Authenticity in Tourism - Literature review Example

Authenti refers to an issue that is real, a culture that is genuine, and not interfered with. The modern day tourism has come under a lot of criticism for destroying authenticity. It does this through commercialization and commoditization of culture, and this includes food, dance rituals, and cultural festivals (Tomaselli, 2012). Tourism is a journey in search of authenticity. It is also a commercial activity, and business men in this sector understand the needs of tourists in search of authenticity and as such they develop certain cultural and social values that are not authentic. The purposes of this behavior are to satisfy the needs of their customers (Leibsohn, 2012). Authenticity is a modern value and it emerged as a result of the social existence of mankind, and the development of the concept of individualism. This has made people to substitute their real values, with fake values, believes and culture. This is in the name of making money, and therefore earning a living. This paper is based on the assumption that tourism destroys authenticity (Ubani, 2012). This is because tourism leads to the notion of commercialization of culture. Commercialization of culture refers to the conversion of cultural values in monetary terms. On this basis, to earn more money, business men stage manages certain cultural values for purposes of satisfying the expectations of tourists (Wang, 1999). This therefore erodes the notion of authenticity for purposes of making profits. On this basis, tourists do not get the real information/ cultural value they were looking for. Instead, they are able to experience cultural values that are stage managed and not authentic. However, some of these assumptions are not true. For instance, one assumption denotes that tourism leads to the development of a fake cultural identity. This is not true as experienced by tourists who visited Papua New Guinea. For instance, the Huli men of Papua New Guinea have a method of adorning their body, which is a tradition of many years. This tradition attracts numerous tourists because they feel that this act is authentic, original and unspoiled (Leslie, 2012). Another example involves the development of the Maltese festival season, whose main aim is to unite the Maltese people through drama. On this basis, the festivals create a sense of community collaboration, as result benefiting the natives of the country. These festivals usually attract thousands of tourists, whose main aim is to experience the authenticity of these celebrations. Tourists feel that the Maltese people engage in a genuine activity of reconciliation and promotion of harmony. On this basis, they want experience the process. It is good to denote that the aim of the festivals was not for attracting tourists, but for creating harmony and peace in Malta (Leslie, 2012). Tourists only came in to experience the authentic nature of the festivals. However, it is notable to argue that tourists are not always familiar with the culture and social believes of the communities in which they visit. It is because of this unfamiliarity that makes them to visit these communities for purposes of learning what their social, cultural and religious believes are. However, when they visit a society, they have an unconfirmed knowledge on what to expect and what not to expect. It is based upon these assumptions that tour operators and stakeholders in the tourism industry take advantage of in order to create some values that will meet the expectations of the visitors. For instance, in Kenya, there is a famous tribe referred to as the Maasai (Lyon, 2012). They are known for their great hunting skills, and rich traditional heritage. Their cultural heritage is reflected in their manner of dressing, language, and in the kind of houses they stay in. It is in search of experiencing these authentic values that tourist make an effort to visit the region. However, other tribes have taken advantage of this information and seek to act and behave like the Maasai. This is for purposes of getting money from tourists. In the end, tourists do not really experience the true values of the Maasai, but fake people who pose as the Maasai. This situation is made possible because of the commercialization of culture, therefore undermining the authentic cultural values. These beliefs that emanate from tourists bring us to the notion of stereotyping. Stereotyping can either be positive or negative, and it is shaped by the perceptions of an individual in relation to others. For instance, the British perception of Americans is that they are loud, ignorant and insincere individuals. This is an aspect of negative perception. Positive perceptions on the other hand can involve an individual having a positive image concerning a specific individual or area. For instance, visitors might view Switzerland as having a stable political environment with nice cultural values, and therefore visiting such an area would amount to a great social and cultural experience. It is these types of perceptions and stereotyping that tour operators and business men in the tourism sector use to convince visitors into visiting certain areas (Tomaselli, 2012). For instance, most tourism operators use cultural stereotyping to convince their visitors into visiting certain areas. However, this notion of cultural stereotyping is to general, and it does not identify a specific cultural value of a certain region. On this basis, these cultural stereotyping do not distinguish the various cultural practices between different communities within a region. The result of this type of stereotyping is that the expectations of a tourist while visiting the area is to find the types of cultures that tourism operators told them that they exist. For example in Spain, postcards developed usually summarize the many stereotyping activities associated with Spain, and this includes flamingo dancing, bullfighting, and their various culinary dishes. However, these values are not practiced all over the country. They are only celebrated in certain regions. When tourists visit the country, tour operators will want to organize these activities, and normally they use people who do not practice the cultural activity in question (Leibsohn, 2012). This destroys the notion of authenticity, because the festivals are stage managed for purposes of satisfying the needs of tourists. Tour operators organize the festivals for money, and not for promoting the cultural heritage of the communities that practice the tradition. Another example is from the coastal town of Kenya called Lamu. In this region, they have an annual donkey festival. This involves holding races using donkeys across the streets of the coastal town of Lamu. Initially, this festival began as a means of celebrating the cultural heritage of the natives of the region. These festivals have never managed to attract a large number of visitors compared to the annual migration of wild beast in Maasai Mara, and the traditional dances of the Maasai (McCabe, 2012). It is important to denote that some of the traditional Maasai dances that they attend are always stage managed. It is not the Maasai tribesmen who participate in some of these dances, but other local tribes disguised as the Maasai in order to earn money. On this basis, the dances are not authentic, and therefore tourists experience a fake and stage managed cultural value. The reason is because tourists do not have information regarding these other cultural activities in Kenya, and all they know is that there is a famous tribe in Kenya called the Maasai who have a rich traditional heritage preserved over many generations, and thus it is important to share the experiences they have while practicing their cultural values. On this basis, they develop a stereotyping attitude towards certain cultures basing on the information under their possession. This information is always general, and therefore the perceptions that tourists have are not always correct. Take for instance the perceptions of the people of Switzerland. The Swiss are viewed as reserved, hardworking, and always arrogant. On this basis, if an individual wants to visit the country, he should know that it would be difficult to make friends, and the tourism experience would not be exciting. However, tourism is one of the major economic pillars of Switzerland. The country initiates policies that make it enjoyable to tour the country (McCabe, 202). Tour operators are trained to be social, and outgoing. This is a skill that will ensure tourists feel welcomed and therefore enjoy their stay in the country. On this basis, tourists are not able to feel the real attitudes of the Swiss. The country, in trying to repair the perceptions people have towards its citizens seeks to train its tour operators at hospitality colleges situated in various parts of the country. The main reason of training tour operators on socialization skills is for purposes of attracting tourists into the country (Leibsohn, 2012). On this basis, tourists visiting Switzerland will not interact with the reserved, anti-social average citizen of Switzerland, but with the outgoing, socialist tour operator who is trained on how to handle them. Tourism is based on information, and because of the need to make money, the kind of information that tourists have an access to is limited. The main purpose of concealing some information to tourists is because they do not want them to have an access to new knowledge. This is because tour operators and business men want to capitalize on the information tourists know for purposes of making profits in their ventures. However, critics would argue that if tourists are happy with the conceived and inaccurate cultural values presented, then there is nothing wrong (Ubani, 2012). However, this is a misconception because tourists can have an opportunity of experiencing a more exciting experience as compared to the fake one. This is only if they are acting on a reliable piece of information. For example, if tourists visiting Kenya can be entertained by the real Maasai tribesmen, as opposed to fake people who pose as Maasai, they can enjoy the dances. This is because the dances come from people whose cultural values are depicted through the dances. This is because the dances are a manner of communicating a specific cultural believe or attitude. Another example is the flamenco dances found in Spain (Tomaselli, 2012). This dance is associated with the Romani people of Spain, and it is only these people who can effectively dance it. However, because of commercialization of culture, other tribes in Spain are able to dance the flamenco dance. They are doing it for purposes of earning money, and promoting tourism. On this basis, tourists do not experience the real culture, but stage managed cultural activities (Wang, 1999). It is important for policy makers to enact laws meant for purposes of protecting the interests of information. These policies should make it possible for tourists to access information that they need. This is because the information will help them in making choices on specific areas that they should visit, or not to visit. The information would also educate tourists on the various misconceptions they have regarding specific places. They would therefore act on this information to make wise decisions on specific areas they want to visit, and what to expect in terms of the cultural values of the area, and the attitudes and believes of people within those areas. On this basis, the government will help its citizens to have an authentic tourism experience (Ubani, 2012). Another policy that the government should follow is in regulating the activities of tour operators. These people are business men, and they would always use whichever means they have, to make profits. This includes providing false information to citizens who wish to tour a specific place or location. To prevent these acts of dishonesty, policy makers should enact strict penalties to tour operators found engaging in such kind of vices. This policy will help visitors to make decisions basing on their sound knowledge and not on misguided allegation. On this basis, they will have an authentic experience concerning their visit. Bibliography: Leibsohn, D. (2012). Seeing across cultures in the early modern world. Farnham, Surrey, England: Ashgate. Leslie, D. (2012). Tourism enterprises and the sustainability agenda across Europe. Farnham, Surrey, England: Ashgate. Lyon, S. (2012). Global tourism: cultural heritage and economic encounters. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. McCabe, S. (2012). Social tourism in Europe: theory and practice. Bristol, UK: Channel View Publications. Tomaselli, K. G. (2012). Cultural tourism and identity: rethinking indigeneity. Leiden: Brill. Ubani, L. U. (2012). Hospitality & tourism human relations management in Africa (International ed.). Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse. Wang, N. (1999). Rethinking Authenticity in Tourism Experience. Annals of Tourism Research, 26(2), 349-370.Top of Form Bottom of Form Read More