The Cultural Impacts of Tourism on the Host Communities 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.

Tourism has always been apart of us in different ways, shapes, and forms. It has greatly evolved due to technology and transportation advances, which have made traveling efficient and quick and given us the proper resources to be prepared prior to “adventuring” away from home.

The social and cultural processes are also significantly impacted. Tourism has helped develop and keep up the unique culture of the island, it has helped revive artistic traditions, and has provided an economic justification for preserving them. But tourism has also led to importantly behavioural impacts, for example; nude sunbathing by tourist is widely disliked by the locals, as well as that lack of respect is shown by tourists in scared places such as temples. Another negative impact is the social development of Bali. There are constant conflicts between local villagers and developers who want the land for hotels and attractions like golf courses. These social impacts have led to a loss in culture and heritage. Another significant impact is the turning of Balinese culture into a commodity. The major influx of tourists has plagued Bali’s culture. Dances, ceremonies and arts and crafts are all now adapted to tourists timetables and tastes, and are mass produced to reduce cost. Also because more people are choosing to work in the tourism industry, this has meant that fewer are available doe traditional ceremonies and communal tasks, placing more pressure on traditional community organisations.

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

background affect the social structure and mode of life at the destination. Tourists are in turn affected by the experiences and often carry back home with them new habits and

A community which at times has a push-pull relationship with it’s vital tourism industry, has been essentially cutoff from the outside world, once again, rendering those who live here with both great challenges and the sense of a return to a bygone era.

This chapter reinforces schwartz argument that tourism has a tremendous impact on society. She writes of how citizens were coming up with ways that made them seemed more exotic, in order to attract more tourists. One example Schwartz writes about is the Siboney Sun Worshipers. These people claimed to be aboriginal Siboney Indians, and would performed a sun ritual that tourists highly enjoyed. Schwartz explains, that Cuba’s original Indians had been completely wiped out by diseases brought by the Spanish, and the island’s Indians never had a ritual of the sun. Her main point in this chapter is to demonstrate that when tourism becomes an important aspect of a country, everything changes. Residents along with the government soon adapt cultural aspects, trying to promote uniqness and exotism that will make them look more attractive to

When staying in a foreign country, a point comes where one is no longer considered a tourist. The locals no longer find it funny when you walk boisterously through the street with your tacky sandals and floral printed button-up shirts. Had you left within the socially acceptable endurance of a vacation and a clung mostly to the Americanized hotels and resorts, your slip-ups as far as matching the status quo of the land would be forgiven or even ignored. However, culturally assimilation is expected when one reaches the end of being a tourist. Sure, you may never be a native but culture is LEARNED and thus, the various unspoken statues making up civilizations now apply. Consider the scenario, I am walking down the path within a Haitian market.

This finding was consistent with precedent studies that found that locals perceive tourism as a development that provides cultural identity and activity, cultural interchange and valuable meeting involvements with tourists. On the study Brida, Disegna and Osti (2014) conducted on a small mountain community located in the North-East of Italy, the study shows that residents without a direct economic benefit from tourism and with a negative perception of the socio-cultural tourism impacts are less disposed to fortify tourism development. Vadell, Armas and Taño (2014) conducted a study in Tenerife and Mallorca concludes overall results designate that critics accede more that tourism may make residents feel uncomfortable at home; on the other hand, they consider less that it avails in preserving local traditions, benefits in the disclosure of different cultures and additionally consider substantially less that tourism makes the local population

The problematic nature of cultural tourism is a topic that is heavily debated in multiple academic disciplines. Anthropology, sociology, psychology, and economics all have extensive theories about the consequences cultural tourism has on the cultures being exploited by the tourism industry. Further examination of cultural tourism has turned the focus onto the tourists themselves and questioned the validity of their gaze as they are the ones consuming the culture through the witnessing of particular “displays of culture.” These displays could be in the form of community life, food, historical sites, and museums, but arguably the most popular displays of culture tourists consume are the performative aspects of said culture. Including but not exclusive to displays of dance, theatre, and song, tourists see performance as an accessible gateway into a culture. When considering the identity of a spectator in any situation, drama theory is a useful tool in deconstructing the complicated role a spectator has, however, when the situation being viewed is inherently performative, the spectator’s role becomes even more complex. In the use of the term ‘inherently performative,’ one is not limited in analyzing merely performances that are created for spectacle. The function of performance can be regarded as entertainment, political commentary, or in the case of this essay, religious worship.

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

The second effect is sociocultural. According to Dogan (1989), tourism development has a great effect on the socio-cultural characteristics of residents like habits, daily routines, social lives and beliefs, and values. They may lead to psychological tension. Firstly, there are many positives from tourism development. Brunt and Courtney (1999) mentioned that tourism can result in improved community services, additional park, recreation and cultural facilities and encouragement of cultural activities. Tourism also encourages cultural activities and improve cultural heritage (Gilbert & Clark 1997). However, this may lead to some negative like traditional family values ( Kousis, 1989); cultural commercialization ( Cohen, 1988); crime (Brunt &

Besides, the impacts and consequences of the commercialisation of culture for tourism purposes caused many academic discussions. With some depicting this process as fundamentally destructive of the meaning through which local inhabitants organise their lives (Greenwood, 1989: 179).

while many foreign tourists are on vacation they may act inappropriately. Local people as well as