Showing papers in "Journal of Cultural Geography in 1992"

Cultural Geography and Chinese Ethnic Tourism

Abstract: Much has been written about the impact of modernization on the non-Western world. A classic debate has typically argued the loss of indigenous cultural traditions to the expansion of modernism. Cultural geography has long emphasized this normative evaluation, betraying an unproblematic approach to the assumptions of 19th-century naturalist social theory. This approach tends to romanticize place-based cultural traditions, condemning them as "residuals of authenticity" to be preserved, marketed, and consumed in a purposefully unmodern form. This study analyzes ethnic tourism development in China's southwest periphery. Here, cultural forces are found interacting with a changing political economy in ways which reveal the dynamic and often very political nature of cultural construction. It more importantly reveals that the cultural politics of tourism development in China necessitate a less idealized and more socially encompassing approach to culture than that generally displayed in geography.

An Introduction to Navajo Sacred Places

Abstract: Navajos of the American Southwest attribute supernatural power to various mountains, buttes, springs, and other distinctive geographic features. This power sanctifies the Dine (People) and can be tapped by initiates, but it is dangerous to non-initiates who approach such sites. Sites are holy to varying degrees; their sanctity derives from association with mythic events and supernatural personages of various degrees of importance. The most sacred places are the four boundary mountains of the cardinal directions. Contemporary desecration of sacred sites by roads, mines, reservoirs, and the like, has caused considerable distress among religious Navajos. Some protective steps are being taken. Thereby blessing extends from mountain ranges roundabout, thereby I shall live in blessing. Mountain Prayer, Navajo Blessing way ceremonial

Tourism in Xinjiang, China

Abstract: This study explores the sociocultural impact of international tourism upon the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR), located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. Xinjiang, with a glorious historical landscape of the Silk Roads and a cultural landscape built by the Uighur and Kazakh ethnic groups, possesses a significant number of potential tourist sites that are distinctive from the rest of China. Theoretical and comparative perspectives on tourism indicate several propositions: tourism is a marketing of culture; tourism causes a reawakening of culture; and tourism allows the preservation of historical sites. The sociocultural impact of international tourism in the XUAR is shown by the destinations of tourists and the tourist activities found in different zones. The central zone of Urumqi and Turpan sees the most tourists. Recent growth is evident in the southern zone of Kashgar, Kucha, and Korla. Gulja, in the north, shows minimal tourist activity. Tourism in both open and closed areas...

Culture and Tourism in Saudi Arabia

Abstract: Until recently, tourism was not a proper Muslim activity. First, most Muslims and Muslim countries are poor. Second, tourism is widely misinterpreted as a waste of precious time that should be spent in pleasing Allah (God). Yet, changes take place as modernization diffuses into Muslim societies, and Saudi Arabia provides a good example. With rapid urbanization and increased per capita income, the attitude of Saudis toward tourism is changing. Although still influenced greatly by Islam, tourism has begun to leave imprints on the cultural landscape.

Maori Culture and Heritage Tourism in New Zealand

Abstract: Heritage tourism is a rapidly growing segment of the domestic and international tourism market in New Zealand. Yet despite the important role that Maori culture plays as a tourism resource relatively little attention has been given to the implications of Maori conceptions of heritage and sacred space for the development of tourism in general, and heritage-oriented travel in particular. This article discusses some of the processes by which Maori heritage may become accessible to travellers. In order to assist in the preservation and promotion of Maoritangatourists and the tourism industry will require greater levels of cultural awareness and sensitivity than presently exists. Educationally-oriented heritage travel may be a mechanism for more appropriate tourism development than what has existed in the past. However, the pace of development must be controlled by the tangala whenua in terms of both location and management if the potential economic and cultural benefits of tourism are to be maximized.

Perceptions of Tourists and Tour Guides in Singapore

Abstract: Significant differences exist between tourists and professional tour guides in their perceptions of place. A survey conducted in Singapore of English-speaking foreign tourists and their local tour guides found this to be the case. Tour guides highlighted the major hotels and attractions, while downplaying less prominent sites and events. Tourists also seek the major attractions, but at the same time want a broader and more complex experience. These differences can be attributed to the roles of tourists as guests and tour guides as culture brokers, and in the behavioral space associated with these roles. Survey results demonstrate the importance of understanding these roles in international and cross-cultural tourism.

Sacred Space and Touristic Development At Jebel Musa (Mt Sinai), Egypt

Abstract: Tourism has affected adversely the spiritual welfare of the Greek Orthodox monks of the Monastery of St. Catherine in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. The monastery occupies what the monks believe is sacred space around Mt. Sinai. They are obliged by tradition to host visitors who for many centuries were mainly pilgrims. Since 1967 increasingly large numbers of secular tourists have replaced pilgrims. Construction of tourist accommodations has violated sacred space around the monastery. Pressures of looking after tourists have reduced the monks' ability to perform religious duties. Recently-considered development plans would increase tourist visitation substantially. This study uses interviews with the monks to evaluate the importance of sacred places and the threat tourism poses to them. It proposes that touristic development in the area should consider the monks' place-related values, impose a ceiling on tourist visitation, and educate tourists on appropriate behavior in this environment.

Tourism and Language In Mexico's Los Cabos

Abstract: The growth of tourism in Baja California's cape region, especially in the coastal towns of Cabo San Lucas and San Josi del Cabo (“Los Cabos” in the jargon of the travel industry), has dramatically transformed the region during the 1970s and 1980s. Field surveys of Los Cabos document the tourist-driven transformation or leisurization of the towns' landscapes and suggest that the region is following a predictable pattern based upon its conformance to normative models. While evidence of the transformation is abundant and varied, language patterns as well as commercial and road signs in the region demonstrate particular utility in revealing the evolution of the towns' hybrid cultural landscapes and the cultural changes associated with tourism. The use of English by tourist industry workers and the presence of signs in English serve as clear indicators of the changes occurring in Los Cabos.

Economic Development On Arizona's Native-American Reservations

Abstract: Many believe that the poverty on most of Arizona's Native- American reservations is the result of incomplete assimilation. This view tends to blame the victims and ignores historical factors and cultural differences. Our study identifies and analyzes these factors and differences that perplex efforts to improve economic conditions on reservations. In particular, there are differences in world views, time orientation, competitiveness, spirituality, family responsibilities, and decision-making processes. Currently, most planning and development models used on reservations are borrowed from the dominant society and do not reflect Native-American values, attitudes, and beliefs. These models will continue to fail, until Native Americans are allowed to control and develop their resources in their own way and in their own time.

Seaside Resort Development in the Dominican Republic

Abstract: Within the informal sector, legitimate services are provided by itinerant and semi-stationary vendors peddling items ranging from traditionally prepared food and beverages to locally manufactured folk handicrafts and souvenirs. In contrast, officious services are often rendered by the ubiquitous guides, money changers, personal secretaries, “beach boys.“ and prostitutes who cruise the streets and pathways of coastal resorts. Undesirable goods, include items made from endangered or exotic marine life forms, natural karst formations, and the sale of illicit if not illegal narcotics and drugs. Formal tourist development lends to manifest itself in three distinct forms: l)self-contained enclaves: 2)semi-insular/interactive enclaves; and 3)integrated domestic-international resorts. The luxury class enclave resort is highly restrictive, tolerating practically no participation by the informal sector. In contrast, the semi-insular resort model promoted by the Dominican government advocates controlled access via s...

Residences of American Novelists

Abstract: Studies of where writers live and write can become a valuable component of literary geography. Data on the residences of 920 modern American novelists, who have published at least one book, and 62 recipients of major critical awards for fiction reveal a moderate cluster in the northeastern United States. New York City has the most writers. As novelists become more famous they tend to prefer New England and avoid the West. In general, places noted for recreation and pleasant climates, as well as remote, isolated areas, hold little attraction for novelists. Possible factors involved in the distribution of where novelists live are their desire to have both a quiet and a stimulating life, availability of writing jobs, and a literary atmosphere. The separation of cultural, political, and publishing activities in different cities, the dispersal of colleges and universities, and America's history of regionalism, probably explain why a national literary center has never developed.

Maintaining Vernacular Architecture On The Mescalero Apache Reservation

Abstract: The Mescalero Apache have experienced a transition in vernacular architecture during two different periods of cultural identity and survival. During the pre-contact period, house forms were adopted and modified to serve the mobile and independent people. Following contact, house forms were imposed on them by the United States government. Today, house forms from both periods may be seen on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Analysis of the Mescalero Apache built environment indicates the significance of vernacular architecture in recreating and sustaining ecological and social relationships, and ultimately, contributing to cultural survival.

Tourist Developers on Koh Samui, Thailand

Abstract: Foreign investment in the tourist industry is usually thought of as the province of international companies. This study examines investment in tourism by expatriate westerners on Koh Samui, an island in southern Thailand. These small entrepreneurs are shown to be marginal, in many respects, to both Thai society and their own. Nevertheless, they enjoy some local acceptance based upon the interests of those in positions of power. The expatriates must direct their efforts to maintaining the favor of local power and this requirement colors their social interactions and business strategies.