Donald Macleod

Tourists and tourism: identifying with people and places.

Contents: Simone Abram Jacqueline Waldren, Introduction -- Tamara Kohn, Island Involvement and the Evolving Tourist -- Simone Abram, Performing for Tourists in Rural France -- Jacqueline Waldren, We Are Not Tourists: We Live Here -- Sara Cohen, More than the Beatles: Popular Music, Tourism and Urban Regeneration -- Connie Zeanah Atkinson, Whose New Orleans? Musics Place in the Packaging of New Orleans for Tourism -- Hazel Tucker, The Ideal Village: Interactions through Tourism in Central Anatolia -- Donald V.L. Macleod, Alternative Tourists on a Canary Island -- Niels Sampath, Mas Identity: Tourism and Global and Local Aspects of Trinidad Carnival -- Ken Teague, Representations of Nepal -- Michael Hitchcock, Nick Stanley Siu King Chung, The Southeast Asian Living Museum and its Antecedents -- Mark Nuttall, Packaging the Wild: Tourism Development in Alaska

Tourism, globalisation and cultural change : an island community perspective

PART ONE: THE ISSUES, THE COMMUNITY AND THE TOURISTS 1. Tourism, globalization and cultural change 2. Valle Gran Rey: a changing destination 3. The tourists: types and motivation PART TWO: THE INFLUENCE OF TOURISM 4. Work and property 5. Power and conflict 6. Social identity 7. Family and belief 8. The ability of tourism to change culture References /Index

Parks or people? National parks and the case of Del Este, Dominican Republic:

Beginning with a brief overview of the USA national park model, this paper outlines significant changes in attitudes towards resident peoples worldwide. It reviews relevant literature dealing with parks in various countries, and argues that the traditional division between people and parks, part of the intellectual context, should be challenged. It also reports that the involvement of resident peoples in management decisions is increasing. Nevertheless, at grass-roots level, as anthropological research and a case study of Del Este in the Dominican Republic show, the struggle for resources continues, with international economic power and local culture remaining dominant factors in environmental conservation.

Cultural commodification and tourism: a very special relationship

This article concentrates on culture as a commodity: how culture is used to sell a particular destination, and elements of a culture that are sold to visitors and consumed. It draws on anthropological conceptions of culture and compares them to the way destinations have focused on particular aspects of their own cultures and thereby defined the concept. By comparing examples where intensive fieldwork or study has been undertaken, conclusions are drawn relating the types of tourism experienced by a destination to the local use of culture as an asset. It is argued that there is an underutilization of culture by some destinations, and that policymakers and others are missing aspects of culture that could give advantage to certain regions and their local population. Not only does this correspond to their understanding of the concept of culture, but also to their expectations of market demand. The case studies illustrating the points above are based in the following regions: The Canary Islands, The Dominican Republic, and Scotland. The examples draw attention to the process whereby elements of indigenous cultures may become commercially utilized, as well as the relevance of the social organization of tourism to choices and decisions involving commodities and the consumer in specific destinations. These findings suggest a way of understanding the processes that lead to globalized cultural experiences and at the same time ignore the rich and complex diversity of cultures.

Scottish Theme Towns: Have New Identities Enhanced Development?

Three small towns in southwest Scotland have recently been branded as distinct theme towns, based on books, artists and food. This is an attempt to make them more attractive to visitors and thereby improve their economy. The objective of this research is to establish whether the new identities possessed by the towns have enhanced their development. It is argued, using data reviewing the past decade, that they have all developed, albeit at different rates, in terms of the economy and culture. Moreover, it is maintained that social capital has been enhanced and is a factor whose importance has been under-appreciated by planners and observers of this type of process. The relevance of the new identity to the pre-branding identity is also seen as a factor in successful development and ideas of authenticity and heritage are brought to bear on the relationship.

Disappearing culture? Globalisation and a Canary Island fishing community

This article looks at a Canary Island fishing community, examining its interactions with global processes that are seen as part of a development stretching back to the first Spanish colonisers. The focus is on recent events including tourism, and the article depicts the fishing culture and analyses whether such a thing can be said to be disappearing. It is argued that the indigenous individuals, foreign settlers and tourists involved are all active agents in the globalisation process. Furthermore, the particular type of tourism has specific influences that are broad and deep and impact on the local economy, gender roles, relationships, and attitudes towards the environment and business strategies. The identity of the village is also examined and found to retain its links with fishing. However, some elements of the local culture are certainly disappearing. Although in contrast, other elements have been strengthened by global processes.

Participation and retention in a green tourism certification scheme

ABSTRACT Tourism certification schemes offer a transitional procedure to a more transparent and sustainable tourism product. Engaging current and previous Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) members in Scotland, this research addresses issues of retention affecting progression of sustainable tourism supply. Quantitative analysis tracking GTBS members over three time points reveals 2% growth but conceals significant flux in membership. Retention was calculated at 66%, where business type analysis discloses distinct issues among accommodation providers with 42% departing the scheme. Decline is greatest among B&Bs and guesthouses (−61%), where poor and falling recruitment coincides with very poor retention (33%). Our analysis demonstrates that slow growth in membership is primarily a result of enterprises choosing to leave the scheme, rather than poor recruitment. Questionnaires from past and present GTBS members (n = 109) confirm the importance of personal pro-environmental philosophies and perceived business benefits in attracting members, yet anticipated benefits do not always materialise. The main reasons for leaving the GTBS relate to membership cost and unrealised benefits. Lack of scheme awareness, management, criteria, bureaucracy and time commitment were further departure factors. The paper offers some suggestions to address issues and enhance retention leading to sustainable growth among tourism certification schemes.

Walter Van Beek and Annette Schmidt, editors, African Hosts & their Guests: Cultural Dynamics of Tourism.

unimaginable that a member of one of the smallest ethnic and religious groups would be the country’s chief executive today. For a country a generation away from a deeply entrenched imperial political culture, this is both a real and a symbolic milestone. But given the harsh conditions of life and political tyranny, a third rupture is not unimaginable either, if a happy medium is not found by all concerned. Formerly disenfranchised communities have attained a new sense of self-respect and national dignity, and their leaders are no longer the cat’s paws of the northern elite. No longer neglected, the lowland zone has evidently become a magnet for investment in commercial agriculture, hydrology and the extraction of minerals. Its leaders have become more self-assertive and it is unlikely that they will surrender the gains they have attained. Although it is possible that these changes will expedite the zone’s integration into the nation state, Markakis laments the likely extinction of the precarious pastoralist mode of life without offering an alternative form of development. With an ever growing population, Ethiopia needs to utilize all of its available resources to improve its people’s quality of life, and future political compromises may be less painful and more equitable. Markakis has written a significant, though bloated, book: general readers may find the details overwhelming. There are also numerous inaccuracies and occasional gaffes: contrary to the author’s assertions, Christians and Muslims have coexisted admirably well, the peasantry has been internally segmented, and the revolutionary army was eight times larger than its predecessor. Moreover, the author provides no examples of multi-ethnic empires dominated by core elites that have been transformed into democratic, pluralist societies; nor does he suggest how this can be done. But while some readers of this book will be bewildered, others will be delighted and invigorated: all will find it well worth reading.

Alternative or mainstream? Foreign settlers on a Canary Island

This paper characterises foreign settlers living in a Canary Island fishing settlement as alternative due to their derivation from non-mainstream tourism and difference to the indigenous community. It argues that alternative foreign settlers have specific and profound impacts on the indigenous community because of their propensity to become involved with local people and activities, and it focuses on the business economy and attitudes towards the natural environment. A history of the foreign settler community is given with individuals mentioned illustrating their importance in the development of the destination. The research is based on ethnographic fieldwork, undertaken at various intervals over two decades.

Land Disputes and Development Activity in the Dominican Republic

This chapter will focus on the southeast region of the Dominican Republic, particularly the coastal village of Bayahibe, a fishing community increasingly influenced by tourism, situated next to the Del Este National Park. The central themes will be the land disputes that have arisen, the variety of development initiatives in progress, and the importance of understanding these events in the light of the community’s history, which in turn reflects the distribution of power. These issues, while concentrating on a localized region, have a strong resonance throughout the Dominican Republic (DR) and other Caribbean countries.