A critical discussion of MacCannell's and Urry's theories on 'tourists' : Through an autoethnographic exploration of a white woman's experiences in Cambodia

Sammanfattning: The word tourist is loaded with negativity, especially, as MacCannell and Urry argue, for those of us that travel ourselves. In this exploration, the author takes a deep dive into the primary theories of MacCannell's search for authenticity and Urry's tourist gaze while recounting a series of journeys throughout Cambodia through her own Western epistomologic lens while also considering feminist, postcolonialist and decolonialist extensions and counterarguments. The purpose of this paper is to critique the portrayal of tourists as the monolithic characters created by MacCannell and Urry through an exploration of the author's experience and offer varying viewpoints and considerations that are applicable to the theorists and not. The conclusion is a call to action for further research where the tourist and destination intertwine.