The Influence of Cultural

Commodification on Local Culture

in Tourism
Culture is the language, customs, social behaviour, and the intellectual achievement of human
society (Sayer, 2003). Culture is a symbol of human civilisation and the spiritual support on
which we depend for survival. Different regions have nurtured diverse cultures, and these
cultures have also given the region its particularity. Besides, culture can also be a commodity.
For example, it can be written as a story, created into a movie, and applied to stage
performances. Whereas cultural commodification has always been a controversial topic. Some
scholars (Bunten, 2008; Sayer, 2003; Macleod, 2006) criticised that the capitalist economic
system accelerated the commercialisation of culture. Besides, how the value of culture relevant
products is estimated through financial value also encouraged people to ignore the connotation
and authenticity of the culture increasingly. This phenomenon is most apparent in the tourism
industry. It is because tangible and intangible cultures have all become consumable goods, and
these cultural goods are the attractions and motivations of tourist to visit the destination
(Mbaiwa, 2011). However, In the process of packaging culture into commodities, certain
unique features will be amplified in order to stimulate visitors' interests. Existing case studies
(Gertner, 2019; Bunten, 2010) illustrated that such promoting approach would affect the
authenticity of indigenous culture. On the other hand, the selling culture strategy has indeed
brought economic benefits to tourism destinations, which, in turn, promoted the development
and protection of local culture (Rogerson & Visser, 2004). Therefore, what is the impact of the
commodification of culture on native culture will be discussed in this essay.

The author will analyse the issue from the definition of culture commodification. Then evaluate
its influence on culture connotation and authenticity. Thirdly, its impact on the development of
local communities will be discussed; Fourthly, the advantages of cultural commodification in
tourism will be explained; Finally, the author will mention several future research questions
which not discussed in the essay.

First and foremost, the relationship between culture commodification and the tourism industry
should be clarified. Initially, "commodification" is a term that firstly defined in Origins Marxist
Political Theory (Prodnik, 2012). It interpreted commodification as a process in which
objectives without commercial value is endowed with value and sold. In tourism,
local/indigenous cultures including landscape, customs, foods and social norms are
compressed and packaged into commodities and sold to tourists. Whereas in addition to the
tangible tourist souvenirs, the product that tourists indeed consumed is intangible experiences
which gained from the culture (Cole, 2007). Therefore, culture could be comprehended as the
sole of tourism product, which is an abstract experience controlled by subjective consciousness.
Besides, Cultural commercialisation is also the inevitable result of tourism development
(Shepherd, 2002).

Although culture is the primary product in the tourism industry, visitors still unable to
experience all the local culture on a short trip. They can only feel the most prominent part of
the local culture, and this part is also known as the commodified culture and the icon of the
destination (Phillips & Markham, 2016). Hence, these features will be easily remembered by
tourists and will be reinforced in future promotion. While MacCannell (1973) first criticised
the authenticity of the commodified culture. He argued that the commercialisation of culture
for tourism might cause cultural losing meanings to natives. It means that when indigenous
culture is composed and packed for the tourism market, its inherent local cultural identity is
weakened, but the commercial value is strengthened (Mbaiwa, 2011). This reinforcement
undermines the meaning of culture and may generate negative impacts on visitors. According
to Cohen (as cited in Mbaiwa, 2011), it is because the loss of culture connotation has not
affected locals presenting visitors a magnificent, exotic and impressed attractions, related
cultural objects are increasingly decorated to provide visitors with a sense of "authentic".

Two problems could be raised from the above discussion. Firstly, with the development of
tourism, the commoditised culture has lost its original connotation and cultural identity. Taking
cultural tourism, which focuses on allowing tourists experiencing local traditions and engaging
with local culture (Huete-Alcocer, Martínez-Ruiz, & López-Ruiz, 2018), as an example. The
residents who provide tourists cultural experience have gradually changed their attitude toward
culture and its identity. Whether culture is meaningful and valuable has shifted from a historical
perspective to a commercial perspective (Bunten, 2010). Tonnaer (2010) defined cultural
tourism as "sharing culture". He argued that the shared culture was reproduced and valued in
the context of globalisation. Natives present the culture in a way that more appealing to the
tourists so that tourists can "encounter culture". For instance, the Chinese Old Town of Lijiang
is famous for its unique customs and ancient architecture (Bao and Su, 2004). However, since
the development of tourism in 1997, the residents who formerly lived in the town continuously
migrated to the surrounding area (Huang, Zhang, & Desa-Gunung, 2009). The so-called ancient
buildings and customs become specimens that exist only for tourists. Locals enter the town for
work during the day, play their respective roles; bring the money and back to home at night.
Some local guides expressed that it was awkward when they introduce the town to visitors.
The reason is that they felt what tourists experienced were not the original culture of Lijiang,
but the commodities placed on the land (Bao and Su, 2004). Besides, those commoditised
cultures were not only lost its intrinsic value but also became less authentic in the process of
being "real" and "exotic". This point is also the second issue mentioned in the previous
discussion.

According to AUTHENTIC | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary (2019) (2019),

"authentic" means true; real; conforming to the original. However, the culture of tourist
destinations has lost its original meaning. It succumbed to the tastes of visitors because of their
economic interests. Thus, the displayed culture also missed the ability to reflect the authentic
culture (Cohen, 1988). Still, take Old Town of Lijiang as an example, the value of the ancient
town is the culture, customs and living habits that inherit through generations, which means
the core value of the town is people who lied in it. Before the Old Town became famous as a
world heritage site in 1997, the indigenous population was approximately 30,000. While by
the end of 1999, 5001 people had emigrated to the surrounding areas. According to the census,
as of 2005, only 6,000 aboriginals were living in the town (Mo, 2013). The houses initially
used for residence have become hotels, shops, and restaurants operated by immigrants. The
reason for this phenomenon is that the development of tourism has led to a sharp increase in
rents, renting out existing houses will bring considerable economic benefits to the aborigines
(Huang, Zhang, & Desa-Gunung, 2009). Besides, moving to other areas can also avoid
interference from tourists. The migration of original residents also deducted the authenticity of
the culture, since apart from ancient architectures, other culture goods that exhibited and sold
are soulless. The author has visited Old Town
of Lijiang in 2016, whereas the observed
situation was more serious. The streets inside
the town were crowded with shops on both
sides, and it was even difficult to find a shop
operated by a native. The comment of
UNESCO on Lijiang - "The culture of living"
("Old Town of Lijiang", 2019) is particularly
ironic in this situation.
Figure 1 Street crowded with shops
Moreover, scholars (MacCannell, 1973; Butcher, 2001) believed that the cultural
commodification of tourism destinations might limit the urbanisation of local communities.
This is because when a group realised that they are part of the local culture, the members will
regard themselves and their lifestyle as a representative of the culture. Changes like
modernisation may impact the original living conditions, and ultimately influence the
experience of tourists. Therefore, the image and the development of the region has been
suspended in the historic image. Aforementioned Old Town of Lijiang was not affected
because of the migration of the aborigines and the commercialisation of the old town.

Nevertheless, some case studies on Africa have recognised this issue more. Mbaiwa (2011)
addressed two points of this issue in the case study of Goo-Moremi Village in Central
Botswana. Mostly, residents are proud of their traditions and historical background. They
considered that adding modern elements to the area is disrespectful to the ancestors.
Furthermore, modern facilities will destroy the aesthetics of the original culture. The
incompatibility between modern elements and traditional architectures may cause
misunderstandings of local culture and affect the spread and sharing of culture.

Even though cultural commodification may bring considerable adverse effects, its enormous
contribution to the local economy cannot be ignored. The benefits brought by tourism not only
improved the life quality of residents but also support the sustainable development of local
culture. Scholars suggest that tourism can stimulate aboriginal interest in tradition and ancient
culture, thereby reviving cultures and strengthening cultural bonds (Smith, 1989). However,
Picard (as cited in Shepherd, 2002) criticised that culture commercialisation may cause cultural
degradation since locals may be unable to distinguish "sacred" from "profane". In other words,
it is complicated for natives to define what traditions should be not be publicised and what
culture could be commercialised and opened to tourists. The temptation of profit will urge the
local people will encourage local people blindly commodifying all existed cultures, which also
called overdevelopment. The case study of Yaxunah, Yucatan, in Mexico (Ardren, 2018)
proved this. Foodways are mighty approaches for the natives-Mayan to maintain social identity.
While the development of tourism and economic pressure forced local women began to provide
improved "Maya" food for tourists. Such changes affected visitors understanding towards local
culture; the food structure of the natives was influenced as well, which led to the
homogenisation of local culture (Ardren, 2018).
It is undeniable that this situation does exist, while not all of the areas developed by tourism
shared the same situation. The Goo-Moremi Villageas mentioned above is a positive example.
Natives decided to prevent cultural degradation by restricting tourism development (Mbaiwa,
2011). This undoubtedly was the right decision. The benefits of cultural commercialisation are
enormous. Whereas pursuing commercial interests may cause irreversible impacts on local
culture. Although restricting the development of tourism will affect the growth of the local
economy, this strategy can ensure the sustainable development of a culture based on ensuring
the income of residents. This strategy is only an independent case, not suitable for all regions.
Different areas could create a unique plan according to diverse situations.

Overall, this essay briefly analysed the negative and positive impacts of culture
commercialisation in the tourism industry. Although the essay mentioned three disadvantages,
such as the loss of the original meaning and identity of local culture; the being performed
"authentic" culture; the local image is frozen in history. It did not mean that the drawbacks
outweighed the advantages. The development of a region is inseparable from the support of the
economy, which is also the main reason for the development of tourism in many areas. Tourism
has increased employment rates, attracted young people return and work in hometown, and
provided economic support for local culture protection.

Moreover, the development of tourism is a double-edged sword. Although some scholars say
that cultural commodification is a negative product of this process, how to define
commodification, and how to determine that culture has been commoditised is a question worth
further discussion. Shepherd (2002) explored this issue in-depth in his article, while due to the
length limitation, the essay could not discuss it further. Besides, the effects mentioned in the
essay may be relatively shallow. Other more severe issues have not been discussed, such as the
stereotypes caused by cultural commodification, and the pseudo-cultures discussed in the
seventh week (Tiki bars, torch-lighting ceremonies, and fire knife dances in Hawaii). The
author hopes that she could have the chance to discuss these issues in the future.

(1966 words)
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