The derogatory term combines the words "Tourist" with "
Moron" to describe any person who, while on vacation, commits an act of pure
stupidity.
The term has its roots in the resort, park service and service industries and can easily be dated back at least as far as the mid 1970's. It is widely used throughout the US, but
may not be in general use by mainstream
society.
Mostly an inside "Joke", created to vent emotion when dealing with the public.
In Yosemite National Park, "Tourons" regularly block access into the park by stopping on the
single lane road to take pictures of wildlife.
"Tourist, Please leave your brain before entering " was the sign in an underground cartoon in Yosemite in the late 1980s. It depicted the entrance to the park with a park service employee leaning out the gate to accept the brain of a tourist driving a Volkswagen Beetle. Another sign in the cartoon read "Night
Drop".
The cartoon was seen in both park service and concessions offices during that period and reflects the over all harmless, yet critical view of
people who forget how to act in public.
