Socio-Cultural impacts

Question 1

Explain what we mean by socio-cultural impact?

Answer 1

Key words: people who encounter people from other backgrounds and cultures and who:

• exchange experiences and backgrounds with one another
• temporarily co-exist with one another

Two-way interchange:

• for tourist and host
• of crafts and arts
• of culture and behavior

Can be negative and positive.

Question 2

Which studies helped in understanding the tourism development process and the socio-cultural impacts on tourism? And in which manner?

Answer 2

Smith ‘89: typology of tourism (type-, number-, adaptation of tourists).

Doxey ‘75: measuring irritation levels by contact (euphoria, apathy, irritation, antagonism).

Plog ‘77: psychological analysis (market segments based on opposing group characteristics: psychocentrics, near psychocentrics, midcentrics, near allocentrics, allocentrics).

Question 3

Explain how generally the tourism development process evolves?

Answer 3

1. discovering area by a handful
2. local entrepreneurs provide and accommodate
3. attracting more tourists
4. providing infra by public sector
5. development of mass tourism

Question 4

Define tourism development on a psychological basis?

Answer 4

Market segments based on opposing group characteristics:

• resort attracts handful allocentrics
• development attracts midcentrics
• lower tariffs and complete holiday packages attracts psychocentrics.

Question 5

What is the sociological basis of tourism development?

Answer 5

Inevitable social phenomenon based on push (desire to escape) & pull (magnetism that attracts).

Question 6

Which factors define the sociological basis of tourism development?

Answer 6

Social phenomenon:

• more lesure time
• population growth
• increasing urbanization
• changes in mobility/accessibility/IT/world trade of business tourism

Influence attitude:

• age
• education
• income level
• socio-economic background.

Question 7

Which types of socio-cultural effects can you define?

Answer 7

Direct: contact between host and tourist:

• buying goods and services
• sharing facility
• cultural exchange

Indirect: demonstration effect by influencing behavior by example (also direct)

Induced: increase income and consumer spending.

Question 8

What are the negative socio-cultural impacts of tourism?

Answer 8

General:

• Economic (imbalance economic power tourist-host and tax burden)
• Labour (better positions for staff from abroad and poor local work conditions)
• Behavior/demonstration (no awareness of or caring for local customs)
• Resource use (landuse and gentrification)

Specific:

• Sexindustry
• Crime
• Health
• Slum tourism (Zooism)
• Dark tourism (exploiting major events)
• Commodification (commercializing events)
• Staged authenticity (pseudo-events to satisfy tourists)
• Standardization (search for familiar leads, as in McDonalds)
• Alien cultural experience of tourists (inability of enjoying experiences without traveling to different environments).

Question 9

What are the positive socio-cultural impacts of tourism?

Answer 9

1. fosters local pride
2. awareness and peace
3. provide shared infra
4. provide direct support.