October 19, 2011 at 12:00 pm
A recent opinion editorial by The Sun touched on tourism and warned of the possibility of something called “tourism overload”. While the danger of overcommercialisation is very real, especially in the tourism industry, can too much of a good thing be bad for tourism?
When you think about it, you might be inclined to agree. Take a look at Egypt and the pyramids, and if that is not enough, Machu Picchu, the current hottest ‘must-go-to’ tourist site in the world. The avalanche of visitors seems to be threatening to engulf and destroy the very place they are visiting.
Having too many tourists visiting places like the Pyramids may bring more detriment than benefits in the long run
One more thing about the Sun article was the mention about culture. The article ends with a somewhat cryptic statement about wishing that cultural performers being truly from the cultures concerned. While it is true that authenticity should never be compromised, isn’t imitation the best form of flattery?
Would we feel indignant if our dances suddenly become a global phenomenon like the Macarena dance and millions everywhere imitated the moves? Or would we feel a sense of pride?
What do YOU think?
Read the full article below:
While we promote tourism we should always be reminded that our country can easily fall victim to a disease known internationally as “tourism overload”. That tourism is bringing billions of ringgit to this country and is considered the fifth largest income earner should not blind us to the fact that too many tourists and too many tourist products can have a negative effect on the country, its people, its culture and its environment.
While becoming so preoccupied with product creation to bring in more tourists sufficient care must be taken to ensure that the products do not lead to certain aspects of the country and its people from being “oversold”. For instance more eco-tourism products can only hurt the fragile ecosystem of our tropical rainforests. Already the forests are victims of busloads of tourists romping in them, trampling on insects and plants, and scaring away rare animals.
Taking tourists through a forest to see exotic birds or plants is a sure way of destroying them. More so when hotels are built in the forest so that tourists can view the exotic birds, animals or plants at their leisure. Worst still when these hotels decide to build golf courses to attract more people.
Most of these eco-tourists are going into the forests only because they can bus in to the hotels. We should try to preserve our forests and the creatures and plants living in them and only allow those truly interested in them to trek in. There is no point in boasting about how many billions we earn from eco-tourism when we are gradually destroying the natural habitats of rare species of plants and animals.
We should remember that we are a small country and, therefore, should not sell everything to outdo what China and India earn from tourists. It is true that Malaysia is a fascinating country with people of so many cultures, languages and religions. And equally titillating are the variety of dishes available at restaurants and food stalls all over the country.
But while we promote our multicultural society as a draw to foreign tourists we should also try to be a little more honest by reminding ourselves to do more to ensure that there is harmony among us. Only then can we perhaps say that the harmony in diversity that we are promoting abroad as a tourist attraction truly exists.
And let’s avoid certain cultural performances from being simplified for the busy tourists. Let’s also make certain that the performers in a cultural dance display in which all cultures are represented are truly from the cultures concerned.
Source: The Sun
Photo (c) watchsmart
Hands Off My Culture
October 19, 2011 at 12:00 pm
A recent opinion editorial by The Sun touched on tourism and warned of the possibility of something called “tourism overload”. While the danger of overcommercialisation is very real, especially in the tourism industry, can too much of a good thing be bad for tourism?
When you think about it, you might be inclined to agree. Take a look at Egypt and the pyramids, and if that is not enough, Machu Picchu, the current hottest ‘must-go-to’ tourist site in the world. The avalanche of visitors seems to be threatening to engulf and destroy the very place they are visiting.
Having too many tourists visiting places like the Pyramids may bring more detriment than benefits in the long run
One more thing about the Sun article was the mention about culture. The article ends with a somewhat cryptic statement about wishing that cultural performers being truly from the cultures concerned. While it is true that authenticity should never be compromised, isn’t imitation the best form of flattery?
Would we feel indignant if our dances suddenly become a global phenomenon like the Macarena dance and millions everywhere imitated the moves? Or would we feel a sense of pride?
What do YOU think?
Read the full article below:
While we promote tourism we should always be reminded that our country can easily fall victim to a disease known internationally as “tourism overload”. That tourism is bringing billions of ringgit to this country and is considered the fifth largest income earner should not blind us to the fact that too many tourists and too many tourist products can have a negative effect on the country, its people, its culture and its environment.
While becoming so preoccupied with product creation to bring in more tourists sufficient care must be taken to ensure that the products do not lead to certain aspects of the country and its people from being “oversold”. For instance more eco-tourism products can only hurt the fragile ecosystem of our tropical rainforests. Already the forests are victims of busloads of tourists romping in them, trampling on insects and plants, and scaring away rare animals.
Taking tourists through a forest to see exotic birds or plants is a sure way of destroying them. More so when hotels are built in the forest so that tourists can view the exotic birds, animals or plants at their leisure. Worst still when these hotels decide to build golf courses to attract more people.
Most of these eco-tourists are going into the forests only because they can bus in to the hotels. We should try to preserve our forests and the creatures and plants living in them and only allow those truly interested in them to trek in. There is no point in boasting about how many billions we earn from eco-tourism when we are gradually destroying the natural habitats of rare species of plants and animals.
We should remember that we are a small country and, therefore, should not sell everything to outdo what China and India earn from tourists. It is true that Malaysia is a fascinating country with people of so many cultures, languages and religions. And equally titillating are the variety of dishes available at restaurants and food stalls all over the country.
But while we promote our multicultural society as a draw to foreign tourists we should also try to be a little more honest by reminding ourselves to do more to ensure that there is harmony among us. Only then can we perhaps say that the harmony in diversity that we are promoting abroad as a tourist attraction truly exists.
And let’s avoid certain cultural performances from being simplified for the busy tourists. Let’s also make certain that the performers in a cultural dance display in which all cultures are represented are truly from the cultures concerned.
Source: The Sun
Photo (c) watchsmart
Tags: Conservation of Culture, culture, tourism efforts, tourist destination