Tourism has always been a pressing issue requiring the government to amplify efforts to disseminate culture through media platforms. Many individuals assert that tourism plays a key role in narrowing the cultural gaps between different countries and cultures. From my perspective, I partially believe that this option is possible but requires additional contributing factors, and this essay will discuss my view.
On the one hand, tourism has the potential to bridge cultural gaps due to its creation of conditions for tourists’ exposure to a country’s culture through festivals, cultural heritage sites, and sculptures. These cultural heritage sites offer foreigners and locals opportunities for cross-cultural interactions and convey the intrinsic values of a country’s culture, which enable tourists to gain a deeper insight into a country’s lifestyle. For instance, the Hue Festival in Vietnam offers tourists a glimpse into imperial Vietnamese history through vibrant traditional music, cultural performances, and workshops. As a result, tourism grants tourists an immersive cultural experience as a means of bridging cultural gaps over national barriers. Furthermore, another possible reason is that tourism these days currently has the capacity to generate economic value by offering tickets for visiting historical sites and culinary products. The government might utilize these profits to revise, renovate historical landmarks, and perform maintenance in order to continue welcoming visitors. These profitable amounts could be spent on running advertisements and publicizing a country’s culture through the Internet and other social media platforms. Therefore, revenue derived from tourism is also a vital factor in promoting the dissemination of culture.
On the other hand, traditional customs and holistic cultural experiences are infeasible for tourists to gain just through a short trip. The opposite is true for those who are on a long-term journey or business trip because they tend to immerse themselves in that country’s customs. While in many countries, long-term tourism approaches are yet to be fully developed, short-term tourism models are more prevalent, so tourists are just able to scratch the surface of the culture. Moreover, regarding those who do not have the intention to delve into culture, they mostly pay attention to food and popular destinations because they have heard about them and want to fulfill their sense of satisfaction. As they return to their country, they merely share their own experiences, which can be a good or bad reflection of something in the country but not literally related to culture. For instance, food enthusiasts may visit Vietnam primarily to sample Pho without a broader interest in Vietnamese culture or tradition. Thus, these kinds of tourists are also a cause of bridging cultural gap problems due to their neglect of cultural understanding.
In conclusion, tourism can offer opportunities to connect with different cultures, but its effectiveness in bridging cultural gaps may depend on travelers’ genuine interest in those cultures.