| 1 | 1 | | On the Indonesian island of Java, plans are being made for a massive new luxury |
| 2 | | tourist resort on an empty stretch of the south coast known as Paranggupito. |
| 3 | | Unfortunately for the developers, Paranggupito is not as empty as they would like it to be, |
| 4 | | and the 165 farming families who live there would prefer to be left alone to grow rice, |
| 5 | | maize, bananas and coconuts, as they have done for centuries. They do not want to |
| 6 | | become construction workers to build the resort (which is what the developers would |
| 7 | | prefer); nor do they want to lose their land for a tiny compensation (which is what the |
| 8 | | government is threatening them with). |
| 2 | 9 | | The villagers of Paranggupito are beginning to campaign for a fair say in the matter. |
| 10 | | Their case is just one among many. For although tourism may help raise the standard of |
| 11 | | living, it mayalso create enormous social and environmental problems, especially in the |
| 12 | | Third World. |
| 3 | 13 | | 'Profits from organised mass tourism either end up typieally in the government's purse |
| 14 | | or go out of the country into the tour operator's pocket. But while the income goes |
| 15 | | elsewhere, the problems brought on by mass tourism (crime, violence and poll ution) |
| 16 | | remain. Local people are left with low-paid, inferior jobs in the service industries, or are |
| 17 | | further exploited by being turned into tourist attractions. |
| 4 | 18 | | What can be done to reverse this trend? Julia Hales, co-author of a guide to green |
| 19 | | tourism, puts her faith in the power of the market to turn green consumers into green |
| 20 | | tourists. However, green consumerism has yet to prove itself to be more than just a trend, |
| 21 | | not to mention green tourism. While recognising that proteetion of the environment is a |
| 22 | | key issue, John Boyie, chairman of the Tour Operators Council, says: 'We have to accept |
| 23 | | that the majority of people are only interested in escaping. The only environment they |
| 24 | | care about is the one they left behind.' |
| 5 | 25 | | One solution for the tourist countries is to raise the cost of visiting them, thus |
| 26 | | reducing numbers and making sure that they remain firmly in control and can mini mise |
| 27 | | social and cultural disturbance. Although some say these are elitist solutions, because only |
| 28 | | the rich can afford to visit these countries, it can also be argued that they are reflecting the |
| 29 | | real cost of tourism. |
| 6 | 30 | | Eco-tourism -largely based on wildlife and nature tours - is also a growing sector in |
| 31 | | international tourism. But even if eco-tourism continues to grow, it will still only account |
| 32 | | for a small proportion of the total market. Mass tourism will still depend on mega-resorts |
| 33 | | such as Waikiki, Miami or Australia's Gold Coast. Some environmentalists argue that |
| 34 | | resorts such as these are a good thing, since people will be kept away from ecologically |
| 35 | | sensitive areas. |
| 7 | 36 | | Part of the problem is th at we seem to have lost sight of what tourism is meant to be |
| 37 | | for. At the heart of the tourist experience is meeting other people. It is the |
| 38 | | commercialisation of that relationship which has robbed both tourist and host of the |
| 39 | | richness of each other's experience. Tourism sells stereotyped images of holiday |
| 40 | | destinations which do nothing to help the native cultures express themselves or to support |
| 41 | | their culture. Opportunities for tourists and local people to meet as equals and get to know |
| 42 | | each other are limited, if not non-existent. |
| 8 | 43 | | Tourism has to change. We need to break away from old ideas and structures and |
| 44 | | look at why and how we travel. |
