Tourism Culture Society

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Bhutan - Changes in the country brought by tourism

As estimated by the World Travel and Tourism Council ( WTTC ), tourism generates nearly 12% of the world’s total GNP. It is, therefore, no surprise that every country wants a “cut” in this lucrative market. Bhutan is no different. However, one must understand that in the process of receiving this economic boost, impacts brought about would also be proportionate in comparison.

In the case of Bhutan, they have so far minimized the amount of negative impact tourism can bring such as loss of culture due to the way they have ‘manipulated’ the tourist arrival. It recognizes that a small country emerging from centuries of isolation must accept tourism in its own time and at its own pace. Hence, changes brought about by the growth of tourism in Bhutan can be referred to as existent, but minimal.

The first change that I felt was the most significant is that every tourism provider in Bhutan are expected to know basic English. Tour guides play the most important role in Bhutan’s ‘controlled-tourism’ economy. They are required to be with the tourist once the tourist arrives and act as an ambassador of sustainable tourism in Bhutan. At the same time, they also act as the interpreter of Bhutan’s culture to the tourist. Hence, these tour guides would have to know basic English in order to communicate with the visitors.

Example of tour Guide in Bhutan :

The second change is the change of landscape. As part of the tourism plan issued by the Government in 2009, more than 100 acres of land across Bhutan has been segregated for the creation of tourism infrastructure like quality hotels, spas, wellness centers. In total the government would acquire 500 acres with 180 acres in the centre, 120 acres in the south, 110 acres in the west and 60 acres in the east. This, again, showcases the country’s desire to take part in the booming tourism market.

By recognizing the potential of their country’s attraction, Bhutan is undergoing a series of plans to ensure that they are able to cater to mass tourism in the future. Furthermore, with the growth of tourism in Bhutan, the Government also sees the need to ‘accept’ globalization into their country by introducing more technological advancements such as online credit card system and online visa processes. This will help reduce the hassle of tourists when they want to visit Bhutan.

Bhutan - Has tourism commodify culture & traditions?

As tourism continues to become a dominant force in today’s economy, it can hardly be seen as a surprise when countries go to extreme measures to market themselves as a “touristy” destination. They will tend to select their nation’s most ‘unique factor’ and promote it extensively; such that when a foreigner think of that particular country, it will naturally associate the country with the ‘unique factor’. An extremely good example in my opinion is the city of Paris. When people think of Paris, the first thing that comes into their mind is the Eiffel Tower. Such a trend is what we term as commodification.

Eiffel Tower :

In the case of Bhutan, their unique culture and tradition is the country’s proudest heritage. Hence, is it safe to say that in the process of tapping into the tourist market, Bhutan has allowed itself to fall into the “tourism-trap”, choosing to market their culture and tradition like other commodities?

Till date, my answer is no. Through research, I have discovered that Bhutan is a country buried deep in religious belief. Every aspect of their life revolves around the Buddhism faith. An example would be the way they celebrate their festival, the Tshechu. Although they are willing to showcase this traditional religious celebration to foreign visitors, they would not resort to staging a performance just to allow their country be known for this particular event. However, as mentioned, the key word here is till date. I believe that by allowing tourists to participate in certain rituals will have a negative long-term effect. This is because I feel rituals serve a certain traditional purpose; they were not devised to function as a spectacle for tourists. In the long-run, I have the tentative opinion that once more tourists are participating in the ritual, the Tsechun will become tourist entertainment and the objects associated with this festival such as the masks seen below will turn into souvenirs. Hence, they lose their cultural value and become mere capital goods.

Moving on, another evidence to prove that Bhutan is not commodifying their culture and tradition currently is that they view it as their most proud of and valuable asset. Tourism has been an important mechanism for publicizing the country’s culture and traditions to the outside world, and interactions with tourists have contributed to a sense of national identity, making Bhutanese proud of their country’s unique culture and environment. Hence, to ask them to commodify and market their culture and environment extensively as a simple commodity would be akin to commodification of the Bhutanese way of life. In my opinion, I believe that this will not go down well with the people and they will never accept this even if it means better economic growth through tourism.

As a conclusion, I feel that no country can escape the fate of commodification if they want to venture into tourist market. It is a strong and inevitable marketing tool that will eventually consume Bhutan’s culture and tradition. Although the Government and people are taking a strong stand towards preservation instead of commodification currently, they will eventually succumb to the power of globalisation and realise the need to improve in order to sustain their economy. Hence, they will come to a point in time whereby they start to open their doors to the high demand for heritage tourism and in the process, commodifying their once rich and unique culture.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Bhutan - Disneyfied!

First of all, I would like to share my view on Disneyfication as a whole. In my opinion, Disneyfication leads to the inevitable loss of culture. As the process of Disneyfication brings about the growing influence of themed environments, many natural heritage present in the country would have to make way. With the immense success of Disneyland, it is extremely difficult for a country’s economy to resist such a lucrative force of development and progression. Yes, Disneyfication will severely dilute a country’s culture and tradition; but on the hindsight, many 3^rd world country especially in the Asia region has to adopt it in order to compete for a share of the massive tourism market. Hence, I feel that instead of repressing Disneyfication in a society, people should accept the fact that the continuous effects of globalization in a country will eventually bring about Disneyfication.

In the case of Bhutan, the country can be considered as an emerging nation after centuries of isolation. The Government and people realise that globalization within the country has to take place now in order for them to be placed on the world map and eventually lead them out of poverty. En route their road-map towards global recognition, they have to tap into many different diversity of industries to support their economy, and the tourism industry plays a massive role. Although the country still pursues tourism without having to dilute their natural culture and heritage, signs of Disneyfication is beginning to creep in.

Firstly, while most of the resort and hotels in Bhutan still subscribe to the unique Bhutanese architectural aesthetic, an emerging concern to conservationists is the loss of traditional building technologies and that of mass scale concrete ‘replication’ of traditional architectural forms paying somewhat of a ‘lip service’ to the original architecture of the region. This means that while the new buildings appear to be traditional, they are becoming mere concrete replicas of traditional stone and wooden architecture, resulting in a gradual loss of material authenticity as part of ‘Disneyfication’ of historic settlements. An example would be in mid-town Thimphu, where in the downtown market area, concrete columns are painted over in traditional imagery to imitate old timber architecture.

Library of Bhutan in Thimphu :

Secondly, a classic display of Disneyfication is on one of the communication methods of Bhutan - postage stamps. Pictures of Disney characters are plastered on Bhutan postage stamps shown below. This is an example of how Bhutan is theming its stamps in a narrative (Disney characters) that is largely unrelated to the country’s culture and beliefs. Merchandising is prominent here as well because it is selling goods that bear that copyright images of Walt Disney.