MANAGING TOURISM
Keeping heritage above the race for tourist dollars
Once tourism becomes an industry and a commercial activity, profit becomes the driving factor in deciding which activity or cultural product, or type of performing arts, appeals most to consumers and the market. In this way, cultural treasures are transformed into commodities.
A tourist poses for a picture at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Should our heritage be subsumed by the drive for ever higher numbers of visitors?
As long as something exists in the form of a cultural treasure, we can apply our own standards based on cultural excellence. But as soon as cultural heritage becomes a commodity that is exchanged - bought and sold - it becomes a product defined by what sells well or in great volumes, and what appeals most to the consumer. This is the inherent source of conflict in the tourism versus heritage protection debate.
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About the author
- Writer: Surin Pitsuwan
