Conclusion: Tourism and Development - Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues - page 460

Chapter 7 addresses tourism and socio-cultural development issues and
presents challenges to Western-based development concepts. Many dominant
theories of development have emerged from Western schools of thought and
classifications of the major indices for social and economic development are
therefore also based within a Western or modernisation framework. The
chapter examines four indices of development, including the Quality of Life
Indicator, Human Development Index, Better Life Index and Social Progress
Index, and illustrates the difficulty in measuring social progress. A range of
both positive and negative social and cultural impacts of tourism develop-
ment are examined and it is noted that social changes - including gender
empowerment, family structure and traditional values - are inevitable if
developing nations try to copy Western lifestyles. This chapter raises a num-
ber of interesting questions. How can socio-cultural change associated with
tourism be accurately measured ? Are traditional indices of socio-economic
development of value when examining the socio-cultural changes associated
with tourism ? How can tourism be singled out among many industries in an
age of globalisation to determine its impact on the host's society ? Is it neces-
sary to divorce the assessment of tourism's socio-economic development out-
comes from Western development theories and, if so, what framework
should be used ? How can non-Western cultures best maintain their culture
by as they develop tourism ? How do various groups in the host destination
view socio-cultural change over time ?
Chapter 8 explores cultural heritage, tourism and socio-economic devel-
opment. Heritage tourism is one of the most universal forms of tourism
today with most destinations offering some form of cultural heritage attrac-
tion or product, ranging from ancient buildings and ruins to cultural related
products such as foodways, art, dance and more. Cultural heritage does not
have to be old and the intangible side to cultural heritage is also a significant
component. The chapter explores emerging trends, including scales and
branding, intangible heritage, heritage democratisation, religious tourism and
spiritual travel and heritage trails. Potential development possibilities include
improvements to quality of life, social solidarity, strengthening identity,
community empowerment and economic benefits. In a link to Chapters 4
and 6, questions are asked whether heritage tourism can adopt the strategies
of pro-poor tourism. Sites and artefacts can have multiple meanings for dif-
ferent groups, be covered by international treaties, have a dark past, involve
political disputes, be part of a colonial past, attract thieves and be destina-
tions for pilgrimages and religious tourism. How are cultural attractions con-
served and managed and who has control over how they are developed for
tourism ? How can a destination develop if there is a desire from the tourism
industry for it to remain undeveloped so as to attract tourists ? How can
locals be involved if an international treaty, such as the UNESCO World
Heritage Convention, governs the site ? What will be the impact of climate
change on fragile heritage sites ?