Socio-cultural impacts of tourism

Question 1

Advantage

Answer 1

Preservation of local customs and heritage

Question 2

Disadvantages

Answer 2

• Dilution of local customs and heritage

- Increased crime

Question 3

Preservation of local customs and heritage: meaning

Answer 3

• protection of the way people live, their economic activities, traditional beliefs and religious practices
• historical and cultural sites more attractive when preserved and restored
• enhances sense of history, build sense of belonging

Question 4

Preservation of local customs and heritage: How tourist revenue helps

Answer 4

• funds preservation and restoration of cultural heritage
• entry fee (e.g. Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt)
• directly fund conservation efforts

Question 5

Preservation of local customs and heritage: Heritage definition

Answer 5

• traditional beliefs, values, customs of a family, country or society
• e.g. buildings, monuments, art, language

Question 6

Preservation of local customs and heritage: Customs definition

Answer 6

• traditional way of behaving, doing things specific to a particular society
• e.g greeting by bowing, eating with chopsticks, dowry payments for weddings

Question 7

Dilution of local customs and heritage

Answer 7

• tourism becomes major activity of area; identity, culture, values of area lost
• activities that cater to tourist become major commercial activities of area e.g food outlets, souvenir shops, hotel
• older buildings converted to host tourist activities
• new, larger ones constructed for tourism
• force locals to relocate original activities

Question 8

Dilution of local customs and heritage : impact on area

Answer 8

• identity of area lost
• original appearance, atmosphere, functions of area changes
• local cultural festivals, religious festivals may be modified to meet tourists’ demands

Question 9

Dilution of local customs and heritage: Rituals example

Answer 9

• may be shortened to fit tourists’ itinerary
• repeated several times a day for diff grps of tourists
• authenticity and significance of cultural events reduced when commercialized

Question 10

Dilution of local customs and heritage: Kayan Lahwi Women

Answer 10

• in Thailand, tourists pay hefty price to enter Kayan Lahwi Women village
• women treated as exhibits that tourists pay for (pricey entrance fee)
• aggressively take photos w/o permission

Question 11

Increased crime

Answer 11

• high crime rate @ popular tourist sites
• tourists carry valuable items e.g watches, camera
• vulnerable to mugging near hotels, transport terminals, automated teller machines (ATM), tourist attractions
• often share experiences online to warn other tourists

Question 12

Increased crime: Louvre, Paris example

Answer 12

• the most visited museum in the world
• children enter for free, work in coordinated grps to pickpocket tourists and staff
• usually impossible to arrest due to young age, only can kick them out
• very persistent and aggressive, danger of attack
• 100 staff gathered @Ministry of Culture to get more authorities involved

Question 13

Increased crime: Tourist traps

Answer 13

• refers to places where info, goods or services sold at greatly inflated prices, tourist scams common
• tourists prone to getting scammed and cheated
• deters tourists
• many countries have police to help serve tourists/sort out conflicts with locals over purchases

Question 14

Increase crime: London Scam Example (Tourist trap)

Answer 14

• 2010
• Japanese tourists scammed by woman pretending to be a tourists and accomplices posed as police officers
• stole credit card info