Discuss the relationship between anthropology and tourism

Dear Student,

The term anthropology is derived from two Greek words “Anthropos” meaning (Hu)man and ‘Logos’ for ‘study or science’.

It seeks to understand the lives of human beings in time and space. Time basically reflects the geological time scale that involves the study of human evolution, growth and variation whereas space deals with the ecological and environmental relationship of human populations that inhabits the various places on earth.

Anthropology comprises the study of the past cultures and how the present culture is flourishing. It is the study of human beings in totality unlike other subjects where only a particular aspect of human being is taken into account like history deals with what happened in the past while psychology studies the human mind etc.

Anthropology as an academic discipline emerged at the turn of the twentieth century. With four main branches

a. Physical or Biological anthropology,

b. Social and Cultural anthropology,

c. Archaeological anthropology and

d. Linguistic anthropology,

the subject matter looks at both the scientific and humanistic perspectives, it takes into account a holistic approach to study humankind.

The physical/ biological anthropologists are interested in understanding the origin, evolution, variation and development of human species. The curiosity to know why there is variations in skin, eye, hair colour etc., leads them to enquire about the existence of human variation and to try and find scientific explanations behind such variations.

Tourism has a long history and is widespread in the cultures of humankind. It is an important social fact in the life of contemporary people. It is one of the major industries of the world and a developmental tool for many third world countries.

Tourism= Leisure time+ discretionary income+ positive local sanctions.

Happy Learning!