Ethical Tourism in the Postcolonial Era Essay

"Cannibal Tours" by Dennis O 'Rourke made me rethink my view of tourism. Whereas before I thought tourism could be a good way for people from different cultures to learn about each other, I now consider, it is necessary for tourists to show local people as they are here, to gain knowledge about villagers and give them knowledge of where tourists came from. Both parties should learn about each other culture, rather than taking pictures of what fascinates tourists the most. From “Cannibal Tours” I experienced, often we criticize another culture for being behind with technology, education and their way of thinking. For instance, in the film, it was clear that tourist and primitives had two different acts, first, an act of taking photographs of primitives, second an act of bargaining for second or third price. Tourists take a lot of advantage of weaker people and try to transform their way of life. After I watched the film, it made me think about the impact tourists have inflicted on the local people of New Guinea and their ways of life as their culture is slowly wearing away because of the invasion of tourists.

In “The Ugly Tourist” by Jamaica Kincaid, tourism is thought as a disgusting and an extremely harmful industry. In her perspective, it allows first world citizens to escape and marvel at the simplest and most ordinary things. Although there is some truth in what Jamaica Kincaid describes to the reader, I believe there is a prejudiced view towards the tourist themselves. Kincaid’s essay about the ugliness and affects of being a tourist contrasts everything I’ve experienced being a tourist in Italy and Greece.

People’s impression of traveling may be affected by their presumptions of their destination. For example, many people swarm to ‘tourist traps’ on their trips. While many of these attractions are interesting and beautiful, they aren’t very appealing to visit with thousands of other tourists. For instance, visiting Niagara Falls is a major tourist attraction. People may see impressive pictures of the falls and decide they want to go there. Once they arrive, they realize that there are people everywhere. As a result, it can be hard to get a good view of the falls. Some may realize Niagara Falls is not all that it’s hyped up to be. Others are thrilled that they got to visit the impressive phenomenon. It all depends on the expectations one has about it. If they were expecting to get jaw-dropping views and few people, they may be disappointed. But, they may

Daily, hundreds of thousands of people are traveling, whether it’s by plane, car, bus, boat, or foot, people are traveling to new locations and being immersed in different cultures. Many fail to realize how ignorant of a tourist they are. Kincaid explains that tourists are morally “ugly” and use other, less fortunate people, for their own amusement. She tries to enlighten those who are privileged to be more considerate when they are visiting new places. Published author Jamaica Kincaid wrote “The Ugly Tourist,” originally written in her book, A Small Place, where she tries to convince readers that tourists are, “a piece of rubbish” (207). Kincaid’s attempt to convey to the audience that tourists are ignorant and morally “ugly” is partially successful, due to her satisfactory emotional appeal, yet inability to produce a less angry tone, along with minimal logical appeal.

There are many rhetorical tools used in advertising today to grab the readers’ attention. Some of those include, but are not limited to, color, sex, surroundings, and fantasy. All of these tools are used in the advertisement of the MGM Grand that I chose to analyze. MGM Grand has chosen several techniques to help market themselves better to vacationers. It uses visual pictures, inviting colors, and an enticing choice of narrative as its strategy. One of the many things that Vegas has to offer is the chance to get rid of all of your inhibitions and just have fun. Also, the fact that Las Vegas is famous for the saying, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”, sends a message to vacationers

Throughout history, the progressions of mankind has given way to a perpetually globalizing world. Globalization, the “process of interaction and integration among peoples of different nations, has strengthened human ties while our race has formed societies in every corner of the globe. As our world becomes more interconnected, the resulting blend of cultures has led numerous societal features to be shared between peoples, blurring cultural division lines. Globalization’s tying binds may frustrate many modern travelers seeking unique and special travel experiences due to the standardization of destinations resulting from increasingly cozy international social relations, but continued and extensive human travel has demonstrated that the essential human urge to move is a product of our search for fulfillment in what is unfamiliar and will not be suppressed by global interconnection.

The progression of technology and its presence in society has strongly molded the way people live their lives today, and the way they will continue to live their lives years from now. But with this advancement of science and increased order, there is a consequence that seems to be a heavy price to pay: the loss of human emotion and freewill, and the submission to organization and commands. The tourist industry is one such manufactured machine, so to speak, that influences people's views in certain aspects. One of these aspects, culture, is a main focus of post-modernist writer Bryan Turner, who believes that "tourism invents and demands empathy...makes cultures

Tourism is a dynamic and competitive industry that requires the ability to adapt constantly to customers' changing needs and desires, as the customer’s satisfaction, safety and enjoyment are particularly the focus of tourism businesses. In her book Rosalie Schwartz defines tourists as “sedentary people who leave home for pleasure and intend to return.” But “leisure creates work, it requires the work from others to ensure tourists find the pleasure they’re looking for.” Schwartz thesis in the book is that tourism in Cuba completely changed the social and economic aspect of the island; the author focuses in three tourist peaks in Cuba starting in 1920s, 1950s, and finally the 1980s.

When these tourists come to vacation in LA, they already have a picture in mind of what they’re coming to see. They think of Los Angeles and may have thoughts of the “Glamorous Hollywood,” with images in mind of red carpets, celebrities, and rich movie stars parading up and down the streets in flowing gowns and tuxedos. They most likely are coming with a list of popular attractions and famous landmarks that they will try to cram into their itinerary. MacCannell says: “Modern international sightseeing possesses its own moral structure, a collective sense that certain sights must be seen.” This “moral structure of tourism” he discusses is how specific attractions are seen as important enough to be a “must see” in a tourist’s trip to a destination. These attractions have been deemed worthy, and in a sense make up what is known to be as an authentic replication of the location. Through this list they hope to experience and witness the authentic Los Angeles. MacCannell states that: “Modern Humanity has been condemned to look elsewhere, everywhere, for authenticity, to see if we can catch a glimpse of it reflected in the simplicity, poverty, chastity, or purity of others.” Yet how can tourists believe that this true authenticity will be found at a place such as Griffith Park? It showcases amazing views of the city, but does not let us see what Los

Photography is important in this type of tourism and plays a vital role because based on the

While many problems are associated with International tourism, it can still offer some advantages. For one thing, International tourism can open job opportunities for the native citizens. To demonstrate, when tourists visit an area, the vast majority of them don’t have a clue on

One of the main concerns nowadays in Brazil is what is called “sexual tourism”, which most of the times involves children and teenagers. Due to the well known poor economic situation of Brazil, some foreigners take advantage of that simply for the “cheap sex”. That usually happens in poor areas of the city, called “favelas” (slums). According to researchers, the city of Recife and its slums produce an estimate of 250,000 child prostitutes in the streets. Parents, hotels, and taxi drivers act many times as a form of connection between customers and these young girls, working as “pimps” and promoting the kids as a simple “merchandise” (Source).

The tourist’s experience is “dominated by the spectacle of the Other” which results in changes in behaviour that most likely would not fit with social norms in their home countries. Palmer and Lester use the example of photography in the film, noting that tourists become like stalkers when attempting to capture evidence of the primitive. Photography is a focus in the film, as it serves as an “embodied performative act.” The tourists are not interested in creating meaningful relationships with locals. The social interactions seem ingenuous and largely commercial. A woman stages a photo with local children, exclaiming “aren’t they cute?” She doesn’t create any meaningful connection with them, however the photo was composed in a way that will appear that she has to family and friends back home. In most aspects of cultural tourism, there is an aspect of staged performance to fit the needs of the audience. There is a dependence on the local people to perform a role eg. Selling objects, doing dances in native costume or performing a role from another era of history. In Cannibal Tours, the objects being sold are not authentic however tourists still purchase them, adding to the commodification of the interactions between tourist and local. Locals are confused why tourists come to buy inauthentic items instead of engaging with local history and culture in meaningful ways.

The themes of the text are tourism, travel, and luxury. These themes are all inevitable when it comes to advertising a country. However this text is very much different. The

Slum tourism is becoming an emerging trend now, especially in developing countries. In fact, it has become one of the fastest growing market in the tourism industry. One of the reasons for that is due to the expansion of slum in developing countries. Frenzel et al., (2015) argue that as the number of locations has increased in the past 20 years, so has the number of tourists participating in slum tourism. They then presented a graph on the rise of slum tourism and the estimated numbers of tourists per year. It all begins in the 90s, where South Africa and Brazil had first developed slum tourism. It then moves to North America, where Mexico was involved in around 1995. During the early 20s, the expansion of countries arrived in Asia. The number of slum tourist destinations has continued increased and has later transformed into a type of tourism. This indeed could generate income especially with developing countries that are heavily rely on tourism. As Frenzel (2013) states that slum tourism could contribute to development by creating a variety sources of income and non-material benefits. These benefits are not actually benefiting the community but acts as a form of exploitation instead. As a result, this paper argues how slum tourism is being portrayed as a form of exploitation through poverty, the ethics in participating in slum tourism and how it does not lead to economic development.