The latest travel trend taking over millennials and Gen Z is ‘Tattourism’. From Bali’s beachside studios to London’s underground ink culture and Goa’s bohemian tattoo lanes, tattoos have become the modern traveller’s souvenir.
Imagine this. You are in Goa, and have fallen in love with the beach, but you want to take back more than just a few memoirs. So, instead, you decide to get a tattoo that speaks volumes about your trip.
What is ‘Tattourism’
According to research by Hostelworld, over 40% of travellers aged 18–35 have gotten tattoos while travelling. One in three did so on impulse, but more than half planned their entire itinerary around getting inked. The rise of tattourism reflects a shift in how young travellers engage with culture—they don’t just want to see it, they want to wear it.
There is a visual shift from transactional tattooing to transformational tattooing. Visiting a new country, meeting new people, and stepping into unfamiliar cultures changes you. So, years later, when you look back at the tattoo, you don't just remember the art; you remember yourself and that experience.
Netizens are using body as a canvas
A ResearchGate study on tattoo tourism found that many travellers use their bodies as canvases for memory, identity, and connection. Tattoos become a means of personalisation and emotional release.
Heritage vs appropriation
But as tattourism expands globally, so does the conversation around cultural appropriation. In Japan, the tebori hand-poking technique symbolises centuries of precision and discipline, while in Polynesia, tattoos traditionally encode genealogy and personal stories. When tourists adopt such sacred motifs without understanding their context, it blurs the line between appreciation and exploitation.
The challenge lies in balance—celebrating local art while respecting its origins. Some tattoo studios now offer cultural briefings before inking sacred symbols, ensuring that travellers don’t wear designs detached from their meaning.
