Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Geographers, along with other social scientists, have been concerned with the multiple
interpretations of participation and the need to consider what kind of participation is devel-
oped, as well as to recognise that communities are not homogeneous and local inequalities
can be enhanced with tourism. Therefore control, empowerment, fair distribution and
ownership have been identifi ed as crucial in tourism for development (Scheyvens, 2002). It
has been increasingly recognised that tourism is a hybrid, multidimensional and contradic-
tory phenomenon, that can cause important negative impacts, but that can also potentially
contribute to strengthen communities, their resistances and political infl uence for self-
advancement (Ruiz-Ballesteros and Hernández-Ramírez, 2010). It can enrich communities'
self-esteem, skills and appreciation and conservation of their natural resources and culture
(Scheyvens, 2002).
Finally, it has been acknowledged that the quality of personal relationships made through
tourism also matters (Gibson, 2009), and geographical research on the embodied and
contested relationships between tourists and hosts also reveals issues of social structures and
personal agency in tourism (Hannam, 2006). So by focusing on the complexity and materi-
ality of tourism encounters, ethical concerns can also be further addressed (Gibson, 2010b,
and
Chapter 6
of this volume).
Conclusion
This chapter has explored the complexities and multiple views that exist with regard to
tourism and development, emphasising that there is no single correct approach. In the study
of tourism and development from a geographical perspective, it is important to acknowledge
the contested nature of development and its multiple dimensions, moving beyond mere
economic factors. Tourism has proved to bring more benefi ts for disadvantaged groups at
local levels than at national or regional ones (Sharpley and Telfer, 2002), but must always be
considered in relation to broader issues and processes.
Current concerns for ethical, sustainable, responsible and just tourism have shown the
need to focus attention on both alternative and mass tourism, as both can potentially bring
negative impacts or benefi ts if adequately managed and understood (Scheyvens, 2007a,
2007b). However, it has also been acknowledged that thinking in binary terms about the
impacts of tourism is not adequate and fails to recognise it as a multi-layered and complex
process (Anton Clavé,
Chapter 28;
Brown and Hall, 2008). Mowforth
et al.
have suggested
that, rather than seeking defi nitive answers on how to develop tour ism, we need to constantly
question tourism development in more relative terms, as notions like responsibility, sustain-
ability and ethics are relative values adopted in different ways by different actors, and are
never black or white, but rather exist as a continuum (Mowforth
et al.
, 2008).
Understanding these complexities must not be seen as a stance for less critical research or
for inaction, but rather should motivate us to search for more nuanced understandings and
better options. Tourism is the world's largest industry and keeps growing, especially in the
Third World, and despite its many negative impacts it has proved able to bring benefi ts and
reduce inequalities, in a world where these are actually increasing (Scheyvens, 2002). What
is needed, then, is to continue in the search for ways of including new voices, languages and
knowledge that, despite the lack of certainties, support the crafting of better alternatives for
the future.
