The socio-cultural, economic and environmental impact of mass tourism on Tokyo - Essay Example

? The Potential and/or Real Socio-Cultural, Economic and Environmental Impact of Mass Tourism on an Overseas Destination; Tokyo By [Name of Institution] 2516 Words [Date] Introduction Tourism seasons are often characterised by crowded airports overflowing with travelers carrying heavy luggage and overfilled beaches implying that for many countries, tourism is described and considered the fastest growing as well as the largest sector of the economy (Singh, 2008). Besides the apparent positive economic impacts of tourism on host nations and their people, there are other numerous negative socio-cultural, political and environmental impacts of tourism that have resulted in divergent opinions on the positive and negative implication of the concept of tourism (Barry & Chorley, 2003). Consequently, there have emerged two opposing sides to the debate on whether mass tourism is good or bad. In particular, mass tourism is shrouded in quite a lot of controversies and debates with one side opposing and the other supporting mass tourism (Wilkerson, 2003). Pope John Paul II once said that tourism is just a means of exploitation and added that mass tourism villages are merely exploitation places where visitors do not get into direct and meaning touch with the culture of the local populations (Lu & Lu, 2004). Those of the same school of thought as Pope John Paul concur that mass tourism has numerous and far-reaching negative implications for local cultures and environments with local communities rarely benefitting from mass tourism (Martin, 1995). Thus, the question many ask is whether mass tourism creates and increases exploitation or prosperity in the destination areas. By extension, questions are also raised about the possibility of responsible mass tourism and its effects on the culture, economy and environment of the destination areas (Nakagawa & Rosovsky, 1993). Those of the other side of the debate do not regard mass tourism as an exploitative activity; instead, eco-tourism holidays and package tours are viewed as forms of mass tourism that actually benefit local communities in the destination areas. Similarly, this side of the debate, there are people who are of the view that whereas mass tourism to developed first world countries does not have rather huge negative effects on the people, mass tourism to underdeveloped areas of could have far-reaching detrimental effects (Ritchie et al, 2011). Although a good portion of local populations may be absorbed into the tourism jobs, a sizeable number could be turned into workers who are only paid subsistence wages. Mass tourism could really be great and of benefit to local people and cultures, environment and economy if only the tourists respect the destinations’ local people and culture (Lew, 2008). In addition, host country and people must enjoy the opportunities of showing their unique economic, social and cultural practices and beliefs to their visitors (Totman, 2005). In addition, mass tourism should also expose the destination areas to the cultures of the visiting people. Tokyo, the capital city of Japan is one of the main tourism destinations in Asia, if not the entire world (Cullen, 2003). Hence, mass tourism affects life in Tokyo in one way or the other. The economic value of tourism in Tokyo soars well above 10 million Yen. Consisting of both local and foreign tourists, the main tourist attraction centres in Tokyo include but are not limited to entertainment districts, ubiquitous Japanese pop culture, stores and downtowns (Malm, 2000). The cultural districts of Shibuya and Harajuku come to mind when tourism in Tokyo is mentioned. In addition, museums such as the Tokyo National Museum, which is widely known for housing Japan’s artwork national treasures is a renowned tourist attraction, centre in Tokyo (Waley, 2007). Other attractions in Tokyo include Tsukiji Fish Market, the Senso-ji Temple, the Imperial Palace and the Meiji Shrine. That Tokyo is easily accessible via the Narita Airport and the Tokyo International Airport also makes it a favourite for many tourists (Hall, 1995). This paper explores the potential and/or real socio-cultural, economic and environmental impacts of mass tourism on Tokyo. Mass Tourism in Tokyo As in the case of many other world cities, tourism in Tokyo is mainly urban-focused with the highest concentration of tourists observed in the city centre (Fieve & Waley, 2003). It is evident that mass tourism has in one way or the other destroyed Tokyo and its culture. Once a city paradise, Tokyo’s upcoming hotels have turned it into a concrete jungle, endangering the ecology and the larger environment of the city, its culture, language and religion (Scott, 1996). Many this wonder is Tokyo and its authorities will survive the mass tourism onslaught. Mass tourism has in fact, dealt heavy blow to Tokyo’s beautiful and magnificent temples, natural landscapes and their splendor, beautiful white beaches and the tolerance of the inhabitants of Tokyo (McClain et al., 1994). Hence, due to mass tourism, Tokyo has ceased to be the beautiful and welcoming city it used to be. These are terms by which Tokyo cannot be described any more as the effects of mass tourism, increased consumption and ecological disasters continue to threaten and disorganise the city. The Negative Socio-Cultural Impacts of Mass Tourism on Tokyo The first and most destructive impact of mass tourism on Tokyo and its indigenous populations is change or loss of indigenous identity and values as more tourists arrive in the city. The first avenue by which Tokyo’s indigenous values and identity are lost or changed is via the commoditization of these values and practices (Louis-Frederic & Roth, 2005). That is, mass tourism has made local Tokyo cultures into commodities so that traditional and ethnic festivals and rituals are sanitized and changed to meet the expectations and preferences of the millions of tourists. Consequently, there has emerged a reconstructed ethnicity in Tokyo (Turnbull, 2002). The sale of Tokyo as a commodity of mass tourism has made tourists to demand traditional Japanese entertainment, souvenirs, and arts and crafts among other items (Kuitert, 1988). Thus, tourists have exerted their influences on Japanese arts and cultures in Tokyo, in the process changing the nature, quality and values of these items (Turnbull, 2010). As a result, the respect and reverence hitherto given to Tokyo’s scared objects, practices, sites and customs has since diminished away. The second avenue by which Tokyo’s identity and values have been eroded is via standardization (Leheny, 2006). Standardisation in this regard is the process by which the need to satisfy tourists’ desires has led to many players in the tourism sector redesigning and changing Tokyo’s accommodation, landscape, drinks and food to satisfy tourists’ tastes and preferences. Worse still, tourists demand for new and unique treatment has led many tour operators in Tokyo change indigenous dishes, cultural sites, environment and hotel and accommodation facilities (Cwiertka, 2007). As a result of the modification and standardisation of Tokyo’s cultural sites and objects and values to suit tourists’ needs, there has been widespread loss of authenticity, which has been replaced by stage-managed authenticity (Korstanje, 2012). Stage-managed authenticity entails the use of fake or imitated cultural processes, expressions and manifestations purported to be the real process, to entice tourists and lit to them that they are experiencing the real local culture or atmosphere (Laver, 2011). Tourists’ demand for Japanese arts, crafts and other cultural paraphernalia has also had detrimental impacts on Tokyo, especially its cultural items and practices. In the drive to respond to these demands and to accrue economic gains, craftsmen all over Tokyo have embarked on a trend of making modified Japanese cultural objects (Toby, 1997). Despite the fact that this increased interest in Japanese cultural objects by tourists has positive effects on the sense of self-worth of Japanese artists and in conserving cultural tradition if Tokyo, it has also led to the erosion of the culture due to the commoditization of cultural goods (Diamond, 998). Mass tourism has also resulted in the clash of cultures in Tokyo. AS more and more people move from different regions and cultures of the world to Tokyo, new social relations, ethnicities, languages, religions, lifestyles, values, economic backgrounds and customs interact and clash with those of Tokyo. Consequent to this clash of cultures, values and lifestyle, the capacity of Tokyo to uphold its acceptable levels of social change has occurred, translating in changes in the city’s social systems. In other terms, while local Tokyo communities initially welcomed tourists into the city, their reactions to tourists has since changed and is now characterised by apathy, irritation and antagonism. That is, the local population has progressively developed anti-tourist attitudes as the socioeconomic and cultural impacts of mass tourism are increasingly felt by the day (Tashiro, 1982). The cultural effects of mass tourism in Tokyo have by extension, resulted in economic inequality in the city. As a matter of fact, the causal relations between these factors are both ways (Sorensen, 2002). That is, economic inequality has also caused the clash of cultures in one way or the other. First, tourists originate from countries, regions and cultures with different values, lifestyles and consumption norms, quite distinct from Tokyo’s practices. In their pursuit of pleasure in Tokyo, tourists indulge in spending sprees and behaviours that do not conform to the standards and values of the local Tokyo population. Unfortunately, some local people have imitated these behaviours by tourists, which they consider more stylish and modern, compared to their local cultural practices and customs (Leiper, 1983). Thus, the gap between the poor and the affluent, even among the local population has become more pronounced in recent times due to an influx in tourists arriving in the city. This drift in socioeconomic status has the likelihood of causing increased tension among social classes. Considering that low-salary cadre members of society work in tourist sites and hotels where they interact with wealthy local and international tourism, the apparent inequality could work against the social system in that feeling of despair may crop in among these tourism sector employees who may feel short-changed (Toby, 1984). The other general socioeconomic and cultural effects of mass tourism on Tokyo include irritation of local people by some of the behaviours by tourists, friction due to job level differences that favour foreigners at the expense of local people, income inequality, physical influences and social stress, cultural deterioration, conflicts with traditional land-uses, deprivation of local people of access, ethical issues, increase in crime due to increased urbanization (Japan Tourism Agency, 2011). Child labour and prostitution and sex tourism also rank high on the list of the negative impacts of mass tourism in Tokyo and in other tourist destinations for that matter (Urry, 2003). Ending Unsustainable Tourism in Tokyo From the discussed socioeconomic and cultural effects of mass tourism on Tokyo, it is quite clear that mass tourism in the city is unsustainable and efforts should not be spared to reverse the trend. This trend persists despite the emergence of many tourist groups that claim to be promoting green mass tourism. In other words, despite the existence of these groups and individuals, the current system of managing mass tourism is inadequate and unsustainable (Hellyer, 2009). However, undoubtedly, tourism is an economic force to reckon with as it generates trillions of revenues across the globe. Thus, it only requires stakeholders to design, develop and implement sustainable mass tourism. Experts in eco-tourism and sustainable development have forwarded several recommendations with regards to the various strategies by which mass tourism could be made sustainable (Bauer, 1988). It is some, if not all of these recommendations that the Tokyo authorities and tourism stakeholders in the city ought to implement. The first strategy for the Tokyo tourism sector is to inculcate the culture of conscious travel in which better alternative tourism activities are considered. Unluckily, there is no shortcut since such a change of perception and attitude to mass tourism must be initiated at the local community level. In this perception change, Tokyo, as a host for tourists, should realise that its resources are not merely for exploitation by foreigners; instead. It should protect and celebrate its resources and uniqueness among the nations of the world (Holder & Floyd, 2009). Second, Tokyo’s authorities ought not to regard their customers as consumption unit. Instead, Tokyo’s tourist industry stakeholders should view their visitors as people who require healing, entertainment, refreshing and transformation (Dale, 1990). In other words, the stakeholders should focus more on less congestion, less volume, reduced destruction and harm. In addition, meaning, peace, value, fulfillment and sustainability should be the key driving force in the Tokyo tourism sector. Also integral to this proposed reformation is the adoption of a radical assessment process, which will result in unrealistic and stabilized tourism (Goldstein-Gidoni, 1999). In such a tourism sector, the quality and prices of services ought to be driven by real demand instead of what tourists pay. A new set of policies must hence be applied in Tokyo’s tourism sector to make it sustainable. For an illustration, sustainable mass tourism would require that tourists are accommodated with minimal financial and social costs to local communities especially with reference to resources such as land and modes of transport. Similarly, waste disposal should be well managed and traffic congestion and pollution minimized and managed well. Tourism policies in Tokyo should not only address economic objectives but must also have far-reaching social and cultural goals that would retain, improve and sustain the cultures, values and social ways of the local population of the city (Ridley, 2010). In allocating resources for various activities in the city, vital services and facilities that would serve the interests of the local people must be accorded priority. For instance, in the allocating land use, services such as housing of local people should rank higher than tourism facilities since allocating land and open space for community use would go a long way in improving the quality of life for the local Tokyo residents. The following policy points are recommended for implementation to make mass tourism sustainable and economically, socially and culturally viable in Tokyo, for the benefit of tourisms, tourism operators, the government and local residents. First, the number of tourists should be stabilized to a viable and manageable level so that tourism growth is made proportional to the increase of Tokyo’s permanent populace. The contribution of tourism to the city’s GDP should also be maintained at level settled on, say 5%, with more attention accorded to high-value business visitors. Importantly, scarce public resources such as land and finances should not be channeled to tourism facility development at the expense of local needs (Korstanje, 2007). Finally, price mass tourism should be progressively replaced by the return of investors and workers to Tokyo and other Japanese cities. Conclusion Mass tourism has both positive and negative social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts on tourist destinations. In recent times, the influx of tourists in world cities such as Tokyo has alarmed local communities, authorities, environmentalists and those keen on cultural preservation. Among the impacts of mass tourism in Tokyo are income inequality, class conflicts, physical influences and social stress, cultural deterioration, conflicts with traditional land-uses, deprivation of local people of access, ethical issues, and increase in crime due to increased urbanization among others. Reformed tourism policies that promote appropriate resource allocation, investor and worker visitors, and conscious travel, non-exploitation of resources and minimal financial and social costs are a few of the recommended interventions to runaway mass tourism in Tokyo. References Barry, R. G., and Chorley, R. J. (2003) Atmosphere, weather and climate. Routledge. Bauer, K. J. (1988) A maritime history of the United States: the role of America’s seas and waterways. University of South Carolina Press. Cullen, L. M. (2003) A history of Japan, 1582-1941. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Cwiertka, K. J. (2007) Modern Japanese cuisine: food, power and national identity. Reaktion Books. 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