Cultural Impacts of Tourism

TOMG200 Tourism Management & Environment

The Cultural Impacts of Tourism

• Culture is “the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs”

(UNESCO – cited in Hall & Lew, 2009: 141)

• Socio-cultural impacts of tourism ( - see chapter 4 in Hall & Lew, 2009)

In this lecture:

Reflections on my role in Māori tourism research

Opportunities for Māori Tourism Key issues, barriers & impediments Future journey of Māori in tourism Study group discussion (3)

Reflections on my Role in Māori Tourism Research 1997 - 1999: Strategies for Sustainable

Māori tourism 2000 – 2001: He Matai Tapoi Māori 2000 – 2004: Sustainable Tourism

Planning & Development (FRST) Demand & supply (McIntosh, 2004) Cross-cultural experiences Kaupapa Māori research: Māori-centred

Tourism (McIntosh, Zygadlo & Matunga, 2004) Importance of meaningful

relationships, process and sensitivities Supervision of Māori research students

(partnerships)

Māori Tourism - Opportunities

Experiences based on gazing, lifestyle, authenticity, personal interaction and informal learning (McIntosh, 2004); physical and emotional involvement, translation and explanation (Colmar Brunton, 2004)

Need to overcome “seen it once before” and “lack of time” barriers.

Potential to deliver cultural information as an added-value product to tourism experiences (McIntosh, 2004)

Tourist Perceptions of Māori Culture (McIntosh, 2004)

• High level of awareness but prior knowledge was limited.

• Impressions were traditional, stereotypical.

“rugby”, “tribal”, “dark skin”, “dance performance”, “tongue sticking out”, “traditional”, “exotic”, “different”.

Extent of Cultural Motivation (McIntosh, 2004)

• Not a primary motivation for visiting New Zealand

• Important experience of “difference” or “exotic other”

• Emphasis on gazing rather than cultural understanding

• Majority reported gaining an experience / knowledge of Māori culture

Implications (McIntosh, 2004)

• Tourists may seek similar experiences from their encounters with indigenous peoples.

• Less formally structured ‘meaningful’ interaction or added-value product may constitute the most appropriate development option.

• Raises important implicatons for product development and sustainable tourism.

Key issues, Barriers & Impediments

Lack of opportunities to market Māori tourism.

Stereotyped “Other”. Perceived quality & range of product Insufficient representation on key

industry organisations. Lack of capital investment. Lack of education & training resources. Lack of research in Māori tourism issues. Lack of national strategy to improve

Māori involvement, participation & representation.

Need for self-determined development.

Marketing New Zealand’s ‘Indigenous Advantage’

– Issues for Sustainable Māori Tourism

• 2 key issues relating to cultural identity:– Authenticity– Inclusivity

• Marketing culture for tourism, not marketing cultural tourism

Concluding Remarks

Most of the literature on indigenous people’s role in tourism emphasises the role of their culture as a tourism product rather than a process.

There is a need to rethink the way Māori tourism is defined, developed and promoted: – it’s perhaps about marketing cultural tourism rather than marketing culture for tourism.

How can ‘sustainable’ cultural tourism be achieved?

Sustainable Tourism Management

“Development that meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future”

(WTO, 1997) [p.218].

In Conclusion:Sustainable (Indigenous) Cultural Tourism

Management involves:

• Recognising the importance of cultural identity• Looking after it/them• Developing mutually beneficial partnerships• Incorporating cultural issues in business planning• Marketing & promoting cultural products responsibly• Providing high quality visitor experiences• Respecting indigenous rights and obligations / being

sensitive to cultural issues• Achieving cultural empowerment

The Future Journey for Māori Tourism?

Increased participation. Build Māori capability. Māori culture & identity

is protected. Commitment from successive governments. Partnerships & a whole of sector approach for regional

tourism planning, development & marketing. Greater emphasis on Māori self-determination for

development that is culturally sustainable.

Individual Discussion Question (3)Watch the videos of case studies Tamaki Tours and Whale of a Tale (Whale Watch Kaikoura) – on MyWeb & You Tube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9_WKOIOobQ

Individual Discussion Question (3)

Question:How can ‘sustainable’ Māori cultural tourism be achieved?