Question I
In general, the author of this paper agrees on Canada’s (2014) view on tourism and the variables that contribute to the creation of conflicts. . To be specific, it was stated that “tourism, just as any other profit-making activity, can become an area for social conflict; the different social sectors involved in this activity not only do not have the same interest, but often present opposing positions; as a result, tourism has opened the door on a new setting for conflict”. What makes this true is the fact that tourism industry involves a lot of opportunity to generate profit. This was the same point that the author of a study published in the European Regional Science Association in 2013. According to the results of the said study, improvements and developments in the tourism industry inevitably leads to the creation of social and cultural conflicts, particularly in the areas that are being developed . The tourism industry is backed by property developers, hotels and resorts owners and managers, and basically anyone who can profit from any tourism-related operations. The truth, however, is that tourism is not the real cause of the conflicts but rather the extremely capitalistic desires of the people behind the tourism-related corporations. Land-grabbing is one of the main issues that Canada (2014) discussed although he termed it as land accumulation. This is what creates all of the conflict. If only tourism-related companies can start incorporating corporate social responsibility in their expansion programs, then a high percentage of the disputes and conflicts would not even be present.
The five conflicts that Canada stated in his paper points to one common variable: profit and land-grabbing. Profit is what motivates all conflict-causing activities that the property developers and pro-corporate and pro-tourism policy makers commit. Without profit, there would not be any conflicts that need to be addressed. The truth is that without using land grabbing tactics, tourism companies would not be able to expand and so they would not be able to generate profits. So, what they are resorting to is politically and ethically wrong moves aimed at driving away the original residents of a target location, especially if it is a prime location that has a huge potential of becoming the next tourism hotspot.
Question II
Introduction
Canada (2014) only shared with us the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the crises that tourism-related activities have created. In reality, there are a lot of unreported and unresolved conflicts out there. This alone should be enough to motivate policy makers both at the local and national government levels to make meaningful steps in resolving the already-occurring conflicts and preventing the occurrence of future ones. Ideally, the community members of a target location, the property developers, and policy makers should be able to work harmoniously towards the continuous development of the target geographical area. Basically, any strategy or intervention that would lead to the creation and maintenance of this ideal scenario would be recommended. To specify, however, the chosen strategies were: 1) introduction of a joint venture scheme between the property developers and the members of the community 2) strict regulations when it comes to land and property ownership 3) enhanced zoning requirements for underdeveloped areas. These three proposed strategies have a common goal and that is to create a working and long lasting solution to the conflicts between the different stakeholders of the tourism industry, regardless of the country.
Discussions
Introduction of a Joint Venture Scheme between the Property Developers and the Members of the Community
A joint venture is basically a partnership that is forged through dialogues and agreements between two entities. In this case, for example, the creation of a joint agreement between the community members and property developers (because interactions involving these two stakeholders appear to be the most common cause of conflicts) can be considered as a form of business partnership. This is the strategy that Child and Weaver (2006) proposed and examined in their paper about marketing hunting and tourism joint ventures in already inhabited areas . A good joint venture proposal, for example, would involve profit sharing among the tourism property developers and an associated that would represent the locales. This way, both of the two stakeholders would be able to take advantage of the benefits of a highly developed and pro-tourism community.
2. Strict Regulations
There may be cases wherein partnerships among warring stakeholders in the tourism industry would simply fail at working together for the community’s common good. In such cases, the role of the local government and of course the justice system as the prime mediator should be reinforced. That is, there must be strict and fair regulations that would protect the rights of both the community members and the property developers, among other stakeholder groups that may be involved in any tourism-related conflict. Commonly, it is the community members who get aggravated and maltreated and this is often because of the lobbying tactics that the rich and can-afford tourism industry elites utilize, all for the sake of profits. This can be seen in a lot of reported cases and studies focusing on investigating how oppressed community members have been and can still become in the midst of the rapid expansion of tourism-related companies, especially the ones that are extremely hungry for profits .
3. Enhanced Zoning Requirements
It can be argued that the real cause of the problems in the tourism industry is the poor urban and rural planning executed by the city planners from the local and state level of government. A competent-enough government is expected to have anticipated the growth and development that various areas under their jurisdiction would experience in the future (i.e. now). Their ability to anticipate those things should have enabled them to prepare for the occurrence of these conflicts . For example, had they anticipated that the inner city areas would grow eventually into a high traffic and prime area, they could have implemented a more appropriate zoning procedure limiting the ability of residential and tourism property developers to accumulate land and property in that area, among other possible examples. However, they basically let the people decide where they wanted to stay. The result was practically an urban jungle with no proper zoning—an environment that is only more prone to conflicts.
Conclusions
In the end, there is only one way to solve the current conflicts and crises and prevent the occurrence of future ones in the tourism industry and it can be summed up in just one phrase: mutually beneficial relationships and cooperation. In today’s scenario, we can see property developers and pro-tourism capitalists driving away the people in their target locations and hogging all the profit-earning opportunities. Unfortunately, their victims are not illiterate enough not to understand what is happening. This basically shows the anatomy of a tourism industry-related crisis. With neither one of both sides willing to yield, these crises can cost them a lot of time, effort, and opportunity. So far, among the three proposed strategies that were discussed, the one that proposes the use of a joint venturing platform for the involved stakeholders in a conflict is the most viable. This is mainly because it eliminates all the possible causes of conflict as it creates a scenario where all stakeholders would benefit from the changes that are being proposed.
References
Canada, E. (2014). Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Algonquin College School of Hospitality and Tourism, 01-12.
Child, B., & Weaver, C. (2006). Marketing hunting and tourism joint ventures in community areas. Participatory Learning and Action, 01-08.
Forstner, K. (2004). "Community ventures and access to markets: The role of intermediaries in marketing rural tourism products. Development Policy Review, 497-514.
Gunduz, E., & Erdem, R. (2013). Is there a conflict between local communities and tourism? Mardin Sample. European Regional Science Association.
Joppe, M. (1996). Sustainable Tourism Development Revisited. Tourism Management.
