Cultural History of Tourism

The course offers an overview of the rise and development of tourism and the tourism industry during the 19th and 20th centuries, with a particular focus on its social and cultural dimensions.
Key moments and major turning points in the history of tourism will be examined in detail, including:

• Thomas Cook and the Origins of the Package Tour
• The Golden Age of Cruises
• Interwar Tourism
• Dark Tourism: Tourism and Nazism
• Mass Tourism in the Mediterranean: “Inventing the Summer”, Holiday Camps, and Beach Culture
• The Hippie Trail, Backpackers, and Interrail
• Overtourism

Another key topic will be the history of tourism in Switzerland. Switzerland was the first true Desti-Nation—the first country to be entirely transformed by tourism, serving as a model for all others. Only one canton followed a different path. After the opening of the Gotthard Tunnel, Canton Ticino rapidly developed into a major tourist destination and was promoted as the Sonnenstube, a Mediterranean enclave nestled in the heart of the Alps.

From a historical perspective, students will be able to engage with the complex nature of tourism, its connection to modernity, and its drive for innovation and change.

In presence

Frontal lectures, project work, book discussions, and visits to sites of historical significance for the development of tourism in Ticino.

Oral exam. 30% of the final grade will be based on the evaluation of in-class activities, including project work, presentations, and exercises.

• Customs Museum in Cantine di Gandria, 05.06.26 - 05.06.26 (Compulsory)
• LAC (Lugano Arte e Cultura) and the former Hotel Palace, 05.06.26 - 05.06.26 (Compulsory)
• Monte Verità, 05.06.26 - 05.06.26 (Compulsory)