The tourism industry is one of the vital sectors for the economic development of any country as it greatly contributes to employment generation. Increasing consumer spending power, increasing desire of people to spend leisure time, focus on international and luxury holidays, government initiatives, and technological advancements are driving the growth of the tourism industry rapidly in recent times.
As of 2023, the market size of the global tourism industry amounted to approximately 11.39 trillion US dollars and directly contributed around 9.9 trillion US dollars to the global gross domestic product (GDP), which is approximately 9.1 per cent of the total GDP worldwide. However, with the rising tourism growth worldwide, it has been questioned whether global tourism is beneficial or harmful to cultural heritage.
Historical and cultural legacies have been regarded as the major attraction for several tourists in the selection of tourist destinations. Cultural heritage reflects the traditions, beliefs, identity, and cultural values of a society and community. Therefore, the preservation of the cultural heritage is crucial for facilitating the sense of belongingness, maintenance of cultural diversity and growth of the tourism industry.
Advantages of global tourism to cultural heritage-
Helps in the advancement of infrastructure
People are required to provide certain entry fees to visit the historical and cultural sites and monuments. The funds collected from ticket sales are invested in the preservation and maintenance of those sites over the years. For example, as per Tourism Ministry data, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) earned around 81.89 crores in Indian rupees in 2022-2023 from the ticket sales for the Taj Mahal, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular tourist attraction in India.
In the same period, ASI had made an investment of around 91.39 crores of Indian rupees for developing the infrastructure surrounding the historical heritage sites and monuments and providing basic amenities like parking facilities, cultural notice boards, drinking water, garbage bins, and pathways to boost tourism and conserving local heritage. Moreover, the revenue generated from the ticket sales of other major Indian tourist attractions includes 9.58 crore from Sun Temple in Odisha, 2.28 crore from Nalanda in Bihar, and 6.21 crore from Ellora caves in Maharashtra.
Promotion of cultural diversity
Global tourism unites people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and nations. This provides opportunities for people to be involved in cross-cultural communications and to understand the importance of the cultural values of local communities. Furthermore, governments aim to improve infrastructure and offer enhanced local facilities to attract tourists and promote tourism growth, resulting in the creation of better leisure facilities, improvement in educational systems and lifestyle of local people.
This also leads to the generation of multifaceted employment opportunities for the local people, such as tourist guides. As a result, this minimizes the need for the migration of the local people to the other regions to earn and live a better life. Tourism allows the local people to interact with the global tourists from diverse backgrounds, which promotes cross-cultural exchange among them.
The risk imposed by global tourism on cultural heritage-
Unmonitored tourism activities
Mass tourism has become a major concern for the cultural heritage sites. While the encouragement of tourism can enhance the economic circumstances of the society and communities, continuous increase in tourism can be vulnerable to the maintenance of cultural heritage. At present times, in many cases, the main emphasis is given to earning money from cultural site and heritage practices and sites rather than the preservation of them. Overcrowding at tourist places not only leads to damage to the physical infrastructure of the heritage sites but also adversely impacts the tourist’s perception. Management and promotion of heritage sites or attractions which do not effectively control the visitor numbers at a time can negatively impact the importance of the place.
Environmental damage
The advancement of tourism infrastructure often reflects the need for the compromisation of nature. The quick development of the tourism industry can lead to environmental destruction in terms of depletion of natural resources, forest fires, and pollution. As a result of increased footfalls of tourists in the cultural heritage sites, multifaceted challenges occur in the area, such as waste disposal problems, noise, increased traffic, and pollution, which leads to the disruption of the ecological balance of the area.
Damage to local traditions
In order to attract more global tourists, social events and local cultural practices are often represented by adapting to the preferences of global tourists. This leads to the loss of the original identity of the local culture. It can also enable the local people to replicate the modern lifestyle of travelers, resulting in the loss of traditional cultural practices and customs.
Case studies reflecting the disadvantages of global tourism-
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Significant tourism growth has been observed in the medieval walled city of Dubrovnik, which is also recognised as the Pearl of the Adriatic. The featuring of this place in the popular TV series titled Game of Thrones has led to this tourism boom. However, the increased inflow of visitors has become vulnerable to the infrastructure of the city resulting in the damage of this historic site and creating difficulties in the maintenance of the cultural authenticity of the city.
Bali, Indonesia
Bali, Indonesia, has become a popular tourist destination because of its vibrant culture and beautiful landscapes and beaches. Nevertheless, the island is found to be experiencing challenges to effectively control the arrival of the extensive number of tourists. As a consequence, the island is facing environmental degradation, pollution, and traffic congestion. Conflicts also arise between the local people and tourists due to land disputes and water shortages.
Venice, Italy
A large number of tourists show interest in the attractive canals of Venice, Italy, with an emphasis on its history and romance. However, the beautiful ecosystem of the city is being damaged by the extensive number of visitors. The damage to historic buildings and increased pollutants are some of the major issues that have appeared due to mass tourism in this area.
FAQ
1. How does global tourism benefit cultural heritage?
Global tourism helps advance infrastructure. People are required to provide certain entry fees to visit the historical and cultural sites and monuments. The funds collected from ticket sales are invested in the preservation and maintenance of those sites over the years.
2. What are the risks associated with global tourism to cultural heritage?
Mass tourism has become a major concern for heritage sites. Overcrowding at tourist places not only leads to damage to the physical infrastructure of the heritage sites but also adversely impacts the tourist’s perception.
3. How does tourism impact local communities and their culture?
Tourism allows the local people to interact with global tourists belonging to diverse backgrounds, which promotes cross-cultural exchange among them. However, to attract more global tourists, social events and local cultural practices are often represented by adapting to the preferences of global tourists, leading to the loss of the original identity of the local culture.
4. Can tourism improve the infrastructure around heritage sites?
Yes, the revenue generated from ticket sales is often reinvested into developing better infrastructure surrounding heritage sites, such as parking facilities, cultural notice boards, drinking water, garbage bins, and pathways.
5. What are some examples of places where tourism has negatively impacted cultural heritage?
Dubrovnik, Croatia; Bali, Indonesia; and Venice, Italy, have all experienced negative impacts from mass tourism, such as damage to infrastructure, environmental degradation, and loss of cultural authenticity.
