Environmental
awareness and globalised communities
Tourism Impacts and Challanges, researching
identity, cultural and environmental transitions.
CONTENT:
2.
POSTCARDS FROM THE PAST
3.
MIGRATING CULTURES, CHANGING TRADITIONS THROUGH TOURISM
3.1.
THE SPIRIT OF PLACE, IDENTITIES & CULTURE
3.2.
Cultural pluralism and the global cosmopolitan society
4.
HERITAGE IN CONTEMPORARY TOURISM
5.
ABOUT TOURISM
5.1.
SUSTAINABILITY & TOURISM
5.2.
On Ecotourism
5.3.
Community responsible travel
5.4.
Tourism as a Development Tool
5.5.
CULTURE TOURISM - INVENTING TRADITIONS
5.6.
HERITAGE - TOKEN FOR THE FUTURE?
5.7.
BUY A TICKET TO HEAVEN - The Tyrany of Happiness
6.
RAB POSTCARDS FROM THE PRESENT
6.1.
THE CONFLICTING REALITIES OF THE TOURIST HEAVEN
6.2.
Homogeneity of touristic landscapes
6.3.
Case study: Island Rab Croatia; from Roman municipium to tourist destination
7.
REFERENCES and Literature
8.
About the Author
1.
Introduction
This
project has been ensambled after a 2-year experiment in a form of cultural
activism that started on the web (http://www.angelfire.com/art2/kristina-tina/tourism-pro-con.html & http://www.angelfire.com/art2/kristina-tina/eng-antrop.htm) in 2004.
as apeal to public to encourage long-term thinking and holistic solutions
to environmental and social issues on the island Rab by facilitating a
public conversation about the future of the island. Project has been closed
in Spring 2007 and it has been archived in form of this paper. Project
is in the field of social sciences and humanities on the theme of tourism
development in Mediterranean through the example of small croatian island
of Rab. Paper analises sustainable and non-sustainable development practices,
management, policies and specially impacts of Tourism, with emphasys on
impacts to environment and resources.
The
paper is composed of several chapters:
POSTCARDS
FROM THE PAST - anthropological thesis about the past and interpretations
of intangible heritage.
POSTCARDS
FROM THE PRESENT - documents and comments the present in a form of critique,
with reflections on the ongoing spectrum and connotations of the globalisation
phenomenom and its environmental, cultural and social impacts.
RAB
POSTCARDS FROM THE FUTURE - on giong research on trends in motion likely
to affect the 21st century small islands envisioning possible futures.
The
results of the study can be applied in formulating strategies in shaping
the organisational model of tourism, to contribute to promoting the diversification
in tourism and encourage responsible management of development strategies.
It advocates the application of principles of responsibel development and
sustainable functioning in tourism and in general. In addition,these results
take into account the numerous links and relationships existing in the
immediate and broader environment and focus on achieving business efficiency
and service quality of world-class and European standards without jeopardising
the environemnt or local population.
2.
POSTCARDS FROM THE PAST
Introduction
OLD or Past WORLD is defined by: - what one needs - national-cultural identity
- imperialism, exploarations and discovery - existance of nature balanced
habitat, variety of life, isolation - slow time Identification with the
CULTURE AND TRADITION is learned not inherited.
Civilisation
is the total of the material and cultural achievements of a certain society.
CULTURE
:: the ability to comprehend the world and share our understandings through
symbols among ourselves, human understanding and action that comes from
what we learn as members of society.Just as Architecture, people are also
monuments of their own time. Culture and arts are two concepts that are
closely interwoven, as art is the characteristic expression of the culture
of a given period.
TRADITION
:: in the community agreed behaviour and transmitted custums and beliefs
among the generations. Tradition cannot be revived if it is not alive,
but do we recognise fake from the true? This part deals with the evaluation
of the past, with emphasis on impact of tourism on tourism -based contemporary
environments and researches records on lived experience in such environments.
The
evaluation of the impact of tourism on different groups is the next goal
yet to be researched. Speciall intzerest is taken in the issue of ownership..
By ownership I mean the amount of investment or responsibility or voice
a participant has in the making of and the final production of an environment,
not excluding legal ownership issues of 'transitional societies' and/ or
'tribal' sage rights. Legends, custums and myths are integral part of the
research. As Rab- born and Rab resident this work started with the question
“What do I know about my ancestors, the islanders and their way of life,
culture, perception of the world, reality before 100 years and longer?“
to continue to further question on how do we identify and relate to heritage.
Different materials have been takein into account in forming my opinion;
from family and friends told stories, tales and legends, heredity, comparison,
museum documentations and science.
3.
MIGRATING CULTURES, CHANGING TRADITIONS THROUGH TOURISM
ENVIRONMENTAL
INTERPRETATION of transitional phenomena via tourist highway
"We
travel, initially, to lose ourselves, and we travel, next to find ourselves."
-- George Santyana, The Philosophy of Travel
Man
is most unusual being in the natural history of Earth. Other spieces are
faster, stronger and better addapted to their environment both through
their physical bodies and through instincts but only man has the responsibility
over himself, other spieces and over the natural God's order. God's creation
ought to be loved and respected, because He created it with love. We have
the ability to comprehend the world and share our understandings through
symbols among ourselves. Anthropologists, specially of american academic
background named this ability of humans 'Culture'. In this sense culture
represents human understanding and action that comes from what we learn
as members of society, while Tradition is defined as agreed behaviour and
transmitted custums and beliefs among the generations. In my society (
croatian) in everyday speech the term culture corresponds both to civilisation
and tradition, thus arrising the question whether we can distinguish between
culture and tradition. Therefore hereafter in my writings these terms often
overlapp in meaning. Preservation of the natural chain of order over frenzic
progress of the modern savage or modern predator as well as changes that
the human civilisation will have to pass through just to survive, actualise
again the questions of the aspirations of man and society. But first let
see what tradition / eg. culture is, then how much do we have it today
and then whether the people anywhere can posses it ( hence aquire), loose
it ( hence asimilate in other, or asimilate the other’s culture) ? Some
of these thoughts can be disturbing as they shake the accepted general
formula of any society. These learned formulas define our place within
one own commune as well as relate societies between each other ( melts
down to domination of the cultures unfortunately).
3.1.
THE SPIRIT OF PLACE, IDENTITIES & CULTURE - the land of our ancestors
An
18 ct. widely appreciated traveller and explorer Alberto Fortis in his
book 'Journey through Dalmatia' after seeing the landscape honors the Rab
islanders as being lazzy, forgeting ( not knowing) that these 3000 thousands
during his stay were just black plaque survivers of once rich and numerouse
population of 15000 that exported silk and gold to his beloved Serrenisima
in 15ct. He was amaised that they did not exploit the quars sand and admired
a fine material for sculptures and furniture in Lun's thousand year old
olive threes ( Lun on island Pag was once under Rab jurisdiction). It is
not to take offense that this hired explorer and researcher of natural
resources percieves land only as a potential, a container of goods.
Dalmatia
must thank this foreighner for a warm human describtion of european monsters;
Morlachs - the residents of the dalmatian hinterland, for describing genuine
village life in times when literate and rich gownsman have looked down
on peasants just as black suits do today. One can relate only to other
and different. We create/ learn and transmitt culture because it helps
the community define itself in the world. I can only imagine Fortis's surprise
if he, outside the roman towns, unexpectedly came accros culture similar
to his own or superior to it. Even better, if he in highland countryman
recognised what nowdays europeans and world nations see in tibetan folks.
Recognition is in the foundation of laurel and honor, but also of the trade.
Morlachi are uneducated and coarse, but warm and generouse aborigines,
sometimes romantic freebooter unimportant on the broader scale. Although
descendents of the Morlachi live, of whom many wear fancy suits and drive
expensive cars, culturally Morlachi do not exist any more, just the same
as there is no more Samurai in Japan regardless the gene -pool. Just as
other societies in film industry, we have created the hybrid supstitutes
of the lost too; from etno villages, folk- groups to variouse historical
events.
Interesting
observation is given by Susanna Paasonen in her work Free Tourists in the
Land of Plenty? from cyberdiscourse towards politics of location; "As a
term, identity implies similarity to and difference from something, identifications
as well as defining what one is not, or does not want to be. This also
holds true for nationalities, which are precisely about marking people
as internally connected and coherent collectives that are separate from
other nations. Nations and nationalities are attached to images, landscapes,
cultural products, famous people and common knowledge definitions that
condense them into easily consumable packages. Since these packages can
always be given new and different meanings, the logic of condensation is
applicable in most encounters."
3.2.
Cultural pluralism and the global cosmopolitan society
Is
there really any cultural diversities in modern world? Maybe, if we agree
that subcultural groupations ( from national to culturological movements:
punk, new age, variouse cult-groups..) represent cultures. There is more
difference among these groupations than between modern japaneese and american,
or french, or german or italian or any other on national levels. The coexistance
of different cultures implies recognition and keeping of the distinctive
values for any particular culture, acceptance of differences among various
cultures through the respect for the other and self, not their standardisation.
Modern world is despite all the talks about cultural diversities &
multiculturality, in reality devided only into tribal-communal under the
impact of globalism and modernist cultures eg. slow time cultures and fast
time cultures. The globalisation of the world parralels with the globalisation
of the ideas and realms, globalisation is just uniformisation ( standardisation?)
of the world.
Where
is Croatia in all this, how and how much do we think of ourselves as the
world- citisens, how much do we care about our own culture and how do we
relate to global/ modernistic world and then again, how much do we know
about our own culture/ tradition, is it present in reality ( life), how
much of it is truely ours (in sense that culture defines perception of
the world and modus vivendy accordingly), how much already got changed
by all past and future integrations and then, could we, by analisying and
sectioning of the history and traditions, accomplish anything in regard
to recognising present day phenomena? How we create 'cultural products'
To deepen the absurd arrising from these unanswered questions further,
let me pinpoint to a fascinating croatian trend in which the junkfood generation
of the electronic age and mass-media nowdays lobbies for the pig slaughtering,
wine christening and cheese with cream 'rights', lifting these folk shared
practice to the piedestal of national cultural heritage. See http://www.sirivrhnje.org
We
are 'selling' our heritage. It is no wonder that the heritage as such does
not matter, it ceased to be integral part in lives of most of us anyway.
Our ancestors built stone hedges that created the lace landscape on the
hills and in wine yards, while this generation builds motorways and apartment
houses. In the spirit of omnipresent desire for material growth of modern
societies, usefullness of ethnicity traces, monumets and own cultural identity
as merchandise is self-understandable, as these values are directly connected
with our consumer everyday lives. Just as we were selling "just" sun and
sea ( read: natural beauties) before, that resulted in coastal and island
environment degradation, nowdays we are importing "cultural products and
cultural tourism strategies" and are destroying our own heritage and identity
for the sake of branding ourselves.
4.
HERITAGE IN CONTEMPORARY TOURISM
Experiencing
'that something' became the goal and the purpose of the tourist endevours
that ceased to be solely holidays. Hence, creating 'that something' became
an motivational imperative for the proffesionels in tourist industry...
Postmodernist concept of experience industry with best sold themes; History
and Exotica. In the overall mercantilisation, everything is touristically
validated and sold. In Croatia Tourism is seen as very important for the
young state and besides natural resources, one of the key factors for the
croatian economic boom. It presents and promotes croatian culture; from
books, to fine arts, performance arts to monuments heritage, museums, archives,
then to folklore and other traditional arts and crafts. However, the authenticity
of the tourist scene and the authenticity of the tourist experience are
two different notions. There are authentic tourist scenes with invented
events ( destinations, national parks, historical sights...) or constructed
scenes ( theme parks) with genuine events and many other mixtures of the
two. In comparison to scenes, Authentic Tourist Experience cannot be 'created',
because just as any experience, it is deeply individual.
Furthermore,
just adequate scenary, scenography/ costumography cannot not guarantee
it. Some people think that they have had authentic experience just by beeing
at the location, other expect to get involved, with lots of grades in between.
If a man judges that he did not meet/ experience neither the people, nor
the location or events, he would conclude that he did not achieve authentic
tourist experience and missed the very goal of his travel. Tradition cannot
be born again, the medieval stones are here but the spirit is gone. Both
what we call tradition and culture were originally fully embeded in the
folk lives, a way of living. Now culture is highly institutionalised, classified
and ready for use in 'cultural tourism'. At the same time traditions are
put up as scenes or "reconstructed". Present day medieval days are nothing
but a carneval fake, and an entertaining one, although there are places
on Earth where people still live like in Middle ages.. And that is the
Mirracle on Earth; that for time travelling you do not actually need vivid
imagination, but rather a particular location and the knowledge to recognise.
And again a thought from the beginning; what is tradition / eg. culture?
How much do we have it, can we posses it ( hence aquire), loose it ( hence
asimilate in other, or asimilate the other culture)? Cultural tourism has
been heralded as the saving grace but what exactly are people touring?
What is worth seeing and what isn't? At the artificial events such as Rapska
Fjera for expl. in order to fully understand the event and its purpose,
we should be looking at the side effects such as distorting tradition,
mercantilisation, presentation of the functionaries too. Tourism is largly
based on the artificial and created imagery and that determines where the
tourism industry will go later. When something is made into an image through
tourism, it automaticly becomes important. Not only does it speed up processes
that are already in play, such as the political prejudices but also creates
new monuments and things that would not normally be a tourist attaction.
Not only does it alter the enviroment around the attraction, it also alters
the idelogical enviroment creating thus a new form of visual language.
Touris theory has it that the destination, in order to maintain its attraction
for visitors, needs to maintain its appeal through commercialising the
past and offering imagery of what tourists want to experience, because
at the destination it is the image of the place that the tourist consumes,
not the reality of day-to-day life of the host destination.
"The
tourist consumes difference. But the production of cultural difference
is not infinite. It is not "merely" imaginal. It is rooted in languages,
landscape, architecture, custom, taste, smell. It is very physical. The
more it is used up or taken away, the less remains.“ - The Caravan of Summer
by P. L. Wilson
5.
ABOUT TOURISM
Tourism
is today a key sector of globalised neoliberal capitalism, the world’s
biggest industry, propeling the economies of industrial developing world.
Tourism is seen promising sector, a pacemaker for globalisation, even as
the engine for development in the 21st century. Although advertised as
ideal development tool and the catalyst for economic growth, the competition
for resources with tourist has actually reduced the standard of living
for many. With large profits being made from the global industries ( transport,
tour operators and hotelier chains, banking sector) no wonder tourists
are being persuaded that the best way to 'help' the not so happy population
worldwide is to continue to holiday on their shores.
Tourism
viewes places as an aggregate of tourist attractions, looking for the cultural
differences and local identities, directed towars the past to heritage
not the future. It is a machine that transforms temporariness into timelessness,
ephemerality into monumentality.. It is the ground where cultures overlap
or fractalise. Namely, not only do tourists travel but their objects, culture
and imagery too. There are also appearing the kind of behaviours on the
holidys not tipical or tolerated in their domicile society (voayerism,
aggressivity, debauchery -for expl. butt throwing, or morally corrupt consumerism
typical for sex industry).
The
tourist cannot keep track of historical transformations. Fixed focus upon
already produced images and already inscribed sights and places make the
tourist a passive sightseer consuming sights in prescribed fashions. Furthermore,
through his 'needs' it oftenly creates monuments, events and custums. Destinations,
communities and cultures get reinvented to its pleasure. Inherited architectural
and artistic styles, political prejudices, religious myths and traditional
customs are no longer meant to be transcended in the name of universality
but to be touristically validated and reproduced then globally advertised
and sold.
As
“tourism” per se declines in specificity, of universalising the tourist
gaze – people are much of the time “tourists” whether they like it or not.
( read Globalising the Tourist Gaze - (2001) by J. Urry ). The past distinction
between tourism and other aspects of culture become increasingly blurred,
but touristic modes of staging, visualization and experience become increasingly
central to other areas of social life. Furthermore, these dedifferentiating
trends are often linked directly to the expression, consumption and experience
of ethnicity, both one’s own and others’. The activity of tourists is purposive
and oriented towards the experience of difference. However, difference
is experienced in a domesticated, packaged form, and it is primarily aesthetic,
structured and evaluated by aesthetic criteria. And while tourist is defined
by having a home to return to, home too becomes increasingly experienced
in a touristic mode. Impacts of Tourism are Environmental, Socio-cultural
and Economic, but both the Tourists and the Hosts mutually shape the realities
they share! Places are dynamic and depend upon performances both by ‘hosts’
but especially by ‘guests’.
Tourism
and media have became the outmost tools for the global mercantilisation
of the world ( the imperialism through tourism?) but there comes the ‘end
of tourism’ within a much general ‘economy of signs’. Everything becomes
a brand: destination, "living" cultures and everyday life, art and history,
heritage, ethnicity or any particular group... Because of its impacts,
in the contemporary society tourism should be monitored from the standpoints
of economic, cultural and environmental sustainability not only as a separate
new age phenomena. Tourism requires constant guidance, maintaining perspective
in order to guard against the temptation for short-run economic gain to
eclipse the larger matters (environemnt, materrial and immaterial heritage,
vices) of a healthy culture.
Negative
socio-cultural impacts of tourism: Read full article: http://www.uneptie.org/pc/tourism/sust-tourism/soc-drawbacks.htm
5.1.
SUSTAINABILITY & TOURISM
Tourism
is the biggest industry in the world. Every eight person in the world works
directly or indirectly in the industry. The big industry also shows big
potential and eco tourism is one way to turn the desire for travel into
a beneficial tool for sustainability. Tourism generates an annual revenue
of almost $500 billion. And it is growing fast, with airline arrivals expected
to double by 2010. According to the World Tourism Organization tourism
is accounting for 10.4% of global GDP, 11.2% of world exports and 7.6%
of all employment ( estimated 200 million people). Also, very indicative
is that 80%of travellers come from just twenty countries of the world.
In global economy, tourism is privileged characteristic of the world's
Minority ( 'developed world' as its own end). - Tourism is being marked
as the fastest growing and one of the most profitable industries in the
world, with unparalleled opportunities for the economic development of
local communities.
-
Arts, culture, heritage and the environment are being marked as vital for
strong economies, communities and individuals.
-
Travel became an essential, fundamental component of the Consumer lifestyle.
-
Initial motivation for travel shifted from courage, curiosity and trade
to personal selfish reasons Stats and figures highlights: - according to
the World Tourism Organization between 1995 and 2002, tourist arrivals
worldwide grew by approximately 27.6%. - pretty realistic (not purely case-
study):
http://www.madagascar-contacts.com/fasp/US/sectourb3332.htm
for
more see: http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=1110
5.2.
On Ecotourism
Eco
tourism is presently a trend in the tourist industry, with lots of contradictions
under that hat used as an advertising labeled on various travel products...
Spa, wellness, eco, active or cultural tourism. However, in communities
dependant on single-sided economies (be it agriculture, resources (oil,
gas..) or tourism) sustainability is due to the nature of the modern economies
and globalised market hard to achieve. In developiong and 3rd woorld countries
Eco tourism is not as productive yet, except where funded from abroad.
In communities where most say they cannot afford it and look on it as new
fashion trend, entertainment for young unemployed aspirants// Change Enthusiast.
Seems it is up to tourist to push it as the new branch requirement, what
can be locally perceived as pushing too far. The question is whether it
is OK that the consumers ( eg. tourist) decide for locals what's good for
them. The push for sustainable tourism has to come from two places: the
tourist, who realises the damage he or she is doing and the host population
living in tourism-dependent countries, who simply refuse to stand for the
damage they also produce due to the environmentaly harmful practices. Both
have to insist to the governments and the industry as a whole that tourism
be truely sustainable and adjust their own behaviour practices. The problem
here, of course, is that people generally don't think this way. Interesting
article: Ecotourism - hope and reality: http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=1143§ion=10
On
the same portal one can read another interesting article: The new Riviera?
No, the old Mediterranean http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=2301
-- The author points out that Lastovo, like most of the islands, simply
does not have enough water, infrastructure, or transport links with the
mainland to support the kind of intensive tourism common in other parts
of the Mediterranean, but although giving few environmental highlights,
the mentioned article is nothing more than a targeted journalist tourist
advertisment. Truth is that MEDITERANEAN is getting old, tired, losing
its population and depending on highly seasonal income. That small island
in Dalmatia does not have infrastructure because no one but few elders
is permanently living there... How sustainable it is to built all that
on an island that will loose permanent residents in a year or two? An other
point is that noone helps locals but just decides for them and swears full
mouth in natural resources preservations, sustainability, ecology etc.
Elders are left to themselves because their fisherman/ shepard offspring
cannot live of natural resources any more and have left for cities ...
Ecology/ sustainability themes is oftenly distorting the facts for their
own ends to ensure enough preassure ( above article published through WWF)
or for completely other reasons ( real estate buying, investments... or
some other 'development' project). Purposivenes as basic postulation is
outside the site.
People
react similarly as animals ( read http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4733)
until the moment when both environment and them, become zoo-like... Unfortunately,
ZOO_ENV variable is one of the main characteristics of tourism: visitor
versus exibit / nature, architecture, culture, animals, people, events
... name it. Read these eco directives: http://www.equitabletourism.org/ecotourism.htm
It is interesting that proclaimed eco orientations and drafts actually
have opposite effests and that in fact very few eco-tourism orientated
organisations or agencies or hotels have really something to do with true
ecology and sustainability they advertise. Ecology in general seems to
be something as of a market product agressively pushed towards really eco-non-needy
communities which do not polute as much as the societies that sell them
' the issue'. Ecology is asserted as the requirement of the modern era.
Similar is happening with the issue of the new technologies… Transitional
states and ex- russian countries as the most needed ones, should be cases
to observe the environment issues and be investment targets, as they are
in most need of environmental technology, but this is not happening, why?
Another interesting observation: Institutions like UN & UNESCO declare
and focus on ensuring that tourism becomes a major force for sustainable
cultural and natural resource conservation and development. Similar as
to their commitments to world peace so, here my question: are the outcomes
regarding the environmental issues mirroring the peace - war situation(s)
in the world?
5.3.
Community responsible travel
Responsible
tourism - theory
It
exists a whole another way to travel whose characteristic is the consciousness:
of the traveler and of his actual actions, from what/where to buy ( a cards,
a gift, a room to sleep); to the reality of the countries of destination
(social, cultural, economical, environmental). It gives the possibility
of a thought-out choices and therefore
different
effects. Responsible Tourism is to travel ethical and be aware of destination,
the people, the nature and behave with respect; a form of travel than chooses
not to add to destruction and exploitation, but is done through universal
good-will values: equity, sustainability and tolerance. Further reading
for Rab visitors: http://www.kristofor.hr/eng-eco.html
In
new millenium are noticed significant increases of 'entrepreneurial trends',
both among the domestic and foreign 'entrepreneurs' who are engaged in
'alternative business practices'. Both tourists and locals are attracted
by this trend of "unconventional means" but what is actually going on is
that they are unconsciously or consciously, supporting black economy (
tax evasion, social and other dues that keep the communities going) and
attracting criminal behaviour - so no wonder there is a rise in online
false pretenses and cheating. Caution: recently popular "Community
owned" tourism ventures are very often simple mask for very selfish motives
by all non-transparent parties involved. Usually desquised under some NGO
initiatives, supported by political parties ( local or state) and hardly
responsible or 'socially sensitive' what is usually their advertising slogan.
In this grey arena 'aid through tourism' operate also some corporate-scientific
organisations with very pfishy motives and sadly with irreparable damages
to the investment lands.
Unfortunately,
in corrupt societies where official community institutions get corrupt,
it is even harder to achieve and maintain responsible market. In mutually
dependant global world based on irresponsible and selfish economy, this
chaotic and edge-run market behaviours actually result in erosion of the
whole communities on both sides; domectic and foreighn.
Some
very good points about the Socio-Cultural Impacts of Tourism, special in
Advice for Tourist, can be found here: http://www.trentu.ca/anthropology/anth409h/advice.html
In light of the research of tourism impacts on cultures, communities and
individuals, I was struck by the tourist industry campaign in Indonesia,
Sri Lanka, & Maldives after the big tsunami, where they choose the
add slogan in form of the plea to tourist to come back ASAP! - http://edition.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/01/06/tsunami.travel/
what just illustrates the dependancy on the whole lands on this ‘industry’.
In present form, tourism produces tourists and tourist servants/ slaves
overwhelmingly consuming natural resources and whole cultures. Travel and
tourism represents both directly and indirectly 74.1 percent of the gross
domestic product of the Maldives and 10.8 percent of Sri Lanka, according
to figures from the World Travel and Tourism Council. See this article
related to the subject and latest tsunami tragedy: http://www.theallineed.com/news/0412/312796.htm
In general, tourism is becoming similar to showbiz and fashion, in the
papers of the trade it is usually very hard to distinguish between relevant
market analysis reports and propaganda leveled papers and the Disaster
situations like the Asia Tsunami show just how contradictory the reality
can be and how important/ powerful the tourism is.
Tourism
& Sustainability Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 11:22 pm Cedar, Massive
Change member = Consumer ----> Conserver " it amazes me how the word
'sustainable' gets thrown around so easily, as though it is just something
we can wake up one morning and start applying to any economy. i don't understand
how 'sustainable' & 'economic growth' can be used in the same phrase.
it is oxymoronic. 'sustainable' means to provide for the needs of the present
without sacrificing the needs of the future. 'economic growth' means using
more and more resources to build an economy. true, those resources can
be both tangible and intangible (ie. in the real world and in the communication/information
world), but complete economic growth requires the success of many industries
together. it will always involve the extraction of resources that are not
replaceable. with tourism, unless we find some way to make planes and cruise
ships run on air, big resorts to use composting toilets and solar power,
unless tourists start cooking their own food communally and demanding locally
grown organic produce, unless we stop buying kitchy little mass produced
souvenirs and clothing that's made dirt cheap, unless we stop exploiting
human resources in low income countries, unless everyone has equal opportunity
to travel, and unless we provide total protection to the forests and beaches
and oceans and mountains, there is no way it can ever be sustainable. that
doesn't mean we shouldn't search for ways to lessen our impact within the
industry. just please let's be honest and not call it 'sustainable'. maybe
'minimized impact' would be more honest, at least it doesn't cater to the
warm fuzzy feeling that we are somehow accounting for more than the needs
of the next five to ten years in our resource use. i think the search for
the ever elusive 'sustainability' is an important one that we may never
attain, since the advent of agriculture we have veered off in a direction
such that 'sustainable' and 'human' may not ever be able to be properly
used in the same sentence. however, it doesn't hurt to try. we may not
get there all the way, but maybe we can come close. on ecotourism: has
anyone here seen what is considered eco-tourism? ha! i've worked in the
industry for enough years to laugh at any stats that come out showing how
great the growth of that industry is. when 20 zodiacs running on huge high-horsepower
motors surround a couple of whales minding their own business just so a
bunch of people who think they're doing something beneficial can get their
kicks is called eco-tourism, it's pretty obvious how the meaning of the
term has been lost somewhere along the way. "
-
TRAVEL BROADENS THE MIND by Molly Scott Cato: "Tourism is now an object
lesson in the way the powerful societies of the West treat the planet and
its resources: we are bumming off the planet and bumming off its poorer
people. Dissatisfied with the lives we have created for ourselves at home,
in spite of our historically extreme levels of consumption, we feel the
need to escape and return to countries whose people still enjoy a simpler
attitude towards life. We fail to question the paradox at the heart of
this choice which we might encapsulate in the phrase: if you?re so rich,
how come you ain?t happy?" - online: http://www.sustecweb.co.uk/past/sustec13-3/Travel/Broadens.htm
5.4.
Tourism as a Development Tool
The
MYTH for the incoming destinations outside developed Western sphera Tourism
generates foreign exchange, as well as employment and government revenues
through taxes, developes the region through hotel construction and in the
operations of accommodation entities throughout the country. Tourism stimulates
production of goods and services in a wide range of sectors and sub-sectors,
e.g. construction, furniture and fittings, agriculture, fisheries, food
growing and processing and light manufacturing, health water, education,
handicrafts, as well as transport, telecommunications and financial services.
The best and most profitable export tool. The dispersion of tourist assets
throughout the country creates pockets of economic growth in each of the
regions. The development of the tourist industry is a national priority.
Government should therefore provide the necessary resources. The safety
and comfort of visitors is a high priority. Passenger facilitation should
be enhanced to encourage the influx of tourists. The pursuit of sustainable
tourism development should be a major focus of Government activities in
the sector. Existing barriers to growth of the industry should be removed;
educational training of the population, development and expanding infrastructure
capacities, encouraging international financial institutions, acquisition
of land for tourism development, encouragement of private investment in
the tourist industry...
Characteristics:
HUMAN
RIGHTS VIOLATION
ECONOMIC
SLAVERY
LANDSCAPE
DEVASTATION
POLLUTION
EXPROPRIATION
CORRUPTION
Croatian
example "In Croatia tourism is accounting for around 5.5% of employment
and generating just over 30% of total exports of goods and services. Originally,
the tourism sector was developed to maximise foreign currency receipts
rather than profits. Although it provides a market for other sectors, such
as food processing and retail trade, it remains a relatively low value-added
industry. In 1999 "hotels and restaurants", the category in the national
accounts that best captures the industry, accounted for only 2.6% of GDP,
less than half its share of employment. Tourism has been held back by the
low quality of hotels and other infrastructure, most of which dates back
to the earlier period and was aimed at mass package tourism." "Although
tourist arrivals collapsed when war broke out in 1991, the current account
of the balance of payments recorded a surplus in 1993- 94 because imports
were subdued in view of the depressed state of the economy.
However,
since 1995 the country has run persistently wide current-account deficits.
Even though the tourism sector recovered after the end of the war, this
was insufficient to offset the sharp increase in the trade deficit. " -
inserts from the http://www.intracen.org/worldtradenet/docs/networking/country_papers/paper_croatia.pdf
strategy of development: "If you fly along the coast you will see a lot
of land that is not in use," says Ruskkovic. "We have located forty two
locations that would be excellent for golf courses, and we are now working
on ownership issues." She states that only a few of these locations are
government owned. "We are on a good path towards making a deal with people
who are owners of land and give them options. They can leave the land and
come into a joint venture. On land that is not used- the owner will have
to pay the tax. That will make it so that it?s much better for them to
construct a golf course rather than to leave it as empty land." - published
by International Reports: http://www.internationalspecialreports.com/europe/01/croatia/privatized.htmlhttp://www.nfi.at/english/Arbeitsbereiche/tourism/EcoTour/documents/RoteKarte-eng.pdf
- DANTE, Die Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Nachhaltige TourismusEntwicklung
Tourism
is viewed positively as a development option but there is limited co-ordination
of tourism activities and insufficient collaboration between the public
and private sector or corrupted co-operation where existing... In addition,
the island is dependent on uneven geographical and seasonal tourism influx.
Just like in Crete, as pointed out by Dr Konstantinos Andriotis; "Tourism
has modified traditions and has affected the environment and society. Since
community perceptions match reality (what is on the ground from development),
problems are real and it is necessary to find solutions for their amelioration."
Croatian tourism has definitely taken a wrong turn. It is also questionable
whether such an industry should be a main corner-stone of any state economy..
However, in finding suitable solutions sometimes the right questions give
the right answers.
Conclussion:
People exploit Nature and other creatures and other people as if they own
them, using them for their personal goals and selfish caprices. Although
we can, Man, in the full meaning of the word, does not have the right to
Nature's destruction. Change of attitude is needed. Red card for the tourism?
Although tourism has made some damages, with better designing, management
and responsibility guided by principles of sustainability, places for the
soul that are still here can be saved.
5.5.
CULTURE TOURISM - INVENTING TRADITIONS
How
many times did I hear the question: " Are you from Rab? " ( - in relation
to you Londoner / or any place really that you might be from) - and how
do I answer this question?
How
do you define yourself; through your ancestors, do you hold on to place,
way of life, your job? Do you percieve yourself as the member of the same
culture as your ancestors and how, what was similar, what different, what
preveils? Hence, can you explain the missunderstandings between the grandsons
and their grandparents ( even better; their grand- grandparents) only by
generation gap eg. 'new times'? Not only that the times change, people
and cultures change too. In fact, cultures are constantly in the state
of migration; they get merged, overlaped, transmitted, ravaged, invented...
And what defines culture? Space, people and time.
My
'map':
Natural;
-- SLOW, OLD TIME
Globalisation,
tourism, networking, media, consumerism - FAST, NEW AGE
What
about MIDDLE LANE?
"The
cultural offers cannot be defined in a touristic vacuum. They are drawn
from and imposed upon the local lived cultures of the societies that host
the tourist experience. These lived realities of the everyday lives of
the everyday folk are often ignored in favour of historic cultures that
are revitalised for the tourist experience. For cultural tourism folklore
is often seen to be more important than the folk in the destination. "
prof. A. Clarke in The Cultural Tourism Dynamic paper.
In
modern era ( 20/ 21.st ct.) cultural borders are erased in favour of dualism
( us modern and them primitive, or vice versa?) - Is it that simple? With
exception of cults who use it for self-reinforcement, people everywhere
are aware of the myths and the legends, but will not structure their every
day lives around the re-enactment of the rites and rituals of the times
past. Another thought specially regarding present day life on island Rab;
tourism has a great role on cultural changes, modern theorists ( see literature
list ) say that the validity of tourist experience (eventuality) influences
the time, the space and the identity of participants ( fox hunt, polo,
wimbeldon, walk-abouts, carnevals, folk pig-slaughter custums) and I am
going to dissect Rab tournament games and Rab medieval fest. Medieval Festival
RAB FJERA - Authenticity and the pseudo-event in tourism Reviving history
Rab Fjera is a medieval festival fair, with the presentations of the of
the "medieval life on Rab" that started 2001, after 9 years of Rab crossbow
revival. During the 3 days ( 25th to 27th July); people dress up in costumes
and have kind of open air workshops of the "medieval life"... It is comprised
of open air markets, crafts workshops, happenings on the town streets and
culminates the last day with the crossbow archers tournament and the fireworks.
Visitors
can see traditional crafts; pottery, painting, fishing, coinage, stitching,
basket weaving, carpentry, sculpting or learn the secrets of trade from
the florists, honey makers, herbalists or even from the cross-bow archers
who will explain the technique and the history of the crossbow. In a small
gallery just off the square on the Upper street one can see the traditional
island household from the past; women rippling wool, weaving, grain grinding,
bread making and hear traditional gang song. If you never heard those,
you might get hypnotised... Bellow the town is held a fisherman's and pirates
party and at the same time the streets are run over with ladies, gentleness,
medieval guards with prisoners, knights and of course tourists. So, it
was fascinating to see the town transformating itself and it was fun to
see people having fun :-) and I did lots of pics; see it here: http://community.webshots.com/album/10489376AONwHaACkK
The festival culminates with archers tournament on the main square and
the fireworks. If you want more details about Rab and this event look at
http://www.kristofor.hr/english-archers.html
'Rapska Fjera' comes into being in certain contexts, for certain audiences,
purposes and platforms. It is among the first tourist attractions of its
kind that are currently booming all over Croatia. To name just a few of
these popular event productions in tourism; Moreska on Korcula, Djurdjevacki
Picoki, Varazdin Baroque evenings ... Most are based on some historical
event or legend, but these events are nothing more than embodied and symbolised,
well presented invented identities. Actually in each of these examples,
we are looking at the commodified copies seeking to exploit the commercial
potential of the tradition within the destination. The chronicle says that
Rab had its communal festivity days with archers tournament in the middle
ages (14 ct.) to celebrate its patron saint. The archers tournament is
recommenced in 1995. as tourist attraction and is presented as local traditon
since... I doubt we can talk of tradition here, as presented in the tourist
advertising. Fjera is addition on this group staging medieval - reneissance
times. Forged or to be polite; revived tradition, because historical authenticity
does not validate contemporary events, let alone identities. This kind
of historical staging shows fragments of past using munuments and historical
artefacts as proof of authenticity. One is sure only in fact that medieval
days happened in medieval times. So why are those events staged? Answer
is simple; for its commercial value. The most important question for us
is whether are we going to embrace this event as our identity, just as
scotish did accept 'their' kilts. The members of the archers club and the
active festival participants enjoy their staging convinced that they make
very important role in island promotion. Some of them identified with their
characters, some make strong social bonds, others use fiera as a great
tool to promote own businesses. Most islanders lack deeper background understanding
or are simply ignorant ( 'not my business') to be critical. Many aprove
'because it is good for the tourism'. Having seen it for the 3rd or 4th
time one gets bored. Regarding the relations, we are no different from
holidaymakers, we are all a mass of bystanders expected to spend couple
of bucks on drinks or souveniers, to take pics and spread the word further...
It seems that in contemporary society we all are becoming tourists / exhibition
-goers.
CUES
FOR FURTHER FORMINGS of Fjera that yet do not exist
Ways
of sustainable tourism:
-
use local resourses, build image based on the idea of local diversity and
variety of supply
-
decentralise culture and tourism; induce co-operation between theses sectors
-
take care about authenticity!
-
Under this one, Fjera promotion deffinitely needs honest correcton.
Possible
and yet not achieved or attempted additional contents that should be held
in connection with Fjera manifestation: - open workshops ( art, music,
theatre, crafts...), with the results shown at Fjera & specialised
short workshops for tourists during the festival - children programm! (
not only showing children as the living exponats) - education: expert lectures
in history, arts and similar sciences connceted with the theme in which
could the local community grow.
Research
Open directory on the 'living history' subject: http://dmoz.org/Recreation/Living_History/By_Historical_Region/Europe/Renaissance/
- english http://dmoz.org/World/Deutsch/Freizeit/Hobbys/Lebendige_Geschichte/Europa/Renaissance/
-deutsch
See
other examples of Reenactment history, troupes, fairs and alike:
European
MIDDLE AGES festival, 27th - 28th August 2004, HORSENS - Denmark: http://www.horsensmuseum.dk/midd/midd_en.htm
Medieval
World theme park in US: http://www.medievalworld.us/Knightly
Castle.
The
Reconstruction of the Middle Ages" 7th international festival: http://english.pravda.ru/culture/2002/07/25/33170.html
International
palace games in Visegrad, Hungary http://www.palotajatekok.hu/engindex.html
Moscow
Renaissance Fair http://www.moscowrenfair.org/
Rye
village England: http://www.rye-tourism.co.uk/home/
RENAISSANCE
FAIRES and Medieval Festivals AROUND THE WORLD WEBPORTAL: http://www.faires.com/
Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex: http://www.mgel.com/
Arezzo's
Giostra del Saracino: http://www.tuscandream.com/festivals.cfm
Ehrenberg
– A Journey Through Time: http://www.tannenhof.cc/winter-austria/ehrenberg-journey.htm
5.6.
HERITAGE - TOKEN FOR THE FUTURE?
Problem
with the tourism is that this industry viewes places as an aggregate of
tourist attractions, looking for cultural differences and local identities
to package them as products. At the same time, the tourist as partial observer
most oftenly cannot keep track of historical transformations, authenticity
or origin. He can be critical only when it comes to personal comfort. The
tourist is a model of modern man; seeking to get close to the roots of
civilisation and own self by visiting and looking at packaged versions
of the past. Culture provides orientation in the world we inhabit. Tourism
migrates cultures and changes traditions. The pre-modern world has not
disappeared, it has just been turned into zillions of tourist attractions
but the mass of the tourist globalisation supersede cultural diversity
and standardise tourist experiences and the experience of the perception
of the world through the global World- Culture. Through its 'needs', the
industry oftenly creates monuments, events and custums, reshapes the environment
to be touristically validated. The growing volume of tourism also speeds
up the process of monumentalization. Inherited architectural and artistic
styles, political prejudices, religious myths and traditional customs are
no longer meant to be transcended but touristically consumed without consideration.
Heritage tourism, eco tourism, cultural tourism, volunteer tourism are
just self-pretend cleverly labeled modern tourist products, invented just
as all other before them ( exotic travel, adventure travel ...). Philosophy
of sustainable travel is among the most popular issues nowdays; sensitivity
to local communities, tourists ( replacement word travelers, visitors)
as a powerful force in preserving and restoring the destinations they frequent.
Ecotourism focuses on the conservation of natural habitats and the promotion
of local economies without exploitation or overdevelopment. Community-based
tourism aims to channel tourist dollars into the local economy by emphasizing
tours and cultural programs run by members of the host community, often
to the benefit of disadvantaged groups. Volunteer tourism range from conservation
to humanitarian projects. All is about getting involved in the communities
visited and sometimes the real question is whether to visit at all...
As
an example, see this volunteer tourism project: http://www.crtp.net/
We are going towards the stage of Total tourism which transforms drug dealers
shooting at each other or any other social phenomena in an exciting tourist
scene and use it as 'product content'. Everything is allowed, everything
is possible. Also, everything is subject to mercantilization, including
the most marginal or banal. However; "the stories about the failure in
the development of the so-called 'backward countries show not only an exterminating
cultural and economic neocolonialism, but also the poorness of western
culture, which identifies 'good life and 'standard of living' with the
production and possession of things. Not all commercial goods which increase
the GNP, are objective goods for persons, for society and for nature, but
in many cases they partake of an evil or are one (detriment to health,
exhaustion of resources, control systems...). The same can be said of 'services'.
Freedom cannot confine itself to choosing among some given options, but,
mainly, it must allow to create new options." - Martí Olivella.
Read
this quote from an article in croatian art magazine Zarez ( nr. 129: http://www.zarez.hr/129/esej3.htm
Pod
istim suncem isti dronjci, iste rane , Aleksandar Mijatoviæ )
"History
mediated through tourism becomes surrogate for present instead its continuum.
Tourists strive to perceive the authenthicity of everyday life that has
already irredeemebly sliped away from his horizont of experience in his
own homeland. His understanding is superficial and limited, not only because
he stays in some foreign land for a wshort while or because he strives
to achive the panoptical supremacy over it, but because the foreign land
delivers itself nd this should be empfesised; openly collusive.
Buit in such a way that the tourist rituals withdraw itself to grey spot,
so the tourist fails to see through the decor and artificiality of the
content. hence he does not reach for expl. true Dalmatian ( or true
Aborigine or Scots for that matter a.r.) , because natives put their biological
bodies into procjection of cultural images on the one hand, while the tourist
cannot aproach other than sighseeing it, not by directly touching it. Therefore
is cultural tourism all but strategy of tourism; it is rather articulation
of all the prejudices, from economical to xenophobic about tourist and
the tourism."
5.7.
BUY A TICKET TO HEAVEN - The Tyrany of Happiness
"Those
transient in paradise surely have a right to expect friendliness from those
blessed enough to inhabit; locals are part of the product, and as such
have very definite and circumscribed roles thrust upon them. Discrepancies
are opened up by a refusal to perform, or at least to maintain a level
of presumably manic happiness. This is a common problematic; countries
which have employed tourism as a development strategy often rely on their
citizen’s ability to stage a foisted notion of tradition and collective
psychology." - Gavan Titley, Global Theory and Touristic Encounters, 2000
Commercial
presence of history in the present time is no proof of authenticity nor
any kind of orientation mark for the modern individual for whom the only
history is the yesterday's news. Modern man changes homeland for the world.
Tourist towards himself and to other, but instead walking through the world
he is sightseeing it as the big amusement park or endless museum in which
his discretional look falls equally on identity or difference. Tourism
is not just a travelling way for the domicile population to spend their
free time. Tourism as the modern phenomena is the condition of the modern
humanity - we are all tourist building Planetary society. This fatal Tourism
is becoming Supreme Good, stalking itself wioth the epithet of cosmopolitanism
and yet it does not carry that very basical readyness of 'I' to live the
World with other people. As C. Jung puts it: Modern man will never find
peace until he comes into harmony with the place where he lives. In this
light, it is a true queastion whether there can be any Sustainable tourism
at all, because it ought to contain this coexistance of diversities, with
the emphasys on the guests not to expect or demand of hosting communities
to replicate his reality and expectations. If you are concerned about sustainability/
diversity and endangered spieces you might be asking yourself whether you
ought to travel to Amazonia or Nepal at all. But it is not necessary to
worry yourself too much, the young generations there are already far more
interested in Madonna, Harley Davidson and possibility of fast and good
'western' lifestyle than in environment/ culture/ identity protection.
Welcome into the Global Tourist Humanity. It is no surprise that in search
of our own distinctivness we pile up testimonies, documents, pictures and
all possible visible signs of what once was. That has nothing to do with
the genesis. We are puzzling out what we are in the light of what we are
not any more. We have yet to learn to see the world around us.
The
City in the Age of Touristic Reproduction by Boris Groys The tourist and
the city dweller become identical. Translated from German by Nastasa Medved.
url: http://artefact.mi2.hr/_a02/lang_en/write_groys_en.htm
6.
RAB POSTCARDS FROM THE PRESENT
Adriatic
identity - coast under construction
Tourism
and tourist orientation on the Adriatic research Current slogan: "MEDITERRANEAN
AS IT ONCE WAS" Location case study: island Rab, Croatia
Synopsis:
-
devastation of the landscape, cultural heritage without heir
-
tourism impacts and challanges, few charactgeristics of the turistic building;
-
seaside construction on terrains with easy access, oftenly in fields
-
dying of the historical towns, popularity of the new settlements
-
individual building; disappearing of traditional roofs ( "kupe"), appearance
of 4 confluence roofs, cheep material usage; most common concrete, balkonies
constructed in simple concrete deck, metal fences, plastic windows, typical
unbalanced add ons on the houses, copycat models
-
unproportional construction and installation of the infrastructure; problematic
public illumination, setting up of electric, telephone wires, fuse plants,
variouse antennas, air conditioning exterior units etc..
-
old seaside towns - museums without residents, cultural sanctuary trend
6.1.
THE CONFLICTING REALITIES OF THE TOURIST HEAVEN
Touristificated
Mediterranean, Croatian Adriatic Islands;
Sustainable
and non-sustainable Development-Practices,
Management
and development policies,
Impacts
Development
explosion
Space
best records the lapse of time. In our adriatic environment everything
has been signed in stone, concrete and asphalt. The relations between new
construct and the historical i.e. natural ambience along the adriatic coast
and on the islands voice the fact that the croatian mediterannean cultural
heritage nor the general environment preservation, despite UNESCO titles,
are not integral part of our present culture. Croatian coast is far from
"Meditteranean as it once was"as advertised by the National Tourist Board.
Coast and the islands are degraded. Old urban kerns detoriate or get devastated
and around them blossoms the unplanned settlement buildings without infrastructure,
clear purpose and of course without any taste or architectual imagination.
Term "Apartmanisation" reacently used in the media actually stands for
suburbian dormitories along the shores. Urban design is both a product
and a process, here definitely highly influenced and shaped through Tourism,
but it seems that the potential of a harmonic townscape and the satisfaction
of the population has been lost somewhere along the way.
The
croatian tourism mainly stands for "tourism for all". It is poorely regulated,
highly seasonal industry promoting non-sustainable methods, with exhausting
effects on the local people and environment. VIP tourists say that all
our hotels have a 'post communist' feel - they are all alike. The private
accommodation sector also started to show its' "headaches", because at
the destination the tourist consumes the image of the place, not the reality
of day-to-day life of the host destination. Tourism became the El' Dorado
land for the national 'grey' economy and its 'financial wizards' as well
as for the global tour corporations, supported by the officials because
of corruptive or short term financial interests. The main feature of croatian
( as many other) tourism industry is that the 'emitive' markets with the
minimum expenses or investments earn far the highest income ( 4x- 5x),
putting often impossible challanges to local infrastructure. It is also
very interesting that the development crediting in the destinations is
most oftenly done through the foreighn banks with much higher rates. It
is clear whose industry tourism propels and no wonder that in the general
globalisation of the world ( except in few alternative groups), there is
no open dialogue neither locally nor internationally on this subject.
6.2.
Homogeneity of touristic landscapes
Tourist
landscapes become homogenuous all along Meditteranean.. The greatest part
of Adriatic coast has been industialised already, not only because of the
expansion of concentrated commercial centres, factory, harbor and steel
mill installations, but through the various tourist inventions as well;
from modern 'international' expression in our big tourist resorts ( for
expl. riviera Porec, Umag, Pula, Makarska, Babin kuk in Dubrovnik) to individuall
tourist building and add-on's. Croatian tourist trade currently does not
maintain the survival of small local craftmens workshops of all kinds,
small specialised shops, characteristic entertainment catering, nor the
full employment or actual existance for the local population that is burdened
by high taxes, considerably higher livery prices, bad communications, lack
of possibilities and hence increasingly selling property. Also, the kind
of tourists in 'private accommodation' changed drastically in the last
decade, from long term visitors who stayed for weeks ( usually 3 weeks)
with the local families, befriended with locals and explored the island
to short stay tourists who save on cheep accommodations with the locals
and bring their own holiday supplies ( from toilet paper to food and beverages).
This on the other hand led to the explosion of cheep tourist building.
Remaining island population is getting increasingly older, with younger
population seeking opportunities elsewhere.
Those
poorely inhabited Adriatic Islands may become nature reserves. On bigger
or more developed/ populated islands the number of rental houses, cottages
and whole appartment villages increases every day. They are inhabited only
for 2 months a year, with the perspective of conflicts among weekend population
and whole year inhabitants.. Results based on such tourism: Change or loss
of indigenous identity and values, Reconstructed ethnicity, Commodification,
Standardization, Loss of authenticity and staged authenticity, Adaptation
to tourist demands, Culture clashes, Economic inequality, Resource use
conflicts, Cultural deterioration, Conflicts with traditional land-uses,
Depriving local people of access, Irritation due to tourist behavior, Job
level friction, Physical influences causing social stress, Ethical issues,
Crime generation, poor employment conditions: long hours, unstable employment,
low pay, little training and poor chances for qualification to Child labour
and finally Prostitution and sex tourism. We are only to go through american
example of town replica's and theme resorts ( “Disneyfication” ), booming
of golf resorts and mega marina's. In better cases we will get programms
of built environmental landscape bubbles ( parks, camps) for sustainable
development in overall non-sustainable regions. Our space and landscape
is under peaceful urban Invasion, vastly already devastated. However people
happily travel so fast on the highways to their relax- resorts and fail
to see the the devastated landscape along the way or the devastated landscape
on their destination ( because it is not percieved as such). Environment
changes of aestetic value are under dictum of the fast consumer values,
nice ilustrative examples are cruise-
liners in Adriatic. In notorious obsession with 'touristic progress'
it is little thought of long term impacts of ever multiplying presence
of ships and yachts in the Adriatic. The full impacts of their pollution
not only on the marine life but on the coastal area as well as the noise
pollution, have yet to be investigated and evaluated. The Mediterranean
Monk Seal has disappeared from the Adriatic just arround the first explosion
of nautical tourism. The cumulative impacts on life of less sensitive marine
spieces and underwater flora & fauna needs to be assessed. Some of
other serious but overlooked pollution issues with cumulative effects that
cause grave environmental derangement; light pollution, chemical pollution
( cumunal waste, pesticids and other toxics, air pollution...), physical
pollution with non-degradable or slowly decomposable elements... We are
not living in an environment that we think we are living in. With all this
urban changes in the landscape, we are also loosing our identity orientations.
Through this excessive building and its infrastructure the whole settings
have become non mediterranean and we still continue to behave as if this
space is limitless. Energy environmental exhaustion is also mirrored in
aestetical landscape infringement. This is not the land of our ancestors
any longer.
When
the expatriats return after long years of absence, they see this the best;
either their birthplace is in wreck or changed so much that they can hardly
orientate. And so goes with the people because the desturction of the heritage
leads to the memory loss in the identity... Change of Identity - maybe
for the future we create that is not such a bad thing. Only, is it possible
in a way we want it? Croatian tourism has taken a wrong turn. It is also
questionable whether such an industry should be a main corner-stone of
any state economy..
However,
in finding suitable solutions sometimes the right questions give the right
answers. "If the three pillars of sustainable development — public welfare,
economy and environment — are to be effectively built into tourism, the
contradictions of current tourism strategies must be recognised and understood."
- from the paper “Red card for the tourism?“ - DANTE, Die Arbeitsgemeinschaft
für Nachhaltige TourismusEntwicklung:
http://www.world-tourism.org/sustainable/%20IYE/quebec/cd/statmnts/pdfs/piause.pdf
6.3.
Case study: Island Rab Croatia; from Roman municipium to tourist destination
Check
this Photoalbum on the theme: http://www.angelfire.com/art2/kristina-tina/tourism-pro-con2.html
This
chapter document the impacts of Erratic development, negative impacts of
Tourism, environmental, social, cultural and economic changes. Pure tourist
orientated advertising ( essays, photographs, guides...) portray nice landscapes
rather then the territory ‘as is’. When abroad- orientated, east Adriatic
coast is oftenly presented romanticly, mostly through just tourist advertising,
seldom through issues of possible ecological incidents.
Most
of the problems listed here specifficaly for island Rab have to do with
with poor space planning, economical and communal issues and reflect the
local authority competency problems. They are also tipical problems of
other places along the croatian coast.
Overview:
geo- hazard, construction on agricultural land, abandoning traditional
farming and crafts, loosing traditions, environment devastation, destroying
coastal zone, submarine and underground waters and water springs, growing
exotic plants and introduction of invasive animals in environment, undue
urbanisation, bad space planning, for years unsolved communal problems,
waste disposal ( let alone recycling!) not resolved adequately, non existant
waste water and sewerage, unsuficient traffic communication, burdening
of the whole system due to the seasonal overload, great amount of public
services and public servants as the main yearly employment resource, generally
rich community, careerism, elitism, club -lobbying, self-centrism of local
and government institutions, poor social sensibility or co-operation, covetousness,
isolation, identity blackout, identification with homo - consumer
RAB
CHRONICLES - 1990-2004
-
pavementing town squares
-
opening of the new 'shopping centre' Sarengrad, with the bus station with
poor access to buses
-
moving local market stalls outside the old town to the new ‘shopping centre’
-
construction of the big police station
-
decay of old town centre, booming of open air market stalls
-
loss of ferry line to Rijeka and south to Zadar / Dalmatia
-
local excessive houses construction and augmentation building without necessary
infrastructure, particularly in Lopar and Barbat island parts, with the
boost of holiday houses that are in use only seasonally ( spanish syndrom)
-
primitive communal dump / no recycling or proper waste management -- on
this dump can be found medical junk; bottles, needles, bandages...
-
land usurpations - none or partial denationalisation, land registry in
mess
-
doubtful privatisation and operations of islands' major hotel company
-
new big ambulance
-
more and more parking
-
reconstruction od monuments / chatedral, St.Andrew monastery but unadequate
approach to XX ct. monuments ( WW2 and last patriot war )
-
harbour reconstructions / pavement
-
Rab ferry company aquired new bigger ferry
-
land asphalted in a bio-conservation zone of births nesting, purpose: helioport
for emergency landings, irronically, not in use Planns developed for an
island airport.
-
construction of telecommuniation towers in the Dundo woods and on the St.
Iliah hill
-
devastation incident in Dundovo Kalifront woods with deforestation; exceeding
cuttings
-
planns developed to build island's industiral zone in the detrius rocky
part on the island's south, near ferry- port - discourse on giving further
concessions to the (?) investor(s) for the construction of apartments village
in Kalifront Dundovo woods and construction of golf course there
-
colonisation of the non-native alien species to the island environmental
ecosystem; bringing the invasive plants / through gardening, in the sea,
to wild animals / mouflon, stag, deer, even invasive animals such as wild
boar and golden jackal. This last, because of the damages these animals
do on the crops and to sheep farmers, resulted in the griffon poisoning
incident: - 18.- 24.12.2004: Griffon poisoning; 17 Griffons and 2 eagles
dead at Rab's communal dump!!
-
paved green patch near the St. Christopher's square in order to make more
seasonal booths that make a great communal revenue
-
light pollution: unappropriate city lights, lighting of the park Dorka,
construction of the big reflectors on the foothballground
-
construction of the new public sports hall ... just as before, politicians
and the bureaucrats capitalise on big public projects but through with
poor management ( delays, poor location, financial waste as for expl. building
of sports hall on just a year prior paved public parking!)
Conclusion:
We need to learn to live within our own limits, respecting phisical boundaries
and natural cycles of growth, dying and renewal, understanding that with
the usage all energy, material, space and time ware out ie. decrease.
"God's
creation is to be loved, because He created it with love. When people exploit
Nature and other God's creatures as if they own them, using them for their
personal goals and selfish caprices instead of exaltation of God's glory,
they brfeak the covenant and rebell agains God. Mans' power over Nature
does not mean the right to its' destruction." - Insert from J. Rifkin's
book “Entropy”
7.
REFERENCES and Literature:
-
work of the art historian Branko Fucic; Apsyrtides, Chaff, Terra incognita,
Glagolitic inscriptions, various articles...
-
Summer camp workshop of Philosophy Faculty in Zagreb, Theme: Ethnology:
Invented traditions, Rab May 2004
-
Social and Cultural Anthropology: A Very Short Introduction. Contributors:
P.Just, J. Monaghan. Oxford University Press, 2000
-
Ways of Seeing (1972), John Berger
-
The trouble with Tourism and Travel Theory, Tourist Studies, Franklin,
A. and Crang, M., 2001
-
Exhibiting Cultures: The Poetics and Politics of Museum Display by Ivan
Karp, Steven D. Lavine
-
The Tourist, Dean MacCannell (1976)
-
The Tourist Gaze by J. Urry (1990),
-
Globalising the Tourist Gaze?(2001) gentlemen. Urry
-
Sociology beyond Society. Urry, J., 2000,
-
Mobilities for the 21st Century, Urry, J. 2002,
-
The Tourist Gaze 2nd Edition, London, Sage
-
Touristic ethnicity: a brief itinerary by Robert E. Wood
-
Visualising Anthropology by A.Grisham, A. Ravetz
-
I. Chambers:.Migrancy, Culture, Identity. NY Routledge, 1994.
-
From Pilgrim to Tourist or a Short History of Identity, Zygmunt Bauman
(1996)
-
H. Le Febvre:The Production of Space. Cambridge, B.Blackwell, 1991.
-
M. Auge: Non- Lieux, Introduction a une anthropologie de la supermodernite
-
Michael R. Curry: NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND THE ONTOLOGY OF PLACES
-
M. Robinson and A. Phipps; Worlds Passing By: Journeys of Culture and Cultural
Journeys
-
J. Baudrillard: Simulation and reality
-
A. Grisham, A.Ravetz: Visualising Anthropology
-
From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawaii by Haunani-Kay
Trask
-
J. Rifkin, Entropy; Viking, New York, 1980
Croatian:
-
Marasoviæ, T. Kulturna baština, St. 2002
-
Maroeviæ, I. Sadašnjost baštine, Zg 1986
-
Prelog, M. : Djela ‘Prostor i vrijeme’, GZ, Zg 1991
-
Domijan, M.; Rab- grad umjetnosti, Zg 2001
- cultural
tourism; Creating Modern Traditions in Balinese Performing Arts http://www2.hawaii.edu/~seassa/explorations/v2n1/art5/v2n1-art5.html
- Ecotourism
- hope and reality http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=1143§ion=10
- Larry Nesper
- Simulating Culture: Being Indian for the Tourists http://www2.hawaii.edu/~seassa/explorations/v2n1/art5/v2n1-art5.html
- Trust between
Culture: The Tourist http://www.multilingual-matters.net/cit/004/0042/cit0040042.pdf
- Early warning
system for identifying declining tourist destinations, and preventive best
practices http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/services/tourism/studies/tno/tno_en.pdf
- Policies
for Culture - strategies for SE Europe http://www.policiesforculture.org/dld/PfC_May2003_workshop_dossier.pdf
- The Cultural
Tourism Dynamic http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ttri/pdf/conference/alan%20clark.pdf
- Being a
Tourist http://www.ubcpress.ca/books/%20pdf/chapters/harrison/chapter1.pdf
- Touristic
ethnicity: http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/~wood/Papers/touristic-ethnicity.pdf
- MAASAI ON
THE LAWN: TOURIST REALISM IN EAST AFRICA http://www.nyu.edu/classes/bkg/tourist/brun-mas.dos
- The Anthropologist
as Barman and Tour-guide http://www.dur.ac.uk/anthropology.journal/vol12/iss1/kaul/kaul.html
-The power
of money. Monetics against corruption by Martí Olivella. http://chalaux.org/epdduk.zip
- Beyond the
global information/ Global tourism http://www.uni-muenster.de/PeaCon/zurawski/global.html#tourism
- Negative
socio-cultural impacts of tourism http://www.uneptie.org/pc/tourism/sust-tourism/soc-drawbacks.htm
- International
Cultural Studies: Tourism, heritage and globalization, Daniela Jelincic
(Zagreb)
http://www.inst.at/studies/s_0604_e.htm
- Mediterranean
Tourism: Impacts and Policy responses: http://www.multilingual-matters.net/jost/011/0095/jost0110095.pdf
- Globalisation,
Reterritorialisation and the Political Economy http://hazbun.mwoodward.com/geopoliticsarticle.pdf
- Development
and consequences of tourism http://www.tab.fzk.de/en/projekt/zusammenfassung/ab59.htm
- Red Card
for Tourism?? http://www.world-tourism.org/sustainable/%20IYE/quebec/cd/statmnts/pdfs/piause.pdf
- Crowded
shores http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/101/chabson.html
OVERCOMING
TOURISM by Hakim Bey http://www.hermetic.com/bey/tourism.html
- Compact
towns and cities - Earth Ministry http://www.earthministry.org/3e/pmap/ctcities.htm
- The Caravan
of Summer by P.L. Wilson http://www.hermetic.com/bey/caravan.html
- Free Tourists
in the Land of Plenty? from cyberdiscourse towards politics of location,
by Susanna Paasonen http://www.cfront.org/cf00book/en/susanna-location-en.html
- Making the
modern world http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/learning_modules/geography/04.TU.01/
- QUEST -
http://www.envisiontools.com/
- Urban Studies;
Vernacular Architecture http://www.aloha.net/~laumana/urbanstudiesindex.html
- http://www.europeangreens.org/
- Energy efficiant
Europe - http://www.eceee.org/
- http://www.newurbannews.com/
- LIFE - http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/life/home.htm
- PERMACULTURE
http://www.earthsong.org.nz/infobook/principles.html
- COASTAL
GUIDELINES - http://www.coastalguide.org/code/urbanis.html
Croatian material
online:
Ljudi bez
glave, bastina bez bastinika http://www.vjesnik.com/html/2001/10/11/Clanak.asp?r=gle&c=5
Velika ulaganja,
a rezultati? - http://www.zarez.hr/76/zariste6.htm
Mreža cesta,
panoramsko turisti?ki koridori: http://www.zarez.hr/118/z_kulturno.htm
Baština kao
projekt u nastajanju: http://www.vjesnik.com/html/2003/09/19/Clanak.asp?r=kul&c=2
Kulturni turizam
http://www.culturenet.hr/v1/novo/panorama/kulturniturizam/ktStoJe.asp
Sunce, plaza
i umjetnost http://www.zarez.hr/57/z_tema1.htm
Kultura umjesto
sunca i mora http://www.dnevnik.com.hr/index.php?article=5771
Dobri duh
zivota na kamenjaru http://www.perkov.info/don_stipe.asp
Hrvatski turizam
- http://www.perkov.info/hrv_turizam.asp
Turizam, (
kruh) naš svagdašnji: http://pollitika.com/turizam-kruh-na-svagda-nji
8.
About the Author
Kristina
Maskarin, 1968, croatian, a new genre artist ( http://www.rabinfo.net/atelierK/
) working primarily in digital media combining multidisciplinary approaches.
Besides interest for arts & humanities, Kristina runs Kristofor travel
agency/ http://www.kristofor-travel.com /
on island Rab,Croatia.
Contacts:
kristina_tina@yahoo.com
,info@kristofor-travel.com ,
