The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SIGHTSAW
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
S
I
G
H
T
S
A
W
More clues leading to the result SIGHTSAW
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Was a tourist" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case was a tourist = sightsaw.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SIGHTSAW mean?
SIGHTSAW verb- To go sightseeing; to visit places of interest in a city, town or geographical area.