U.S. tourists have a global reputation. They’re known for their college merchandise, poor sense of geography and very loud conversations. While some of these traits may be comical or even endearing, the nature of such tourism can also be harmful. As a native of Puerto Rico — a destination where U.S. tourists often run amok — I urge you to reflect on your responsibilities as a tourist if you’re planning on visiting the island this spring break.
The idea that tourists have responsibilities might come as a shock to many readers, and they’re not to blame. There’s a common misconception that tourism always creates a positive impact in local economies. Under this assumption, tourists are seen more as benefactors than what they really are: guests. The truth is, tourists can do more harm than good when they accelerate gentrification, spread COVID-19 and pollute land.
It’s especially important to reflect on the harms of tourism when the place you visit is already fraught with colonial tensions. U.S. tourism is inextricable from the West’s history of imperialism. As U.S. columnist S.E. Smith writes, some tourists’ behaviors reflect the West’s charged history of fetishization and objectification of non-Western cultures. Puerto Ricans know this all too well. Tourists often reduce our entire history and culture through comments such as “they dance so well,” “the people are so happy” and “the women are so hot.”
The arrogant attitude that Puerto Rico is somehow indebted to the U.S. fuels the island’s outrage with tourists. Let me make something clear: Puerto Rico owes nothing to the U.S.
Puerto Rico has been a “territory” or “commonwealth” — modern synonyms for “colony” — of the U.S. since 1898. Since then, we’ve been a key asset to the U.S. In 2023, we paid more than $5 billion in federal taxes. We have one of the highest military participation rates in the U.S. United States corporations and individuals have abused Puerto Rico as a tax haven, fostering dependence on external corporate interests and undermining sustainable local development.
It’s not just about the U.S.’s treatment of Puerto Rico. The reason why tourism can be such a difficult topic in Puerto Rico is because of the U.S. presence in the island. U.S. scientists came to Puerto Rico to test the world’s first birth control pill, using Puerto Rican women as guinea pigs because they believed “Puerto Ricans and others living in poverty should be wiped out to make room for more ‘fit’ members of the population.” One-third of Puerto Rican women were sterilized between the 1930s and 1970s as a result of the experiments.
In recent decades, the U.S. has strengthened its grip on Puerto Rico. Tourists can exacerbate the perception that Puerto Ricans lack autonomy when tourists do not follow local rules and social codes and locals are forced to accept this behavior. Despite everything Puerto Rico has given the U.S., the island is treated unfairly compared to states. We receive less federal funding than we’re entitled to. For instance, disaster relief is much less than for U.S. states and is often mismanaged. Puerto Rican residents generally cannot claim the Earned Income Tax Credit and receive less in Social Security and veterans’ benefits. If Puerto Rico was a state, we’d have the lowest per capita income, about half of Mississippi. This should entitle us to the maximum federal Medicaid assistance percentage of 83%. Instead, we receive 55%. The way the federal government treats Puerto Ricans is disparaging and humiliating. U.S. tourists acting irresponsibly on the island can remind Puerto Ricans of their difficult past and strained relationship with the U.S. That’s why it matters what kind of tourist you are.
Tourists, especially those from colonial powers, have a responsibility to the communities they visit: understand the historical context of the places they visit and their possible role in perpetuating colonial or racist dynamics, to move beyond superficial stereotypes and to respect local customs and boundaries.
Many naive tourists don’t understand why locals resent them. A white, British blogger complained that local communities “learn to hate Americans, Brits, Australians and what they stand for. Which is dangerously veering into xenophobic territory.” People don’t hate what Western tourists “stand for”; they hate the chaotic tourist who passes out drunk at the beach. They hate the fetishizing tourist who would say: “We want the old nonna to whip us up pasta in her — ideally charmingly dilapidated — home.”
In Puerto Rico, our contempt is toward tourists who perpetuate the same traumatic U.S. history of dismissal, abuse and racialization of Puerto Ricans. It’s important to understand that the U.S. empire extends well beyond the mainland and that its complex history has created tensions between U.S. tourists and locals.
Whether you’re from the U.S. or not, you can choose to be a better tourist this spring break by acknowledging colonial histories. A good tourist will also reject cultural fetishization and understand that tourism is a privilege, not a right. If you go to Puerto Rico this spring break, I hope you’ll come back to tell your friends something more than “The beaches are so beautiful!” and “They talk just like Bad Bunny!”
Sebasstián Adriano ’25 can be reached at sebasstian_adriano@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
Correction: This article has been updated to accurately reflect the amount of federal taxes Puerto Rico paid in 2023.
