In 150 years of travel across the Big Empty (as pioneers called the Intermountain West) a few have stayed, but all began as passersby. Who are they and why do they come? Why do we want them to come? Where do they go? How can we make them spend more money? Why do we make fun of them? Those are just some of the questions asked and answered in a new anthology nurtured by the University of Colorado's Center of the American West.
"Seeing and Being Seen" explores the history of tourism in the American West, and examines its effect on both the tourists and the people and places they visit. Essayists from National Park Service historian David Louter to novelist Rudolfo Anaya ponder the various dilemmas posed by tourism for western communities, from economic and environmental questions to cultural change.
The book explains how some towns, such as Trinidad, Colo., have been reluctant to embrace tourism for fear of losing their culture, while others, like Burlington, Colo., look for ways to control -- and profit from -- the exploitation of local history and culture.
"Seeing and Being Seen" sprouted from a tourism colloquium sponsored by CU's Center for the New West in 1997. It is a good exploration of the industry by people whose job it is to analyze such things.