The tourism economy contributes over 10% of the world's GDP. Outside of the military, tourism is the largest industry in the world in terms of monetary turnover and employment -- 1 out of ever 12 persons is employed indirectly or directly in the tourism trade. Considered a "green" industry, Tourism has no smoke stacks or oil wells directly attached to its bosom, but one could argue that the hidden costs of the tourist economy are equivocal to the pollutants of mankind's industrial progress.
The above picture accompanied an article in the International Herald Tribune and depicts tourists jockeying for photos of buddhists in the ancient town of Luang Prabang, Laos. Essentially, the tourist economy has commodified the monks daily procession through the town asking for alms into an attraction on the daily itinerary.
While researching tourism policy, I came across this poem in a business management journal written by a Malaysian lawyer and thought it reflects the crisis of cultural degradation caused by the tourist economy.
When the Tourists Flew In
When the tourists flew in
our island people metamorphosed
into a grotesque carnival
- a two-week sideshow
When the tourists flew in
our men put aside their fishing nets
to become waiters
our women became whores
When the tourists flew in
what culture we had went out the window
we traded our customs
for sunglasses and pop
we turned sacred ceremonies
into ten-cent peep shows
When the tourists flew in
local food became scarce
prices went up
but our wages stayed low
When the tourists flew in
we could no longer
go down to our beaches
the hotel manager said
'Natives defile the sea-shore'
When the tourists flew in
the hunger and squalor
were preserved
as a passing pageant
for clicking cameras
- a chic eye sore!
When the tourists flew in
we were asked
to be 'side-walk ambassadors'
to stay smiling and polite
to always guide
the 'lost' visitor...
Hell, if we could only tell them where we really want them to go!
- Cecil Rajendra
1 comments:
Howdy, came over from Gastronomy.
If you ever go to Sa Pa, you'll see a lot of the Hmong objectified. I ended up taking very few pictures. The very first day I was there, two very cute little boys walked by and the minute they saw my camera, they turned their backs to me and walked upstairs backwards just to avoid being captured by cameras. Later, I saw a Frenchman tossing candy at a bunch of girls so his wife could take photos. I was so disgusted.
So many of the tourists come to Sa Pa to gawk at the ethnic minorities as if they were animals in a zoo. They're just people, dressed the way they normally would, going about their day. It's a fine line.
The only people pictures I took were near the end of my trip. I showed my camera and asked permission first, and made sure to buy some trinkets. It was the only way I could justify invading their privacy while remaining respectful.
Anyway, that comment ended up being longer than I thought! Probably b/c I've been thinking of doing a post on this subject. I think there's a difference when I'm taking pictures of other Asians, versus when white people play tourist in Asia. If that makes any sense.
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