Articles tagged as Tourism | Smithsonian Magazine

A group of women in traditional dress stand beside a Thomas Cook boat on the Nile in 1904.

How an Alcohol-Hating English Preacher Founded Global Tourism

Thomas Cook’s tours set the stage for today’s tourism industry

April 24, 2017

How 1950s Las Vegas Sold Atomic Bomb Tests as Tourism

Between 1950 and 1960, the population of Las Vegas grew by 161%—partly due to the burgeoning casino industry

April 4, 2017

Where Do the Largest Airplanes Go to Die?

Explore this 1,500-acre aircraft boneyard in the Sonoran Desert

March 30, 2017

The Dark History of Japan’s Rabbit Island

March 23, 2017

Tour Company Offers (Very Expensive) Dives to ‘Titanic’ Wreckage

For a mere $105,129 per person, thrill-seekers can explore the ruins of the ill-fated ship

March 22, 2017

The limestone arch on the island of Gozo was expected to stand several more decades, but a vicious storm Wednesday took out the natural wonder

March 9, 2017

Three polar bears climbing on a snow-covered pile of bowhead whale bones on Barter Island near Kaktovik, Alaska.

The Politics of Viewing Polar Bears

Tourists flock to this coastal Alaskan town to photograph the vulnerable icons—raising hairy ethical questions

February 27, 2017

Fresh erizos del mar (sea urchins) served in the shell.

Seven Foods You Have to Try in Chile

February 23, 2017

Seward paid $200,000 extra to get the territory “free and clear.”

The Everlasting, Awe-Inspiring Power of Alaska

For 150 years, Alaska has been a part of the United States, and it’s never ceased to amaze

March 2017

Check Out Yosemite’s “Firefall” Illusion Light Up El Capitan

The firefall is back this year, and it’s just as spectacular as ever

February 17, 2017

The Pioneer Cabin Tree was likely hundreds of years old

January 9, 2017

The old county courthouse in Monroeville, Alabama will soon be just one of the town's many To Kill a Mockingbird-themed attractions.

Monroeville, Alabama, could change with a proposed Harper Lee Trail

December 29, 2016

Poppies near Ribeira de Piscos, Côa Valley, Western Iberia, Portugal

Europe

A Project to “Rewild” Europe, Brings a Safari-Style Camp to Portugal

See Europe as it was five thousand years ago

December 29, 2016

A postcard of the Motel Inn, circa 1940s.

The World’s First Motel Was a Luxury Establishment, Not a Dive

The first motel was supposed to turn into a chain, but it was quickly overtaken by cheaper competitors.

December 12, 2016

Don’t Miss These 11 New Museum Exhibitions This Winter

You’ll find everything from beloved childhood characters to animatronic dinosaurs on display this season

December 2, 2016

Why Was King Tut’s Tomb Prepared in Such a Rush?

When archeologists discovered mold formations in King Tut’s tomb, they worried the sweat and breath of tourists were the cause

November 15, 2016

Ranching southern bluefin tuna has been a big-ticket industry in South Australia for years. One company hopes that inviting tourists to swim with the fish will prove successful, too.

A Bizarre “Swimming with Tuna” Attraction Puts Australia’s Controversial Aquaculture in the Spotlight

Is this an opportunity for conservation education, or another example of the government bending to Big Tuna?

October 27, 2016

Be careful where you lay your towel

August 12, 2016

An Airbus A300 jumbo jet like this has been sunk off the Turkish coast to create an artificial reef.

An Airbus jumbo jet will soon become home to all sorts of sea life

June 6, 2016

A mother and baby bison in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

Don’t touch the wildlife

May 17, 2016