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Tourism in developing countries is
like two sides of a coin. On one side, it can play a role of developing engine
for the country's economy, but on the other side, it helps to deteriorate the
country's GINI coefficient, which shows the gap between the poor and rich.
Mainly, there are two themes and questions regarding tourism and its impact on
the country's economy. First is how can the income generated by tourism benefits
the poor, and the other is how we can ensure that tourism does not destroy
traditional culture and ways of life. In this essay, the potential solutions
for these two key questions will be covered.
To begin with, the statement
"tourism doesn't benefit the poor" is half of the truth. In fact,
tourism's impact on the local economy is a controversial topic in Economics. How
tourism-related economy can play a positive role for the poor? Professor Mo
Jonglin, a prominent economist in South Korea, has argued that developing
"local-focused tourism" could benefit the vast majority of
people - of course, including the poor. If a program prioritizes hiring local
people and introducing local goods made by local brands, then a direct benefit
would be expected.
Furthermore, this local-centered
tourism mainly focuses on many stories and cultural resources in local society. In the end, this could be reinvented as a form of tour program that the
market wants. As a result, this encourages stakeholders in the tourism industry to
protect the traditional culture and ways of life. At the same time, many poor
could get a chance to overcome their financial problems by attending tour
programs or working for tour companies.
In sum, I do believe that in the long
term, "local society-focused tourism" could be the answer that
could be an alternative to tourism - it only seeks profits for investors rather
than taking care of the society members who live in the place where the tourism
practices.
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