Philip Feifan Xie

Authenticating Ethnic Tourism: Li Dancers' Perspectives

Authenticity is a negotiated rather than an absolute attribute of tourism phenomena. A large number of stakeholders is involved in the negotiation of authenticity, including the state, the business community, tourists and, in the case of ethnicity, representatives of minority groups. Each of these is likely to hold its own perspectives on authenticity. This presentation focuses upon the latter group and examines the perceptions of tourism and culture of Li dancers who perform for tourists in purpose-built folk villages in the island of Hainan, China. In order to structure perspectives on authenticity, survey responses of Li dancers are arrayed upon five constructs that can be viewed as representing different dimensions of the authentic. These constructs are: commodification versus spontaneity (non-commercialization), cultural evolution versus museumification, economic development versus cultural preservation, ethnic autonomy versus state regulation, and mass tourism development versus sustainable cultural tourism. It is demonstrated that there is tension both within and between each of these constructs. Furthermore, the perspectives of Li dancers on tourism and culture are formulated and reformulated within the context of the perspectives of other stakeholders who may hold different positions related to authenticity.

Managing aboriginal tourism in Hainan, China: government perspectives

Abstract Aboriginal tourism is a developing industry with both national and local implications. This paper provides an overview of the relationship between the state and aboriginal tourism by comparing five dichotomous measures. The types of governmental involvement in tourism are categorised from three perspectives: national, provincial and local. The investigation was undertaken in Hainan Island, China where aboriginal tourism among the Li people has become an important source of economic development. The findings suggest that although governments act as coordinators, planners and regulators in tourism development, tensions are raised when governments at different levels seek to ‘authenticate’ aboriginal culture and transform cultural experiences into a tourism product to be bought and sold. It is concluded that future aboriginal tourism planning should focus upon the issue of aboriginal control of tourism, cultural preservation and participation indecision-making processes.

Developing Ethnic Tourism in a Diaspora Community: The Indonesian Village on Hainan Island, China

This paper explores the complex interplay between ethnic tourism and the Chinese-Indonesians, a diaspora community, on Hainan Island, China. It traces the history of the displacement from Indonesia and the resettlement in Xinglong located on the eastern Hainan. The aim is to describe to what degree and in what ways ethnic tourism is constitutive for the Chinese-Indonesian identity, authenticity and community participation. It focuses on the tensions between the Indonesian Village and the community in terms of the manipulation and the consumption of the diasporic identity. The diasporic identity, perception of authenticity and community involvement in the Village were ascertained in order to understand the concerns of ethnic presentations in the process of tourism development. The findings suggest that the mismanagement of the Indonesian Village can be attributed to short-term profit-taking and disregard of the importance of community involvement.

The “Great Wall” in tourism research – a portrait of Geoff Wall

When McKercher (2008) conducted a citation analysis of tourism scholars, he raised a simple but thought-provoking question: who are the most influential scholars in our field of study? The question gives us reason to reflect on the trajectory of tourism studies, an interdisciplinary and growing field, in recent decades. The identification of the world’s leading scholars in this field has become increasingly instrumental, because it helps us to better understand the evolution and current state of tourism studies from their significant contributions. I am very pleased to introduce Dr Geoff Wall, Professor of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Canada, as one of the top 10 most frequently cited tourism scholars and most influential academics in tourism studies. Dr Wall has published almost 200 journal articles, more than 100 book chapters, and about 20 authored or edited books and monographs. I am also proud that Dr Wall was my dissertation advisor and an important mentor who opened up opportunities that led to my own academic career. Dr Wall was born in Wales and brought up in Kent, UK. As a youngster, the annual family vacations at various seaside resorts in southern England piqued his curiosity about geography and rural landscapes, including aspects of tourism. Dr Wall took a Bachelor of Arts in geography at Leeds University, UK. After completing the undergraduate degree, he earned a Diploma in Education at Cambridge University expecting to be a teacher. However, interest in geography and tourism remained and he eventually decided to work on a Masters degree in Geography at the University of Toronto, Canada. Back in 2000, when I landed my first teaching position as a lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of Toronto, he reminisced about his graduate life working in the basement of Sidney Smith Hall on St George Street. I was told that his initial move to Canada as a graduate student was not planned and the primary motivation was simple – the seemingly generous teaching assistantship for him to be able to conduct research on tourism. His thesis was written in historical geography and explored the evolution of tourism in Muskoka (Wall, 1977), a resort area to the north of Toronto, and this interest eventually resulted in the publication of a book on recreational land use in Canada (Wall & Marsh, 1982) as well as the contribution of a plate in Canada’s national historical atlas (Wall, 1990). Dr Wall pursued his doctoral degree in Geography at Hull University (UK) in 1968 where he developed a comprehensive view of contemporary leisure travel and was ready

The search for vernacular identity: Maratha temples in Maharashtra, India.

The vernacular architectural tradition of Maratha temples in Maharashtra is an unexplored asset for cultural and heritage tourism. Based on a conceptual framework that is embedded in historical circumstances, this paper presents and analyses three major problems that have hampered the tourism potential of Maratha temples: viz. the lack of canonization from governments at various levels; the conflicts and contradictions of Hindu nationalism for promoting identifiable tourist attractions; and lack of infrastructure and investment to bolster the hybrid architectural identity and visual character of Maratha temples. It is suggested that the ambiguities intrinsic to Maratha temple architecture result out of disparate socio-cultural and architectural influences and create ideal circumstances for an authentic vernacular experience.

Reawakening Macanese identity: the impact of Chinese outbound tourism

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper examines the potential role of Chinese outbound tourism as a catalyst of change for the Macanese identity. There is an emerging trend to have a new identity amongst Macanese residents to valorize cultural and heritage assets. By using Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, it proposes that the social media space is built to voice concerns of language, place attachment and induced public participation. The study utilizes a mixed method approach comprising a survey for netizens and content analysis of online discussions, in order to fully understand changes due to Chinese outbound tourism.

Authenticating a heritage hotel: co-creating a new identity

ABSTRACT This study attempts to broaden understandings of co-creation by examining stakeholders who authenticate the meaning of a heritage hotel. It proposes that a heritage hotel is not only defined in terms of the provenance of material and non-material aspects of a culture, but also by subjective criteria as applied by various stakeholders. Using the case study of the Hotel Estoril, the first Western-style casino hotel built in the former Portuguese colony of Macau, it shows that government, community organizations, and residents endeavor to co-create a new identity for adaptive reuse. Under the circumstances, a heritage hotel is characterized by a polyvocality of interpretations, reflective of the array of stakeholders involved.

Motivational determinates of creative tourism: a case study of Albergue art space in Macau

ABSTRACT Creative tourism is a new genre of tourism eliciting active tourist participation in learning and experiences. This study explores tourists’ motivations for participating in creative activities, as well as their perceptions of authenticity following a visit to the Albergue Art Space located in Macau, SAR, China. Empirical results indicate that vernacular heritage, service quality and participatory experience are key determinates for developing creative tourism. Sightseeing, social contact, self-improvement and escape emerge as primary motivations for participating in creative activities. In addition, tourist perceptions of authenticity in the context of creative tourism encompass objective and existential components. This study proposes to incorporate aspects of participatory experience into creative tourism products.

Book Review: The Aborigines of Taiwan: The Puyuma—from Headhunting to the Modern World

There is scant literature on the aborigines of Taiwan and this is the first comprehensive study of the Puyuma, of Austronesian origin who today number only 6,000 in Taiwan. The author, Josiane Cauquelin, is a researcher at the National Center of Scientific Research in France and spent over twenty years investigating this little known aboriginal group. The study focuses on the historical changes in the status and definition of the Puyuma in relation to the central state. The increasing awareness in Taiwan’s history and identity makes this an especially timely book. The book is comprised of nine chapters ranging from the introduction of the Puyuma to the aborigines in Taiwan today. The research setting of the Puyuma is located in Nanwang region. Currently, the Puyuma are settled farmers who inhabit the southeastern province of Taitung, but until the twentieth century they subsisted on horticulture and hunting. Chapter one describes the linguistics and ethnonym of the Puyuma. In the most accurate sense, “Puyuma” designates the group “born of the bamboo” (p. 27), which includes the village that has always been located near present-day Peinan and its territory, the inhabitants and their language. From time to time, the Puyuma use the Taiwanese word huana, literally “savage-barbarian.” Chapter two introduces the geographical location of the Puyuma village and its population. Chapters three through six describe the spiritual beliefs of the Puyuma, the birth and death rituals, family horizons, dual organization, and age-system. Religion is the key element of Puyuma identity and the term birua (spiritual beings) is the manifestation that plays an important role in the whole society. The rituals performed by the Puyuma reflect the conceptions of souls and the soul-searching for the ancestors. The chapters also introduce the existence of the shaman whose rituals deal with precise and immediate problems. Shamans have been invoking the spirit of change “on account of all the upheavals [Puyuma] society has undergone” (p. 58). An Book Rview s