Renaissance art in the museums, mansions, and palaces of France and Italy. They returned with exotic paintings, sculpture,…