Nowadays, tourists are keen on culture tours as these tours provide interesting information about the local communities. This trend makes some people worry that the foreign touch will have unavoidable consequences on the vulnerable culture, while others are supportive of this movement as it would bode well with culture and economy. This essay will look at both sides of this trend and give a preferred course of actions.
On the one hand, many businesses which capitalize on their local culture background are not responsible and considerate of the culture preservation. Many people are not fully aware of their local values’ significance and history; others do not give enough attention to build up a sustainable plan to exploit them. As a result, tourists are not be able to explore the actual local traditions. For example, many countries in which the cultural tourism is still in their infancy opt for non-native products to quickly gain attention from travelers. For example, it is not rare to see the traditional hotpot stalls of Thailand in its Asian neighbors’ place of interest, which will inevitably lead to misunderstanding and underappreciation of the local culture.
On the other hand, it is convincing that tourism is an effective tool to protect and introduce traditional values to foreigners and young people. Culture should not be an end in itself, because then people have no financial incentives to maintain the past practices, especially given the modern contact. Unless there are incentives in preserving these rusty charms, it will wither quickly. Moreover, in addition to attract and provide resources to local communities, tourist agencies also actively introduce the hard-to-find nuances of practices to a wider audience. As a result, culture is able to survive in the everchanging world and be embed in people’s memories. Also, those who take interests in culture can make a living working in tourism, so they will invest more time and attention to the course of preservation. In turn, it attracts more researchers and professionals who will devise effective and culture-aware solutions.
In conclusion, while from the perspectives of many opponents, tourism do more harm than good on the local communities, others supports the symbiotic relationship between tourism and traditional values. In my opinion, despite pitfalls in the business, tourism is an effective way to conserve and nurture the growth of culture.