Cross-Cultural Perspectives of Tourism

Prompt

Among the Toraja people of Sulawesi, Indonesia, not all was going well with tourism. In fact, resentment became so great over the way in which sacred funeral ceremonies were being adapted to meet tourists’ needs that in the late 1980s, a number of Toraja communities simply refused to accept tourists. The result is that host communities find culture and traditions under threat from the purchasing power of the tourism industry. Neither are tourists better off from the cultural viewpoint. Instead of getting rich and authentic cultural insights and experiences, tourists get staged authenticity; instead of getting exotic culture, they get kitsch.

Question: Within the context of the narrative presented above, discuss 4 cultural differences (Scollon and Scollon, 1995) that may have prompted the Toraja communities to resist the threats posed by tourism. Your answer must be a minimum of 700 words and maximum of 1000 words.

Any sources using possible

APA style

Reisinger, Y., and Turner, L. W. (2003). Cross-cultural behavior in tourism: concepts and analysis. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann. the book

Answer preview

Based on the narrative, it is stated that the Toraja people of Sulawesi, Indonesia grew their resentment towards tourists. It was caused by the way sacred funeral ceremonies were adapted to meet the needs of the Tourists in the late 1980s. Therefore, the hosting communities perceived tourists as a threat to their culture and traditions. It created unauthentic experiences and kitsch for the tourists. According to Scollon and Scollon, 1995, there are four differences in culture that are believed to have prompted the…

 

(850 words)