This paper attempts to study the impact of tourism on culture and traditions in the era where traditional values and truth are no longer respected and accepted in society at large. Economic determinism is one of the main causes of the loss of truth. People in this era are willing to sell anything in the name of a business. However, this may be due to extreme poverty and the blame should not only be to people who are in business. But a balanced method can be adopted to safeguard the truth of a culture. Tourism is one of the ways in which a culture is being treated for business purposes only.

As all the other sectors are growing, tourism is also a fast-growing industrial and a significant sector around the world which contributes to a huge amount of growth to the economy of a country, it is attractive and acts as a life-saving destination for the people especially in the rural areas. However, this will impact traditional values and culture when there is a switch of occupation. This switch is mainly because of the high income that tourism offers as compared to agriculture, daily labour, crafting, and many traditional professions.

People often change their occupation to tourism without understanding the consequences of the effect on their culture. The traditional wisdom is lost and cannot be passed to another generation and thus a unique culture fades away. Commercialization of indigenous ideas, art, and paintings mainly through adaptation and false copying is also another impact of tourism on culture. This will in turn lead to the re-birth of another culture, acculturation, cultural displacement and diffusion, and many more. The traditional truth is no longer important as development in business progresses.

Long story short

Introduction to the meaning of a ‘culture’

According to Taylor “Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capability, s acquired by man as a member of a society” (p 1). Culture is a broad concept that includes in itself all way of life and relationships like our modes of behavior, our philosophy and ethics, our morals and manners, our customs and traditions, our political, economical, and any other aspect related to life.

There are certain unique features of a particular culture which are different from the other cultures, this creates a feeling in all human beings the curiosity to learn about other culture. As centuries went by, mankind has developed tourism as a tool to experience the exotic and the not so normal rituals, ideas, traditions of other cultures, however; this curiosity is subjective in nature.

Tourism has both positives as well as negative aspects toward a culture, this paper attempts to analyze how tourism is detrimental toward the originality and the growth of a culture. Examples of various cultures will be taken to show how tourism affects culture and its originality mainly in three aspects economical, environmental, and ingeniousness. A study of two famous tourists spot; namely Bali which is in Indonesia and Cyprus an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean will be taken and analyzed on how tourism has downgraded the culture of the above-mentioned places.

A Post-truth outlook on the Impact of Tourism in the Culture and Economy of Bali

Bali is a place known for its serenity, verdant greenery, and rich culture. Known by the sobriquet ‘The island of Gods’ these islands are located in the Indonesian archipelago, its tropical landscapes, dreamy white beaches, tormented beauty of the Hindu temples, the friendly nature of its inhabitants, has attracted tourist from worldwide. But this idyllic description no longer applies to present-day Bali as it is losing its rich and vast landscapes and culture due to the growing tourism sector. Bali is threatened to a point, that it may soon become unrecognizable.

The place became a tourist attraction in the 1970s and in the beginning, it was cultural tourism, but today it has become mass tourism affecting the place as a whole. Some of the problems that tourism gives rise to are firstly; Tourism leads to cultural suppression in a detrimental way, “…tourists who come to Bali … treat it as their own place, without paying attention to the Balinese way of life, are really wrecking the traditions here. This is a problem all over the world, but out of everywhere I’ve visited I noticed it especially in Bali” (Claire p 5) (Claire is a person who loves traveling but she often uses eco-friendly products wherever she travels).

Some of the tourists do not care about the true culture; the exotic pleasure is what they care for and not the beauty of a culture. The cultural truth and respect are no longer valid for the suppresser, as it gives pleasure to the mind and heart. Dances and rituals which were supposed to be performed occasionally are being performed on a daily basis, just for the sake of showing one’s own culture o the tourists

Secondly; economic leakage, a lot of money has been generated through tourism but it does not give benefit to the locals as all the hotel owners and businessmen are foreigners Claire has also observed that… [M]oney goes into the wealthy owner’s pocket, which may be from Britain, Australia, the US or any other country – generally a wealthier one than Indonesia. This means that the impacts of these businesses to the Balinese are mainly negative – business is taken away from local competitors, the land is taken up, and prices are hiked up for local (p 5)This shows that the originality and indigenousness of culture are being taken away just for the sake of money.

Secondly; the locals do not benefit much as their right has been taken away. This act decreases the value and trueness of the unique culture.

Thirdly; Plastic pollution is at its peak as Bali is situated near the sea and not much of the plastic is recycled. Some of the tourist uses more and more plastic instead of reducing the use, this has always been a case for every tourist who travels but, care should be a concern for the people who visit this place as Claire commented: “we really need to be helping the solution, not contributing to it” (p 5). There are other environmental impacts that cause harm to Bali, according to statistical reports, around 13000 cubic meters are being dumped.

Unchecked car growth is causing traffic congestion and excess pollution. The environmental protection law was passed, but the bupati, who has vested interests, and supports the real estate investors, did everything to keep the law from being applied. These unassertive representatives in the Parliament are the only ones who can save Bali from its cultural loss. Hundreds of hotels absorb a large part of the freshwater reserves, each year around 700 hectares of land are converted into hotels and luxury residents for tourists.

But one cannot ignore the fact that tourism has financially helped the Balinese people. A part of the Balinese youth are ignorant about the rich culture and want to keep these constraints at bay. Balinese people have become obsessed with easy money through tourism. “Institutions like Gamelans, traditional orchestras are disappearing and Indonesian has replaced Bali language” (Lamou p 4).

Similarly, another local and poet named Ketut Yuliarsa comments that “We used culture like merchandise,” The true value of a culture is neglected and use for improving the economy and business. Laws and acts have been frames but the Bali parliament does not take a keen interest in sustaining the culture of Bali because huge revenue has been collected from the tourism sector. One of the parliamentarians himself exclaimed that the parliament does not bother to protect the indigenous culture of Bali, he says…

This affable and unassertive representative in his thirties is one of the only people in Parliament to truly act to try and save Bali. It is good that Bali attracts tourists, but Bali shouldn’t be devoted solely to tourism…[L]ocal authorities have no long-term vision, they want a quick return on invested capital. And tourism enables that. The irony in all this is that one day, tourists won’t and what they were expecting in Bali anymore… (Adyana np) If nothing is done to stop the excesses, ‘the island of Gods’ will not escape the post-truth realities. Measures by the government of Bali will help balance the cultural and tourism industry simultaneously, without owing to the fact that one is more important than the other. In fact, both are complementary to each other.

A Post-Truth Outlook on the Impact of Tourism in the Culture and Economy of Cyprus

The Mediterranean island of Cyprus has a culture that is a blend of many cultures. The Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots are the two main ethnic communities of Cyprus; they share many cultural aspects and differences. The ancient cultural traditions of Cyprus are maintained partly by private enterprises and the government. The positive and negative impact of tourism on Cyprus’s socio-cultural structure has been an issue for a long time.

Cultural impacts can be the changes in the arts, traditional ceremonies, customs and rituals, and architecture of people that result from tourist activities. And thus tourism leads to the shift in the working sector of the people of Cyprus; mainly from local entrepreneurship to the management sector, and thus it enhances a better life and opportunity for the people of Cyprus.

It can be granted that the development of the Tourist Industry led to progress in the standard of living for the local people in several areas as tourism expenditure increases the income of the area and thus raises the income of those in the region and improve the standard of living and the quality of life for the locals” (Foster p 17). Not only in terms of livelihood, but tourism has also brought about changes in the developmental activities in the country particularly infrastructure, marketing, business standards, etc.

Tourism also contributes greatly to the development of infrastructure and superstructure with the building of new roads, airports, hospitals, restaurants, and attraction to enable the maximum number of citizens to benefit from the cultural, recreational, and leisure activities of the tourism sector and finally, it encourages cultural exchange between tourists (Inskeep 172)

In spite of the positive economical aspect that tourism has resulted in, the cynical nature of the tourism industry plays a huge impact on the culture of Cyprus. First; there exists a cultural suppression because of tourism, simplicity, and humility has lost their value. The Ancient truth of a massive civilization and city of ideas has been degraded. Quoting Maria a writer and traveler.

The extreme concentration of tourists resulted in changes in social attitudes among teenagers, particularly towards erotic behavior. The European way of living has altered the Cypriot population as younger years are seeking different ideals than their young families’, and so resulting in weaker family bonds (np)Secondly; tourism results to increase in crimes and prostitution, a country which is known for philosophical and cultural values has been termed as a country of rape and crimes.

Due to the integration of relationships with the outsiders mainly the Europeans, the liberal ideas juggled up with the culture of Cyprus. This may be due to the prolonged stay of the foreigners in the country and thus they establish an intimate relationship with the locals which results in being cultureless. A number of researchers examined the link between the conception that tourism contributes to increasing criminal offense and the support for its development.

The criminal offense is related to resident perceptions of travel and leisure development. Additionally, there is a rise in prostitution and rise in criminal activity and possible anger between locals and travelers (Mary np) Rural population, permanent residents, farmers, and younger segments perceive tourism as contributing to an increase in criminal offenses especially in the area of Agia Napa. Agia Napa is marketed as a location of great ingestion of alcohol, gender, drugs, and criminal offenses and great harm caused by thousands of topless beachgoers.

Furthermore, the massive introduction of youngsters improved the image of the region from a fun comforting atmosphere to more nightlife entertainment with many nightclubs and discos (np). Thirdly; the family culture is lost in Cyprus livelihood, with the increase of business and easy money at hand, youths tend to degenerate from the source of family love and care. And this generates a whole lot of divorces and broken families.

The beauty of a family relationship which used to be part of Cyprus is systematically lost due to the easy employment and money tourism offer “…tourism has … been a major factor in the maintenance of low levels of unemployment – just 3.1 percent in 1996 – with over one-quarter of the working population employed directly or indirectly in tourism” (Sharpley np). The family bonding too tends to weaken “[t]he European way of living has altered the Cypriot

The population as younger years are seeking different ideals than their young families’, and so resulting in weaker family bonds” (Maria np)The law and order should be framed in such a way that there exists a balanced scope between preserving culture and tourism. Although greater harm has been done there is still an adequate time to check between the conservation of traditional values and goals without impacting much on the tourism sector. Youngsters should be taught and understand how important one’s own culture is. From the two examples of Bali and Cyprus we can see the effect that tourism has brought on a particular culture; both on a positive and a negative side.

In the post-truth era, we find that the devaluing of the indigenous culture of a country or a nation-state is appreciated by many as the local and indigenous are so considered as uncivilized and not modern. Secondly; we find that a ‘culture’ is being traded for business and economic purposes only. These acts of rudeness toward one’s own culture have to be balanced, for the modernity of culture lies in the ability to preserve one’s own culture as well as respecting the other cultures, and not merely selling it. Measures should be taken at a personal, local and governmental level in order to ensure the life of culture with mutual respect and concern over the life of other cultures too.

References

  1. Tylor, Edward Burnett. 1920 [1871]. “Primitive Culture”. New York: J.P. Putnam’s Sons.
  2. Philip Bruno “ How Mass Tourism Is Destroying Bali And Its Culture – Worldcrunch” p 1-15 2012-08-03 https://www.worldcrunch.com DOA 1-27-2020
  3. Claire “The Impacts of Tourism in Bali” https://clairesfootsteps.com/impacts-of-tourism-in-bali/ August 26, 2018 DOA 1-27-2020
  4. Foster, D. (1985) p17. “Travel and Tourism Management”. London, Mac Millan.
  5. Inskeep, E. (1991) p 172 “Tourism Planning, an Integrated and Sustainable Development Approach”. London, Van Nostrand Reinhold
  6. Mary “The Potential Positive And Negative Socio Cultural Impacts Tourism Essay “ https://studybay.com/blog/the-potential-positive-and-negative-socio-cultural/ 11.14.2018 DOA 1-29-2020
  7. Sharpley Richard “Tourism in Cyprus: challenges and Opportunities” Newcastle Business School, University of Northumbria at Newcastle, UK. Tourism Geographies 3(1), 2001, 64–8.

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