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Location: What is Sustainable Tourism?
Discussion: A sustainable tourism dilemma
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eccampbell |
A sustainable tourism dilemma
Jan 1 2009, 8:41 PM EST
I had an opportunity several years back to talk with the Minister of Culture and Tourism -- if that's the correct title, I forget exactly -- of Papau New Guinea. What a delightful chap to meet. He pointed out a difficult syndrome: a government policy that tourism dollars be shared with the people in the bush who were objects of view by outside visitors, instead of staying with tourism operators from the city. But when a local fellow who had all his life been poling his dugout canoe by hand (as had his ancestors) would come into money, it might easily make sense to spend it on an outboard motor. His interests in shortening his commute time back and forth to work could not be expected to coincide with those of the anthropologists and wealthy tourists who wanted to observe primitive ways, nor the tourist industry. It was not deemed fair to ask such people to sacrifice in the name of some vague national interest, don't mention tour operators who had previously been exploiting the situation and returning nothing to the natives. Yet the motorized canoe no longer served as such an interesting tourist draw, and sustainable tourism took a hit. Do you find this valuable?
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Gillenium |
1. RE: A sustainable tourism dilemma
Jan 4 2009, 7:40 AM EST
Yes it does seem like a conundrum. Perhaps the money be perhaps better used to provide locals currently using canoes with alternate motorised options for the daily commuting etc, while setting up a sustainable tour product (with the locals), that centred on them not only maintaining the traditions, but having a hand in the tourism activities that could result. Creating sustainable 'product' like this is certainly a challenge, but I agree in that there primarily needs to be an incentive there for the locals, and obviously some investment of time and money to get the wheels turning (an ever present challenge of course).
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