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SOCIETY AND CULTURE IN TOURISM PERSPECTIVE

Society and Culture
Society is a concept studied under the subject of Sociology. It focuses on people and the way they interact
within a specific group which includes their attitude and behavior. Culture, on the other hand, is a similar
concept with society which observes behavioral patterns, knowledge, belief, moral law, and values acquired
and passed through generations.
Culture can be used to promote tourism usually by way of how it is packaged for selling as an attraction to
tourists seeking a meaningful experience among the society within the destination. Some examples of cultural
factors that may act as tourism attractions are handicrafts, traditions, gastronomy/food and drinks, art and
music, history, etc. This can impact the economic and social development of a destination through the
following:
• Cultural assets or factors of a destination can be used to support sustainable and local development
by using these assets as an industry (cultural industry), which is usually run by locals. These contribute
to social and cultural revitalization.
• Opportunities are presented by the use of cultural assets among various sectors which help encourage
the participation of all people involved leading to gender equality, self-esteem, and social awareness.
Although tourism benefits from what society and culture offer, there are aspects in which tourism can also
affect the culture and society (pertaining to the host community) of a destination, mainly its economic and
social development.
Cultural Heritage
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines cultural heritage as
“the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past
generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations.” The UNESCO
Framework for Cultural Statistics categorized cultural heritage into two (2), namely: tangible cultural heritage
and intangible cultural heritage.
• Tangible Cultural Heritage – These are cultural assets that bear importance to the archeology,
architecture, and science/technology of a specific culture which is preserved for the future. (e.g.,
historic buildings/sites, monuments, artifacts, etc.)
• Intangible Cultural Heritage – These are the practices, representations, knowledge, and skills that are
recognized as part of a community, group, or individual’s cultural heritage. (e.g., traditional festivals,
way of life, traditional crafts, etc.)
Relationship Between Tourists and Local Communities
The nature of both tourist visiting a certain destination and the host population may influence one another.
The interaction between two (2) groups—tourists coming from different countries and different walks of life
and the host population—can have different types of impact to both, especially in the socio-cultural dimension
of tourism. Their coexistence is bound to either be a good influence or something that can create conflict.

SOCIAL/CULTURAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM

POSITIVE IMPACTS
Emotional Well-Being of Residents
This is an impact of tourism that is present during interaction between tourists and residents of a specific
destination. When residents meet tourists who show interest in learning their culture, their sense of emotional
well-being increases since cultural exchange has a significant value to them.

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Cultural Preservation
Culture is considered as an asset used for tourism, so preservation is important for the benefit of future
generations. Traditional art forms and cultural identity can be preserved by passing it to future generations.
Tourism also helps the revitalization of traditional arts and crafts as part of the culture and cultural
understanding that can establish friendships between residents and tourists. Proper implementation of
tourism can help preserve culture regardless of tourism volume.
Education
Experiences that tourism brings help people see things from different perspectives. UNESCO stated that
tourism brings cultural awareness and mutual understanding that help tourists and residents see contrasting
ways of living and doing things. It helps that with this kind of perspective, people are able to appreciate their
own culture and identity better. Tourism also helps people see what’s good or bad in a country and heightens
self-awareness of one’s cultural values, practices, and heritage.
Better Quality of Life
Tourism development in an area can bring several projects to improve the quality of life of the community.
These may come in the form of public services for the use of both tourists and residents. These may include
the provision of higher education, infrastructure, facilities, network satellites, source of electricity, etc.
Empowerment
Every destination has something unique within their culture that can be used as cultural assets for tourists to
enjoy. There are cultural assets that may be provided only by local residents, in which they are given livelihood.
Tourism creates demand for goods and services that only local residents can offer. Their sense of dignity
improves as they feel empowered to make a living on their own, especially women, the poor, and indigenous
people.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS
Stunted Cultural Development
Tourism serves as a catalyst for globalization that it causes native cultures to be forgotten. One of the main
reasons for the loss of native cultural ways is by replacing it with western ways in terms of clothing, food, and
way of living. One good example is when local languages are eroded due to the use of English as the lingua
franca of tourism. Another way of how cultures can be lost or forgotten is through the demonstration effect
where the locals imitate the behavior of foreign tourists by observing their ways.
Commodification of Culture
It is an impact where cultural elements are commercialized for mass consumption of tourists. As tourism
grows, the innate beauty of both the destination and its local community (regarding their values and character)
slowly incurs material value that experiencing it comes with a cost; something that was once genuine and real
becomes unauthentic because of the material objective.
Moral Decadence
Local communities are vulnerable to being exploited by foreign tourists involved in immoral activities and/or
illegal trade such as prostitution, illegal drug trade, human trafficking, etc. This impact is present in
destinations where people are in some sort of desperation to make a living and opt to get involved with illegal
trade, especially when tourist arrivals are at its peak.
Social Divisions
Tourism may cause division among social classes. Migrants that are granted jobs in different sectors to meet
tourism demands are often the targets of insecurity by local residents who think their livelihood is being taken
away. It only gets worse when local agencies are exploiting the marginalized to below minimal standard jobs.
Racism can also be present in areas with different ethnicity.

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Social Displacement
In areas where the tourism industry is continuously growing, outside investors acquire parcels of land to
develop tourism establishments. The locals are forced to sell their ancestral lands which they had for
generations and for traditional livelihoods such as farming. The development of tourism forces them to adapt
to new ways of living and economic activities which they are not accustomed to, thereby leading to the demise
of their culture and tradition.
Community Stress
Tourism is often the cause of stress within the local community due to various activities. Residents feel invaded
by the tourists that it forces them to adjust their ways of life. The reason behind it is that tourists are often
inconsiderate with their behavior as their primary reason for visiting in the first place is to enjoy.
Inconveniences such as long queue lines for public areas, traffic congestion, lack of parking spaces, and
insufficient supplies for main commodities such as water and electricity are some of the main sources of
community stress.
Dependence
Third world communities often see tourism as the ticket to economic growth and stability, which cause them
to rely on livelihoods tourism brings heavily.

TOURISM AS A TOOL FOR SOCIO-CULTURAL GROWTH

Community Response to Tourism Development
There are several groups in a community that have different responses to tourism development within their
area, such as individuals, community groups, business operators, local government, and non-government
organizations, to name a few. One part of the community may be against tourism development, and the other
part might push for it. The consequences tourism brings to a community are highly by chance that making
generalizations about its impact would be difficult for the type of tourism involved and the characteristics of
the community where tourism is developed needs to be specified (Telfer & Sharpley, 2016).
Models of Attitude Towards Tourism
Early studies of attitudes towards tourism concluded that communities have the same attitude. Later
researches, however, suggested otherwise. The discovery was that communities are composed of diverse
personalities that attitudes towards tourism will differ. Some models have been developed by researchers and
professors to express the different responses of community to tourism, such as the following:
• According to George Victor Doxey (1976), the attitudes of local communities towards tourism have a
series of stages, from pure excitement to hostility towards tourists. The final stage is when the
community life is compromised, and tourists are no longer keen on what the destination offers.
• Richard Butler (1975) said that the attitudes and behaviors of different parts of the community
(individual and groups) could be either positive or negative or active or passive.
• Hasan Zafer Dogan (1989), based on his study of European tourists, proposed that the categories of
attitudes range from resistance to adoption of cultures.
• A study by Ap and Crompton (1993) examining interactions between tourists and locals from the same
culture concluded that responses fell into the following strategies: embracement, tolerance,
adjustment, and withdrawal.
• McGehee and Andereck (2004) suggested that the attitude of people towards tourism varies in terms
of what it will cost them and what benefits they will have.
Community Involvement in Sustainable Tourism Development
Part of the objectives of sustainable tourism development is to help improve the quality of life within the local
community, which can be done by enhancing the benefits intended for the local economy, preserving natural

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and man-made resources, and providing a quality experience to visitors. According to Murphy (1985), the
tourism industry can bring social and economic benefits through a community-centric approach in
development compared to a pure business approach, especially when tourism is their primary source of
livelihood.
It is also important to note that partnerships are essential in community-based tourism development. To
develop, promote, and operate a product—in this case, tourism—different organizations and groups must
work together. Instances like these are present particularly in developing countries where they require
external assistance mostly in funding. Community involvement remains as the key element of sustainable
tourism development that helps in poverty reduction and wider development.
Community-Based Tourism
It can be described as a type of tourism that incorporates high levels of community involvement under the
sustainability umbrella. It is considered as the opposite of the larger scale mass tourism, which mostly involves
large corporations. It is developed in local communities by various groups within the community such as small
business owners, entrepreneurs, local associations, and government. It can also be linked to some forms of
indigenous tourism, or “tourism activities in which indigenous people are directly involved either through
control and/or having their culture serve as the essence of the attraction” (Telfer & Sharpley, 2016).
Community-based tourism has several objectives; the first one being that it should be socially sustainable. This
is done by having tourism activities developed and operated mostly by local community members where their
participation is vital. The revenue generated from community-based tourism should go directly to the
community in various ways that will boost the quality of life within the area.
The second objective is to give respect to local culture, heritage, and traditions. It has been proposed that
community-based tourism helps revitalize and reinforce respect towards local culture, heritage, and
traditions. The respect for natural heritage is especially implied when the environment is part of the attraction.
According to a survey conducted by members of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), there are
several concepts of community-based tourism:
• The first concept identifies the expectation of economic gain to fulfill daily needs as the common factor
why community-based tourism started in different areas.
• The second concept is leadership, which refers to the initiative made by an individual, a small group,
or the government to develop community-based tourism.
• The third concept focuses on cultural heritage as an important aspect of community-based tourism,
which serves as the main attraction for tourists.
• The fourth concept highlights natural heritage, including the environment as the key attractions to
tourists.
• The fifth concept links community-based tourism to the growth of employment opportunities
particularly within the sectors of the local population focusing on women, young people, and
indigenous people.
• The last concept is focused on the joint efforts of both corporations and the local community in
tourism development.
References:
Cruz, R.G. (2016). Tourism impacts and sustainability. Manila: Rex Bookstore, Inc.
Intangible cultural heritage. (n.d.). In UNESCO. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/cairo/culture/intangible-cultural-
heritage/ on February 26, 2019
Mason, P. (2017). Geography of tourism: Image, impacts and issues. UK: Goodfellow Publishers.
Sharpley, R., Telfer, D. (2016). Tourism and development in the developing world. UK: Channel View Publications.
Tangible cultural heritage. (n.d.). In UNESCO. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/cairo/culture/tangible-cultural-
heritage/ on February 26, 2019

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