World Tourism Day: An alternative view

CHIANG MAI – The Ecumenical Coalition On Tourism (ECOT) has questioned the theme of UNWTO’s World Tourism Day on Sunday.

Says the Coalition, “‘Tourism – celebrating diversity’ is the theme chosen by the UN World Tourism Organisation for the 2009 World Tourism Day.

“It raises many questions despite its superficial truth. Obviously, to thrive, tourism needs diversity but the short and long-term costs arising from its commercial exploitation have to be faced seriously and honestly.

“However, ECOT believes that the 2009 World Tourism Day, which this year marks its 30th anniversary, draws attention to the more positive (and utopian?) side of tourism, while choosing to ignore some troubling dimensions of modern tourism.

“Economically, the tourism industry has benefited from diversity having marketed it to promote travel and tourism products. Do host communities in tourism destinations have reason to celebrate as well after 30 years of World Tourism Days?

“Some researchers have documented how dying traditions have been staged to entertain tourists and attract their dollars, or how sacred or religious ceremonies are being performed, like wedding ceremonies for instance, to please the curious in seeking ‘authenticity’.

“Some indigenous peoples have acknowledged that some of their ‘representations’ have been fake. In such situations one can wonder if tourism is actually celebrating diversity or simply being an agent for the commodification and folklorisation of cultures.

“Tourism is supposed to widen our understanding and appreciation of other cultures and ways of life. But nowadays the tourism experience can be very similar whether one is travelling to India, Thailand or Latin America.

“Differences in language, in people’s appearance and in local architecture provide the illusion of a change of scene, but many aspects have become universal: the cell phones, the branded clothing, fast-food restaurants, the shopping malls, the ‘muzak’, and so on.

“The hotels have become standardised, and some tourists demand this: to be surrounded by known systems of reference in the comfort zone of a hotel cocoon in a foreign place, which presumably is being visited for a widening of one’s education.

“The ‘demonstration effect’ of tourism – the yearning of host communities, especially younger generations, for the gadgetry, clothing and other items displayed by tourists so as to look like them, and the efforts made to afford these items – which impacts on the community is another factor to consider.

“Is such ‘diversity’ to be celebrated?

“Therefore tourism, as one of the manifestations of globalisation, offers an interesting paradox. While globalised tourism can be seen as contributing to the homogenisation of cultures, it offers tourists experiences of ‘authenticity’ witnessed in tourism destinations.

“Some indigenous traditions now forgotten are sometimes revived and performed for the sake of tourists in the quest for a good photograph.”

ECOT is a global advocacy and lobby network for justice and humanity in tourism