Tourism in WSF (World Social Forum):
Why is it necessary?
Does tourism need to be mainstreamed
in WSF discussions? Is this 'sunshine
industry' only for the elite? Changing
this 'elite' perception is difficult,
but essential. Just like gender and
racism, tourism is a 'cross-cutting'
theme that impacts us all-and more
particularly the most vulnerable.
Tourism does come under GATS, but
it needs to be discussed and debated
separately. Tourism is all the more
dangerous and insidious because its
impact is invisible.
The most visible forms are:
Women:
Tourism has led to modern day slavery,
with women being kidnapped, trafficked,
and sold. Sex-tourism is now a part
of the industry, and most people's
vocabulary.
Children:
Children as young as 8 years old-both
boys and girls-are pushed into sex-work
for tourists. They are in high demand
both because of the search for novelty,
and due to the fear of HIV/AIDS
that turn the pleasure seeking tourist
from older sex workers-who are more
likely to be infected-to the youngest
possible ones. It is child labour
at its worst.
Indigenous and tribal peoples:
Ecotourism is one of the most destructive
forms of 'development.' It is cultural
imperialism at its worst all the
more virulent since it is practiced
within nations by majoritarian populations
who have more direct and violent
means of enforcement. The forests-home
to the tribals-become the vacation
spots of the leisure class. The
tribals are allowed to stay there
only for the voyeuristic pleasure
of the tourists: only if they exhibit
their culture and art forms. The
moment the tribal puts on any indication
of modernity, they are pushed out
since they do not have the novelty
value-and their very life and livelihood
is made illegal. Tribal culture
is thus ossified, and made into
a commodity rather than a live,
dynamic, evolving relationship between
the community and the biosphere.
Labour:
Most of the employees of the industry
are unorganised. True, they do not
look as emaciated as those in some
sectors. But the 'smart' get up
is colonial hangover-a jail-birds
uniform rather than self-esteem
enhancing. They have little security,
and are subject to the worst forms
of abuse. Unable to enter into the
world of dreams, yet always sustaining
the dream-worlds of others, being
within the dream-world, yet not
a part of it-the psychosocial impacts
on them are devastating. The eternal
quest for youth renders them unemployable
at ever younger ages. The irregular
hours, the 'seasons' of tourists,
the vagrancies of global capital
makes their plastic smiles ever
more difficult to stick on day after
day. This is both a survival tool
and a job requirement.
Communities:
Communities no longer have a life
of their own, but become 'host communities.'
The implications of always welcoming
'guests' means always being on display
and reduction of private spaces.
The tourist on the other hand is
freed from all peer controls. The
'acceptable' behaviour of a person
when being a tourist is much more
than the same person within their
own community! Continuously being
either a tourist or a host community
changes the value system to one
where everything is on sale. First
is the exotic, then the culture,
natural resources, the body and
finally even the bodies of the dependants.
Finance:
Tourism brings even international
financial capital to the most remote
areas-to where people are not used
to the monetary economy. In most
other service industries, capital
comes to where there is a lot of
infrastructure, to 'cosmopolitan'
locations. Even there the communities
cannot adequately cope with the
impact of such capital. In the remote
areas it is horrendous. The capital
goes to these areas precisely because
they have no infrastructure, and
for novelty-because they are 'virgin.'
These exotic locales have a premium.
Once their novelty wears out, then
the prices come down-to attract
the same amount of returns through
volume. This destroys the location,
the community and the people. But
capital-which was not invested in
any fixed assets-just packs up and
leaves. It is akin to 'slash and
burn'-only the effects are a lot
worse, and the earth often never
recovers. The impact of WTO/GATS
in this sector are more serious
than in other organised sectors.
Intellectual property and Bio-piracy:
Tourism has been one of the important
covers for bio-piracy, after 'scientific
research.' The case of an American
tourist who went to the tropical
forest, and 'patented' a new variety
of flower is one of the most well-known.
Less well-known are the clauses
added by the World Bank on letting
in scientists under its 'eco-tourism'
projects in the explicitly condition
that the bio-wealth belongs to the
world as a whole. The implications
of TRIPS, intellectual property
rights and indigenous knowledge
are obvious.
Local Governance:
Tourism is always controlled by
central governments. Given the nature
of the industry and capital flows,
the local government cannot control
the 'use and dispose' culture. The
local development plans often are
subservient to the needs of the
tourists. When the tourist wants
a swimming pool while the local
people want a primary school, guess
what gets precedence! Given the
international nature of the capital,
local governments are unable to
put the needs of the community on
the development agenda. Whither
panchayati raj?
Sovereignty:
Water, land and other resources
become the causality. They are diverted
for the pleasure of the tourist
rather than the sustenance of the
community. Large tracts of land
are fenced off by multinationals
for minuscule tourist numbers, impoverishing
entire communities and diverting
precious water. In smaller nations-where
tourism is the major industry-even
national governments cannot decide
national investment and development
priorities. Where is the caring
compassionate state?
Toxic waste:
Tourists have a 'use and throw'
mindset. They have no investment
in the community. They pollute the
environment more. It is a lifestyle
issue: The tourist would like to
travel light. Therefore the use
of disposables-more plastics, more
waste, no recycling. The local communities
have to become either waste absorbers
or waste managers. Often the local
community becomes waste after a
few tourist seasons. New forms of
tourism-such as medical tourism,
and disaster tourism even increase
the generation of toxic waste.
War and Peace:
War is good business for the tourist
operator and a good opportunity
for the tourist. To visit war ravaged
places is to fulfil a macho sense
of bravado, pick up bargains-since
the pleasure tourist does not have
the courage to go to these places.
It is also cultural theft on a large
scale: the people will rob and sell
their cultural artefacts for a pittance
to survive. The tourist can have
the best food, accommodation and
transport for ridiculous prices-because
the local currency will be buffeted
by inflation. This is amplified
if one can pay with a credit card.
Disaster tourism was the engine
that actually spurred the growth
of tourism as an industry. It has
a long history-starting in its organised
form after the Second World War
when the American veterans wanted
to visit Europe, where they had
fought. The disaster tourist does
not create war, true. But the consequences
for the local community are no less
devastating-as can be seen in Iraq.
Scarce commodities are diverted
to fulfil the needs of the tourists.
Since the tourist brings the all
important 'foreign investment' to
the local economy, the infrastructure-from
the police to food-is built around
their needs. The security of the
local population is given secondary
status.
Communalism:
Does tourism fan communalism and
fundamentalism? Unfortunately yes.
The days of a tourist being the
rolling stone-gathering no moss
but a lot of polish-are over. The
eclectic scholar has given way to
tunnel vision. Therefore the pilgrim
tourist travels more to enforce
bias and bigotry rather than expand
knowledge and mind. The pilgrim
tourist often will continue to contribute
to keep the 'holy land' in its 'pure'
form-meaning in a 'utopian state'
divorced from surrounding change.
This leads to them channelling money
to the most conservative and reactionary
sections of society, those who can
give them simplistic pseudo-answers
to the complexities of life.
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