Vglume l, lssue 1

Apnl-l993

For Private Circulation Only

ANew ldentity

Welcome to the first issue o/ Altlktter, EQUATIONS' newpublication. With this, we also enil the publicntion of the

ALTERN ATNE NETWOR K LETTER - / NL in brief - whichwe brought to our renders since early '1986.

As some of you who were with us back then might remember, ANLwas first published following the'1984 Workshop on AlternatiaeTburbm held at Chkng Mai in Thailand. EQUAT/ONS was set

up in'l 9 8 5, par tly as a result of Ch ian g Mai, anil t nk rap onsibili ty

for puhlkhing ANL from its second issue.

Anewpublication signifies a change: in this case,it represents the

changes that haoe taken place at EQUATIONS wer the past year

or so, and those that are planned t'or the next couple of years.

Our role in the past has mainly been as a resource and informtioncentre on Third World tourLsm bsues, focussing on India. An!7: 'n'trt of our wor\ centered around our drcumentationai,. ."r,.!hich prouided the basis for workhops, campuigns,

publicni'ions nnd audio-aisunls, and collnborations with actiuistsand acadenics.

By enrly '199'l , there was a clear sense that ghanges were needed,

giaen thcchanging context of tourbminlndia. We inztitedsome

network partners in April that year to share with us their palues

and aiauts, their assessment and future expectations of us.

This pr trc ess c ontirurcd with the setting up an internal Task F orce

in late 1991 . During the latter part of 'l 992, we uere able to retsicw

the progress in these efforts, anrl arrioed at a number of decLsions

regarding the future.

Starting this year, we will proaide aaried anil multi-t'aceted

Iearning experiences on tourLsm doncerns in lndia. A national

seminar is scheduled for May, to be folluaeil up by a trainingprogramme inDecember.

Alongside, zne will work towards rsetting up a Touism Policy

Group in India, consisting of wdlthrum people t'rofi uriedbackgrounds who would collcctiae$ be in a paition to influencepoltcy.

Wh ile wc u i Il co n t irut e o u r f o cu s o f t ou rism c r it iq u e an d r espo nsfu c

action, ute wiII actiaely seek lhe inttokrement, etpertLse nrulsuyrport of ucademics anrl othcrs concerned utith the issue.

Additionally, communication will be combined with campaignacti<tns. Seuer aI such camlnigns are planned for lhe year, on isx rcs

Iike Tourism and Indigenous People , GoIf Touri^sm, Tourism andStructural Adjustnrcnt, and so on.

Ciuen thnt tourL<nr is an internalional issuc,ute plnn to strengthcnour link utith grou;n u,orkingwith similar ualues,and especiallq

those in South Asia. We shnll do so through the existing,ANTENNA network,and a meetingis plnnned during'1993.

Ohuiously, such changes cannot take plnce without appropriotehunnn and structural re-rtrganising,, and ute hope to hnae n t'antnew fates nt thc officc stnn!

A N Let ter will re.flcct thc new f trus of our efforts , nul int'onn ourreaders of ei,ents ,n,1 flngktpments at EQU,ATIONS md Ltllrcrs

inoofued in tourLqm critique and response . Your contrihutians intlrc form of nrticles , nppeals ,lctters or neus items arc most wclcome ,

Finally, n pcrsorral niote. I hnac cnjoycd being nt the hclnr ol uf fairssince '1985, nnd uill continue tolte assuinted with EQUATIONS.I am sure ottr readers nnd ynrtners aiII continuc to support nnd

enciluoge tryr zuork in the t'uture, in pnrtiarlnr thc le.ndcrship thnt

Sureih prot'idx to this phase.

Paul Gonsalves

lssues

Glimpses of a Culture of dependencyJEREMY SFJBROOK

ftt"rrpu, sikri in Uttar Pradesh is a

lr!'""r oi merancnorrc granoeur. TneI capital of Emperor Akbar in the

16th century, it was abandoned after only14 years and no one quite knows why. ltis an evocative, eerie place; the palacehas a vast red sandstone courtyardsurrounded by high crenellated walls. Allock ol parrots on the Chhatris looks likean eflorescence ol vivid green

vendors of shiny novelties, trinkets andmementoes; the degraded village in theshadow of the majestic ruin is a curiousmetaphor for India. The ruins of acivilisation inhabited by its ownestranged descendants is always apoignant spectacle; in lndia, it is tragic.

Fatehpur Sikri is some 40 kms lrom Agra.At Agra, there is the contemporaryequivalent of the old Mughal capital,

money home to his mother and threeyoung sisters;the stone- masons, whoseancestors built the Red Fort, chippingaway at slabs ol red sandstone in a workol skilled and loving restoration for Rs.60 a day; the young man who is asecurity guard at the Jewel House for Rs.1,000 a month; the cycle-rickshaw menfrom Bihar, Orissa and other parts ofUttar Pradesh, fighting each other atAgra station for the privilege ol drivingtourists and their baggage to*thesheltered luxury of five-star hets' '.rd

the tourists, who may be paying $ r50per night, will haggle over the Rs. 10which the cycle-rickshaw drivers ask:such thin men, prematurely aged, withwasted bodies, the sinews ol their legstaut as they pedal up the slight inclinefrom the station.

Enjoying the super-richThe tourists think they are being braveby travelling in the lragile vehicles,perched on the leatherette horse-shoeand jolted by the potholes in the road.The drivers do not even own theirvehicles: They pay Rs. '15 a day to theowners. some of whom have a fleet of 50or more. There are too many of them,and the work is fiercely competitive;many have no shelter but theirrickshaws; and at night, they can . rnin the unlit side- roads, thdlu'ucidyperched on the crossbar, their leet on thehandlebars, their back resting on theseat.

None of this disturbs the tourists who willfind a 'welcome'spelt out in iasmine andred rose-petals on the lloor ol the lobby.Some will be garlanded with marigoldsand escorted to the Mughal Chambers;for them, a lantasy is being enacted thatmakes Akbar's games ol hide and seekin his palace with women from the harema reality, the use of slaves as pieces ona giant outdoor chess-board as nothing,compared to the self-importance ol theseparties of westerners, who are deckedout in velvet waistcoats, and caps withglittering tinsel designs, kurta and kamiz,or diaphanous gold-edged robes beloreproceeding to their banquets o{ "secretrecipes from the Emperor's kitchen", or"the appropriate complement toJehangir's table".

leaves.

The fretted marble and the tomb- stonesin the mosque are dazzling in thealternoon sun; the rools of the towers arecovered with lichen, while purple andorange bougainville has invaded thecrumbling edge of the city. The dust andgrit swirl in the courtyard, polishing thestone till it shines like glass.

ln the shadow of the abandoned city,visited now only by tourists, a culture ofmendicancy and servility has grown.Children who live in the poor village atthe foot of the palace have acquired theaccomplishment of touching the heartsof visitors by saying, "No mother, no{ather", and to ask lor money in all theprincipal European languages andJapanese. Around lhe monument,

another expensive folly, which suggeststhat histoiy does repeat itself. This is inthe lorm of the Mughal Sheraton Hotel.It, too, is an enclosed fortress, adefensive architecture, a place ofsequestered privilege, and within, itreplicates some of the excesses of theMughal emperors whose name it flaunts.Only this time, the invaders, who must bekept lrom any disturbing contact with thepeople who live here, are tourists, whosesojourns at the lavish hotel is of evenshorter duration than that o{ Akbar atFatehpur Sikri.

In the service of mass tourism, peoplehave come lrom all over India; the sadboy {rom West Bengal, living in a singleslrared room with three others for theprivilege of earning Rs. 500 a month in arestaurant, so that he can send some

The hotel lobby flashee and explodeawith people taking photographs of eachother in their exotic wear. Here are beingstaged memories to last a lifetime, anexperience to cherish, as befits a daywhen they have seen the Taj Mahal;monument to the wife of Shah Jahan.who died giving birth to their 14th Child.They have seen the Red Fort whereShah Jahan was imprisoned by hisgrandson, lrom where he could look outfrom his marble jail inlaid withsemi-precious stones and diamonds,across the Yamuna. lt is only fitting at theend of such a day.to be processed by ahotel chain that bears as its mendaciouslog, 'We Enjoy People', when all theyreally enjoy are the super-rich.

Anl yet, those who must at all costs bef lved from the derelict culture ofdependence, poverty and dust outsideare also, in their way, mendicants, avid{or some new experience, some freshsensation; there is a deep sadness inthem too; perhaps they have beentouched by the melancholy of Akbar, theghost o'f Shah Jahan. Or perhaps theyknow that this kind ol tourism, imposedupon a society where 40 per cent of thepeople are malnourished, whosepurchasing power is too leeble even toregister in the same marketplace inwhich the rich display their prior claimsof their whims over the necessities of thepeople. lt is argued that this kind of travelbrings foreign exchange to the country,and is therefore justifiable, evendesirable.

Understanding the exileYet, in the hotel, the foods, andespecially the drinks, consumed by theguests are imported: Black-Label whisky,Cointreau, Napoleon Brandy; Frenchcui6ine in the restaurants; and, wherelocal produce is used, money is noobiect, which means that the best of it isconsumed here: this distorts the localeconomy and places even basicnourishment out ol the reach of thepeople who live in Agra. The easyspending of tourists raises the price oltransport; it attracts desperate peoplewhose lives have been scarred bycasteism, communalism and monstroussocial injustice; and who have been im-pelled to travel 2,OOO kms to earnsomething to send home thatprecarious and vital remittance that is

lssues

the only thing standing between so manyvillages in India and utter destitution -as rickshaw driver, kitchen boy, or thatpeculiar form of histrionics required by aservitude that lights up tired faces, asthough the arrival of each new strangerwere the culminating experience of ali{etirne.

We have heard recently rnuch abor-rtecological tourism, about not ruining thebeaches and polluting such'unspoilt'corners as remain in the world.But we should perhaps also considerwhat might be the meaning of a tourism,or lorms ol travel, that do not exacerbatesocial iniustice; a kind ol interaction,where the lives of the people are notsimply an adjunct to our own fantasies,but where we begin to understand ourrelationship to them, where they mightbegin to receive rewards commensuratewith the tasks they perlorm. But thatwould mean following them back to theirhutments, the hovels and letid roomswhere they receive the letters with thepictures of their own children whom theyhave not yet seen; it would meanwitnessing the griel of those who labourovertime to pay for a father's medicalexpenses, or to help a sibling throughschool; it would mean understanding theexile from which. unlike the touristswhose fast coaches will taken them tothe airport or the station lirst thing in themorning, there is no going back. t

The Pioneer, B Decemher 1992.

hational Action PlanThe National Action Plan for Tourism formally released by the Minister for CivilAviation and Tourism, Mr. Madhav Rao Scindia on Sth May, 1992, projects theambitious expansion plans for lndian tourism. Following is a summary of this 2O pagedocument.

lncreasing employment opportunltles

Employment opportunities should. be atleast double the present level of 13-14million persons before the turn of thecentury.

Development of Internatlonal tourlsmand optlmlsation of foreign exchangeearnings

Tourism will be so developed that foreignexchange earnings increase fromRs. 2440 crores to Rs. 1O,OOO crores bythe end of the century.

Diversiflcation of the tourism product

Diversification of the tourism productwould continue, particularly in the lield ofleisure, adventure, convention and in-centive tourism.

lncrease in lndia's share In worldtourlsm: One objective would be toincrease lndia's share to 1% within thenext five years, from the present O.4% (oIglobal tourist arrivals).

Accommodatlon: The interest subsidyto all 4-5 star hotels will be discontinued.

Tourism Policy

In special areas and specilieddestinations, the interest subsidy will beincreased lo 5"/" lor 1, 2 and 3 - starhotels to stimulate their growth, as wellas on loans advanced lor construction oJ

new heritage hotels. Heritage hotels willalso receive a capital subsidy of Rs. 5lakhs or 25o/o ol the cost.

Pilgrim tourism: The central govern-ment will earmark an annual sum ofRs. 5.OO crores for this purpose.

Travel Trade: Streamlining andliberalising rules and procedures forrecognising travel agents and touroperators.

(Continued on page 7)

Upcoming Conferences

"TheWorld NoGolf Doy"

At present, about 24,000 golf coursesare operating in lhe world, with furtherlew lhousands under conslruclion orplanned. Which means more than 2.4million heclares of land are assumed lobe occupied with golf courses. (Theavsrage area of one golf course is about100 hectares.)

The largest golf country, U.S.A., hasmore than 13,600 golf courses, morethan a half ol all the golf courses in theworld. Hawaii, California and Florida are

the most crowded slates.

Though Japan is a small and

mountainous country, it is expected to

environmental pollution from runolf ofsilt, pesticides, chemical lertilizer andother toxic chemicals such as soilhardening agents and soil improvingagents, as well as skyrockeling prices lorland and homes, corruplion in localgovernment in adminislrative, repre-se'ntalive and judicial branches, andsocial disruption such as an increase inhomeless persons and incidence ofcrime.

In a world today beset by serious globalenvironmental problems, there is noroom for environmental deslructioncaused for the sake of a mere game.

We, GNAGA, (The Global Network forAnti-Golf Course Action), organized onApril 29, 1992 has begun networkingwith citizens around the world who areopposing golf course development. Andthrough informatlon exchange andnetworking with others abroad, we hopeto be able to slop the development of gollcourses abroad by Japanese companies

In order to raise a world wide publicawardness on golf course issue, wehereby propose lo our friends in thewdrld an international action of "TheWorld No Golf Day"on April29th 1993 ofGNAGA'S anniversary. Each people ofsach lcountry are expecled to makefeel-free actions simultaneously such asopposition campaigns or rallies to thegolf courses, developing companies oradministrative branches, or holdingsymposia and olher meetings on gollcours€ problems.

At the Third World Tourism Forum i iPeople's Plan for the 21st Century, h-eld

in Phuket/Thailand from November 29thto December 4th 1992 and organized bythe Phuket Environmental ProtectionGroup (PEP), the Thai Network onTourism (TNT) and the EcumenicalCoalition on Third World Tourism(ECTWT), the participants conlirmed thedeclaration of the "The World No GolfDay" and agreed to initiate activitiesaccordingly.

One of the proposed actions, whichemerged from the PP21 Third WorldTourism Forum, is by a joint initiative ofSahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM, Friends olthe Earth), the South East Asian branchof lhe Asian Tourism Action Nerwgrl(ANTENNA) and the Global Netwc )rAnti-Golf Course Action (GNAGA) lohold a Workshop on Golf Course andResort Development in the Asia-PacificRegion in Penang, Malaysia, on lheoccasion of the "the World No Golf Day"between April 26-29, 1993.

The first lwo days will be organizedaround exposures, presentation of casesludies and working.group sessions. Theihird day will be reserved for strategydiscussion. The workshop will end withan action day on April 29th 1993, the'World No Golf Day". I

elO

a

have 2,000 golf courses in near future.Escaping from such a heavyconcentration in its own counlry, theJapanese developers are going abroadlo seek for the cheaper land such as

Hawaii, Australia, South East Asia, etc.

Also in olher areas like Europe, Oceania,Pacific islands and Central America, golfcourse conslruclions continue to spread.

Golf course conslruction results inserious problems for the local societynear the sile including destruclicln off orests, f armland and wetlands, and

o e '^g{-"i:"\.

Lcts Make a World Wide Anti-Golf Course Action on 2914193

Wofiing Conftrence onTourism, Culture andDevelopment

|v[ay ?A - 29, 1993, Eguations, Bangalore

One of the initiatives during 1993 at EQUATIONS is anexperimental forum that would bring tqgether a group ofindividuals and organisations who have worked with tourismrelated issues or are con-sidering working with the same. Thepurpose of this workshop is both e(pository and exploratory: anattempt te generate and transmit learnings in tourism through an,t-\action between research lindings and action experiences., -..,icipants will therefore be drawn from activist groups, tourisnrpractitioners, academics, the press, etc.

The expository content would seek to familiarisg participants withexisting and conllicting perspectives on tourism and theirlimitations. These perspectives will be drawn from developmenteconomics, history, anthropology, sociology/ecology andpostmodernism. The divergent perspectives on tourism as aninstrument of development would l'relp us examine tl're protentials

and weaknesses of such strategies as alternative tourisnt,sustainable tourism, etc.

At the exploratory level the programme begine with case studies ofdestination regiors and action groups (both within the industry and

oulside it). It is hoped that the experiences of these case studies willassist in modifying tlreoretical perspectives or even perhaps inreformulating tlrc questiors that theory asl.s.

;7- preative process will be largely through interaction - srructured\;:.i non-structurcd. The pnogramme will therefore be designed so

as to encourage non-structured,exchange between persons ofcommon interesls and so also informal n'reetings between persorrs

across interests. The principles guiding this workshop are :

1. The workqhop would privilege the role of the host in tourism.

2. A creative proaess directed towards examining and changingperceptions.

3. To explore the possibility of generating knowledge through aninteraction between the practice of tourismand its negation, thetext and the field.

4. To offer a forun to generate and debate theoretical perspectiveson tourism and related issues.

5. To offer a forum for a dialogUe betlteen industry, academia,aclivistsandothers interested ih thedevelopments of and withintourism.

For detalls, contach KT Surcsh, EQIIAilONS.

Conference Reports

HUI HO'OKIPA O KAUA'I

Hul Ho'oklpa O Kaua'|, a new non-profit, grassroots organizationhas been formed to provide, for the first tinre on Kaua'i, a unifiedvoice of influence for the NaLive Flawaiian conrmunity in visitorindustry affairs.

Composed of Native l-lawaiian leaden fnrm around the island andfircm representativesegnrents of the l-lawaiian community on Kaua'i,membership is opren to all Native Flawaiian households on Kaua'i as

well as otlrcr supportive island residents.

Mlsslon Staternent (Atlopted 1 Decentber 1992)

We are an organization that has enrerged from Hurricane Iniki toassunre a key role in the rebuilding of Kauai's visitor industry so lhatit is at least nrore responsive to thegoalsof ourl-lawaiiancomnunityand, as a result, the whole of the people and island of Kaua'i. Theguiding principles for our organization sl:nllbe ho' okipa, ho' omaopoyo,

andho'omalca'ikni'.

By ho'okipa we mean a shared respon-sibility to create an autlreuticand hospitable cultural experience for visitors, and we will work todirrectly channel visihrr industry rcvenues into support for ourcommunity's own cultural and educational progmnN. ByIty'omaopolro we mean a conrmitnrent to help our I-lawaiiancommunity rediscover and showcase our cultural heritage, and wewill work to mole responsibly intqgrate the values of our Hawaiianpeople with tl're ntarketing and operation of Kauai's existing visitorfacilities. l3y h o' otnala' ika' i we nean a wi l l ingness to s hare our landand hed tage with visi tors, and we will work to crea te our own visitorfacilities and ventures.

For deta lls, co ntach Kal n P st t erson, I Iu i I' Io' oki p a, O Kau a' i 450 4 Kukul

Sh'et, Naa Pacific llous,e,.Suite - 16, Kapg'a, Ilazoaii 96746, LISA

Starting over:Rebuilding Kauai's visitor industry

Hawaii, February ll.-13, 1993

I{ui l{o'Okipa O Kauai, a new l-Iawaiian group hosied a

conference <ln the rebuilding of Kauai's visitor indu-stry fronr a

native I lawaiian persprective following the devastation ofI{urricane Iniki. Co-spon-rcred by the l-Iawaii EcumenicalCoalition, repr€Eentatives fronr the native l-Iawaiian communityand the visitor industry global tourism activists etc. also

Participated.

Conference Reports

III hirty-eight participants from Thailand,

I the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan,I Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, Japan,

the USA, ltaly, Germany and the UK, tookpart in the Third World Tourism Forum of thePeoples' Plan lor the 21st Century, held atthe Phuket Teachers Training College,November 29 to December 4, 1992. TheForum was organised and hosted by thePhuket Environnrental Protection Group(PEP), the Thai Network on Tourism fl-NT)and the Ecumenical C.oalition on Third World'Iourism (ECT\ /D.

The forum brought together tourismactivists, sonre 'victims' of tourism fromAsian nalions and other concerned peopleto share their situations, vievres and insights,based on personal experiences andcornnon struggles, to expose theconsequences ol tourism, and raise globalawareness and concern through this lorum.Case studies were presented, and issuesrelating to the impacts and causes ol tourismanalysed and discussed. The purposes ofthe {orum were to strengthen the networksol concern, to support popular action atvarious levels, and to initiate a criticaldialogue with policy makers.

On tlre lirst day, we were exposed to thereality of tourism in Phuket, with one groupexamining issues relating to goll course andresort developrnent, and another visitingvarious luxury beach resorts.

The next day, we met with local activists,teachers and a woman caddy, who sharedlirst-hand experiences on the impact ol masstourism on people and the environment ofPhuket. We also heard lrom a villageheadman lrom Koh Samui on the etfect oftourism on his island and marine resources.Their presentations highlighted landencroachment, water resources depletion,problems related to garbage and sewagedisposal, sea turtle extinction, coral andmangrove lorest destruction.

The Phuket StatementPeoples h-orum on the Inrpuct oJ'Iiurisnt,

29th Noventber to 4th December 1992, Thailand

soughtto asserttheir rights, they have lacedharassment, and even repression. Theco-existence ol islands of aflluence in a seaol impoverishnent is an assault on thedignity of hurnan beings, a conrbination olracism, I iniustice and exploitation.

As we close our lorum, we resolve to opposeand act upon touris m's destructive impact onsociety, economy, culture and environment.

We support all initiatives that aim to liberateour peoples from the shackles ol this globalphenomenon, and will endeavour tocmrdinate and integrate these etforts, andcontinue to place tourism on the agenda olother social movements.

Recognising the importance of transbordernetworking, we agree to work with global andregional networks, such as the Ecunen;-e(Coalition on Thiril World Tourism (ECT\ *ithe Global Network on Anti-Goll CourseAction (GNAGA), the Asian Tourism ActionNetwork (ANTENNA), the Thhd WorldTourism European Network OEN) and theNorth American Coordinating Center lorRespons ible Tourism (NACCRT).

We demand that corporate bodies, thetourism trade and related industries stop allexploitative and oppressive practices intourism.

We call upon the United Nations and relatedagencies, and our respective governrnents,to abide by and enforce existing internationalconventions, treaties and agreements,especially as they relate to tourismdevelopment issues. Furthermore, we urgethese bodies to consider the voice o1

communities atlected by tourism in the ThirdWorld, as witnessed by and testilied to brparticipants ol this forum. - '

In particular, we address these concerns tothe World Tourism Organisation, the UNEnvironnental Progranme, the UNDevelopment Programme, the WorldwideFund lor Nature, and intergovernnental andnon-government agencies implementingplans emerging from the Rio Earth Summit.

Finally, we express our solidarity with thegentle and brave people of Thailand in theirstruggle against mass tourism, as well asall dehumanising and undemocraticpractises. Il. The Third Woild Tourism Forum Statement wa6

presented at lhe main forum of the People's Plan torlhe ztst Century, hed al Chulatongkom Univetsily,Bangkok, Thaitand, 6-10 D@nber 1992.

2. The lnternational People's Forum on the lmpact ofTourism was organizad by Phuket EnvionmentalPrctection Grcup (PEP), Thai Network on Tourism

tNT) and the Ecumenicat Coalilion on Thnd WorldTouilsm (ECTWT)

The social effects were seen in theexploitatlon of Chao Lae (Sea People) astourist attractions, the increase olprostitution, and the adoption ol materialisticlilestyles. In addition, big multinationalhotelaus have denied people access tobeaches, public land and even public roads.

In terms of response to the problems createdby tourism in Phuket, the PhuketEnvironmental Protection Group (PEP)works to create awareness and identifypriorities lor urgent action, and calls forinternational support and solidarity.

We were enriched by presentations made byparticipants lrom Malaysia, Philippines,Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Goa, India, Thailand andJapan. Reports were also heard fromexisting networks on tourism such as theThird World Tourism European NetworkOEN), and the Asian Tourism ActionNetwork (ANTENNA).

Conmon issues affecting Asian touristdestinations include the development olluxury goll courses and resorts, tourismprostitution, commercialisation olindigenous cultures, acquisition ol land andother natural resources, violation ol humanrights, insensitive government policies andplans, and the hegernonic role played byinternational multilateral and bilateral aidagencies, including the World Bank and thelnternational Monetary Fund.

We concluded that the local people havebeen left out of the development process,and deprived of their rights. Social andcultural values have been undermined,natural resources depleted, and theenvironment ravaged. While tourism claimsto promote understanding and harmonybetween people and cultures, its presentform does not generally allow a hunranerelationship between tourists and localpeople. The relationship between golfersand caddies is a clear example ofneo-colonia lism.

Tourism has economically benefitted just aminority ol already atfluent people, while themajority ol the population have to suffer theeflects of inllation and the indigrrity of servile,lolrv-paid forms of employment.

We realise that there is a close collusionbetween the real estate developers, thetourism industry, local and nationalgovernments, often including the police andeven the judiciary. When local people have

Jn the se\renti€s a phenomenon called

I mass tourism emerged. It was.trvigonrusly promoted as a source ofhard currency, asurewayof getting foreignexchange to pay the rising external debt ofThird World Countries. It is no secret howthe World Bank and the IMF used thisstrategy in the Philippines and Thailand.

In the eighties the Philippines hit themillionth mark of tourist arrivals, mostly/ :s and during the Aquinoauministntion the very sane'development" plars of the Marcns era

Philippines National Forum

And thus nrass tourism would includehundreds of thousands of military merymainly Americans, who prolice the ocean

lanes and land in porLs like Olongapo andPattaya to restand recreateat theexpenseoflocal women and girls.

Sex tourism is a phenomenon blatantlyunderscoring the North and Southproblems of iniquities

-domination on one

hand and subservience on the other. Afterreaping a windfall fronr cheap labour in tlreThird World, the people of the North comeback for a second round of exploitation -

Conference Reports

"development" projects. One strikingexanrple is thc "aid" faciliaterl try JICA(JaPan IntcrnationaI Co-opreration Agcncy)to convert hundreds of hectares of preriousagricultural land into unproductive golfcours€s for theenjoymentof tlrefore'ign few.

lhis is an cxperience comnlon to the'l hais,Filipinos and Goans.

Displacenrent, dislocatiory shifLs fr<lnttraditional c,conomic activities kt plovidetlrc hurrtanpxrwer ftrr the tourisnlinfrastructures have disrupted lives. 'l'he

incursion of consumerism lus wnlughllravcr. Cultural valucrs have been cnrdcd.And we could go on enumerating an

endless list of socio-crconclnric andetologiorl costs. All these out-weiglrwhatever positivevalues mass tourisnr nraybring.

For furlher lnformation, contact: CST,4/UGuadalupe Bllss, Makatl, Metro Manlla,Philipptnes.

(Continued from page 3)

Destlnations ldentified for lntenslveDevelopment

1. Lakshadweep lslands2. Andaman lslands3. Manali (Solang - Nalah)4. Bekal Beach5. Muttukadu Beach6, Kangra (Pong Dam)

ln addition to these destinations. 9 travelcircuits have been identilied lorconcentrated developnent.

Speclat Tourlsm Areas (STA)

Special Tourism Areas (STA) will be notifiedfor integrated developnrent ol tourismfacilities. A scheme {or giving Assistance forSpecified Tourism Areas (ASTA) will bestarted to provide financial assistance lorequity and other tourism related activities in

(Ererpts fian tlu StAement of tlu Naianal Peoplcs Forum onTburism, Manil4 May 1992)

promoting tourism were curreritly beingimplemented in the nineties.

It is unfortunate that this kind of'dcvelopment' fails to address the basicnceds of our people for iobs, food, housingand a clean environment. The poor and thepowerless get nrore and morc marginalisedbeing nroved and pushed in both urban andrural areas, losing the sea and land, sourc€s

of livelihood, to give way to industrialconrplexes, gol f courses and infrastructuresthat serve big business, the foreign investorsand their clientele.

They are the main beneficiaries of ThirdWorld "development". Together with thelcral elite who can buy their way to powerin Government, the rich and mighty in thetran-snational conglomerates have manypawns to protect and promote theirinterests. One such pawn is the military.

sex tourism. The problenrs of the North are

exported to the South -unresolved

genderconflictt stress fronr lhe rat race of business,

alienation and loneliness; all these aresupposed to be eased by sex tourisln and thenarriage nrarket.

With money as tl'le powerful factor, virtuebecomes meaningless for poverty-strickenpeople of the S<luth. Innate dignity is soldfor a pittance. Persons are degraded and

culture bastardiz.ed.

More culpatrle than tlre local partners inbusiness and govcrnnrent are the tyculnsbehind the tourisnr industry - a verticalintegration of airlines, lrotels, travel agents,

tour guides that siphon out the dollars froma Third World Country.

Also culpable are the founders, theproviders of loans for socalled

such areas.

Understandlng Tourism

AFAILEDQUESTEQUATIONS organisql a two4ay sasion (August 29-30, 1992) tofamiliarise participants with

perspaclives that uplain tourism as a modern phenomenon. C.K. MEEryA, who also attendd,summarises the discussions, led by Alito Siqueira of Goa Uhiversity.

T tt First World family packs its casual cottons, its suntanI lotions and its anti-diarrhoea pills, and gets ready for a two-

week Third World vacation.

It may remain ensconced in a five-star enclave. swimming, golfing

and surfing. Or it may decide to be more intrepid and brave the traffic,the natives and the dubious food.

lf a beach is a beach is a beach, what drives the tourist to reach outfor one half way across the globe?

Adequate answers cannot be found in simplistic categorisations such

as lhose of lhe World Tourism Organisation. According to it, a tourist

is "anyone visiting a country other than his place of residence lormore than 24 hours but less than one year". He travels for four

reasons: for business or pleasure, to go on pilgrimages or to visit

friends and relatives.

Such facile definitions leave several aspects of touristic behaviour

unexplained. For instiance, if people wish to relax on a holiday, why

do they tire themselves out sight-seeing? lf ihey want to experience

a different culture, why do they seek laniliar conrforts? Why are

holiday resorts popular lor business conferences as well?

Sociologists have explored the 2oth century phenomenon of mass

tourism and corne up with lascinating theories. The three main

research traditions in the qualitative sociology of tourism were started

by historian D. J. Boorstin, sociologist Dean MacCannell and

anthropologist Victor Turner.

Boorstin's is an ironic, one-sided critique of the modern mass tourist.

He argues that contemporary tourists thrive on "contrived

attractions"' and do not experience "reality', only "pseudo events'.One can find exanples here, of the tourism departnent staging

"lairs" and "lestivals' for international visitors, or five-star hotels

recreating a village scene.

Boorstin makes a distinction between the 'traveller" of yore -learning and searching for the real, and lhe "tourisf'- a passive

on-looker seeking escape and entertiainment, and observing a

strange environment from the security ol his immediate surroundings(such as luxury hotels, for instance, which replicate atmosphere that

he is used to).

Sociologist Erik Cohen used Boorstin's insight to construct a typology

of tourist roles. He identified four types, categorised according to the

extent to which they tend to lravel within their faniliar "environnentalbubble".

I

The two conventional types aqe the organised mass tourist, who isleast exposed to strangeneqs (thooe in group tours), and theindividual mass tourist, vtrtro tavels on his own and is slighdy morein contact wilh the host surroundings, The explorer and the drifter(the latter corresponds to Boorstin's "baveller') are non+onventionaltypes. Cohen later elaborated on this idea, using MacCannell'sconcept of 'authenticitt'

MacCannell drew a far kinder picture of the modern tourist l, -Boorstin dkt wih his negative caricatlre. He talked of he tourist'squest for authenticity rather than his search for contrived illusions.

Social life constantly reorganises itself in ever-increasing complexity.

The earlier simple division of society into two classes and two sexesis no longer valid. Modernity is thus marked by shucturaldifferentiation which in turn leads to lragmentation, conflict,contradiction, alienation.

ln an attempt to transcend the anxiety caused by fragmentation,modern man searches for a unified experience,

This search for totality lies at the heart of the tourist's wanderlust.

lf the present, whatqver is modern, seems false, then the past, thepre-modern, must be real. ll "hereu (wfrichever societythe tourist lives

in) is lragmented: inauthentic, then "there" (the tourist destination)must be whole, authentic.

Hence the urge to visit.backward' (pre-modern) nations, and the lureof historic ruins, museums (the past) or, on the other hand, scienceparks (the future).

Getting away lrom it all is thus viewed as an imperative rather thanindulgence.

But are all tourists so anxiety+idden? Cohen's later classification is

based on lhe tourisfs level of alienation from his own culture.

The recreationary tourist (the only non-alienated type) is

strongly-centred, merely wants to relax, and is least interested in

broadening his understanding of a foreign culture.

The experiential tourist wants to lind meaning elsewhere and is

curious to see, to know about, the host surroundings, though not tomerge with it.

The experimental tourist is like a hippie, looking for an alternative

centre. He lives and dresses like a native, eats ordinaryfood, travels

by local transport, and obviously, stays on longer than the previous

hrvo types.

The exislential tourist is notonly alienated from his ownculture but has conpletelyshifted his centre. He istransplanted on loreign soil (amissionary a Hare Krishnadevotee). The diversionarylourist is tolally alienated ardhas no centre. He isconstantly shifting, restless,unable to strike rootanywhere.

They are striving, in variousdegrees, lor authenticity.MacCannell draws a;<tinction between "front"

.r "back". Just as peopleput on false fronts in sociallife and hide what isunpleasanl (visitors to ahome see the living room butnot lhe kitchen), the tourist is

only shown lhe front.

Not only is the back hidden,but a f alse brck is often put Thc clichc image of ururists. Thcre is hanlly a catcg(ny of pcoplc nrorc laughcd at tnup. Authenticity is staged ridiculcd. And Truriss are nevcr oursclvcs.

(like pre{aded jeans, ethnicfashion, or the politician's man-of-the-masses image). A reslauranlin a five-slar holel may slage a kitchen, with kababs being grilled in

lront of you, but the actual cleaning of the meat, lhe dirty work, isdone in the real kitchen - lhe back.

The lourist is not fooled. He sees through the staging. Let's say he'" 'ldes to wander through the town or village ard enter houses.'r,,ere loo, people will ar.lomalicitty put up a lronl. Even if he

manages to batter down so rne of their defenses, I here will always beareas he cannot access. The back will be pushed further and lurtherback.

Thus the tourist is on a never-ending journey to authenticity, as itwere. The process may be likened to a secular pilgrimage, if oneuses Turner's work on pilgrims in lhis context.

A religious prccess usually conprides periodic rites of intensification(weekly last, Sunday church seruice) and rites of passage whichmark lile cycles (thread ceremony, entering priest- hmd).

In the rites of passage, the individual goes though three slages.Separation - both spalial and social - lrom his ordinary social group(change in dress, food habits, even name).

Liminalily -crossing

the threshold, of his laniliar vrprld, into a stateof "anti-structure" in which his norm,al role and status are suspended(rich and poor, old and young, are ncrt differeiliated during apilgrimage). He experiences "oqrmunitas", which is a feeling ofoneness with lhe rest ol the group ilrdeqoing the ritual.

Understanding Tourism

Reintegration -- a relurn lotlre communily, oflen with ahigher social slatus,accompanied by greatersocial responsibility (morerespect is given to a haji or aswamy).

The theory suits tourists in anamazingly apt manner. Thereare rites of inlensificalion(weekend holiday, annualvacation) and passage (a

honeymoon trip, a breakbelore taking up a new job).

The vacationer doffs hisformal attire and donsBermudas, keeps odd hours,allows his children lo choosewhere-the family should goand what lhey should eat(role reversa ls,

anli-st ruclure), mingles easilywith fellow-tourists who areperfect strangers (com-

munilas). On re-enlering hiscommunily, his social esleemis increased (narrating

experiences abroad to an admiring audience). And instead ofprasadam, he brings back sowenirs, gifts, pholographs.

Br.rt the tourist never experiences the deep salisf aclion that a pilgrimdoes.

He keeps travelling, keeps yearning for his elusive dream ofauthenticity and tolalily.

He lries lo penetrate lhe front (go where there are no olher tourists,bask on an unlouchEd beach) bul he never knows if he has reachedthe bact.

Tourism, lherelore, becomes a failed quest.

Deccan Herald,6 November 1992

"Hey Pal,Can I take your picture ftrr the people back home?Could you ask your kid to smile please?Sorry what exactly do you mean?Can you say it in English?'Cause we're the.Jet Set - get out ofour way.We got a lot of things to see..."

Joe Jrckson, "Jet set", reprodtrcedby kind pumission of Warner Chqpll music.

T

From Our Networks

Update onGoaGoa ls rarely out oJ news when lt comes to tourism. The pastJew months haue seen a serlesoJ deuelopmentsranglngrt'onropposition lo casinos. lllegal hotel constructlors, Japanese holldag ulllages, golf courses and more.

September 1991 :Goa to be'Speclal Tourlsm Area'"Goa is a very beautiful place and shalldelinitely figure in the list (of Special TourismAreas to be notilied by New Delhi)", UnionTourism Minister Madhavrao Scindia isquoted as saying by students of the DempoCollege Planning Forum. who spoke to him.Deccan Herald September 18, l99l

October 1991 :Feud ltl the Cablnet over Caslnos

Goa Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Wilfred deSouza has favoured the setting up of casinosin Goa "exclusively for foreigners and non-resident Indians to augment foreignexchange reserves" (UNl news agencyOctober 25, 1 991). But Goa Tourism MinisterPandurang Raut said he was opposed to anysuch proposal. Raut opined that Goan lile,which was already westernised " in a wrongdirection" due to tourism would be lurtherworsened with casinos. Gomantak Times,October 31, 1991.

December 1991 :Cidade De Goa Faces Suit

Environmentalist group Goa Foundalionannounces plans to file a writ petition in courtagainst Hotel Cidade de Goa for illegallyconshucting an eight foot high rubble wallaround its property, and thereby blocking allaccess to the beach permanently.

January 1992 :Problem of too many Hotel Protects

Goa is facing no dearth of hotel proiects, andon the contrary the problem is to "somewhatcurb iheir (hoteliers') enthusiasm" in setting

up too many hotel projects, State TourismMinister Pandurang Raut told a recent Delhiconference.

Peat Claims He's a vlctim....

Freddy A. Peat, a suspected loreigner whoclaims to be an Anglo-lndian trapped in astrange case involving the sexual abuse oforphan and other children, writes to the localmedia saying he was falsely blamed andbeaten by police oflicers. He had in lact"cone lo the rescue of suffering kids", heclaimed. Goa Post January lO-16.

Luxury Hotels Battle lor TourlstsWrites Mario Cabral E Sa in 'Blitz'Bombay

"The hotels, the starred ones, began theseason on a jittery and ugly note - with theby now famous North-South divide. TheNorth Goa luxury properties decried inlavishly paid and gigantic ads in the nationalmedia the shortconfngs (which indeed aremany) of the South Goa upstarts. Predictablythe South Goa hoteliers gave a fullthroatedresponse with the redoubtable retired armycaptain Nair, of the Leela Lace legend,leading from the front on behatf of his ownventure in South Goa and his neighboursRannda and Majorda. There was morearsenic than lace in the battle lor the beds(to sell them, that is) but the truce wassornewhat restored when they all realisedthat there were going to be, this )rear, rnoretourists than all the hotels in Goa puttogether and multiplied by three could

fiossibly shelter."

dantzers'Campalgn ln Local PressFrom Blitz again

uHugh! and Colleen Gantzer, the veteranduo, hhve unleashed a campaign in the localpress,i with Lutheran fervour, to convertCroans to their point of view. The High TideUne, they say, is a fraud and it must beignored, and they have been generous intheir pampering of the locals. They also offerfree advice, bythe barrel, all tothe effectthattouris4, the Gantzers'specialised lield andtheir bread and butter for the last fewdecades, is such a good thing there could henothing befter."

Japs Choose Arambol tor HolldayVlllage

Japan has selected Arambol (Pernemtaluka, northern most Croa) as a site lor its'holiday village' project, Chief Minister RaviNaik was otficially quoted as saying. Theydid so after surveying diflerent places inMaharashta, Rajasthan and Coa, he said.

Ban on Beach Partles, Say Cops

North Goa police have decided to ban nightbeach parties conducted along the northGoa coast, especially at Anjuna, by touristswith immediate effect, reports The NavhindTimes (Jan 19). Police said the number ofhouse breaking and theft cases shoot upwhen such parties are organised, while thepeddling ol drugs is also evident. Parti-..cause a public nuisance and disturb peand tranquillity, according to Dy.Superintendent of Police l.D. Shukla.

Call to'Curtall' Low Budget Tourism

Tourismauthorities appear at a loss on howto handle the hordes (sic) ol low-budgettourists entering the State and are making

10

attempts lo limit srjcfi anivals, Goa TourismDevelopnnnt Corporalion then chief V.A.P.Mahaian was quoiled as saying, by Herald(Jaruary 2.) Mr. Mahajan has since begunworking for a luxury hotel in South Goa.

February 1992:Iourlsfs bmplaln of l^ackot Facllltle.s

European toufists visiting Goa haveconplained of a lack of beach-side lacilities,and the 'harassment' by over-persistenthawkers and corrupt policemen, says anewspaper repofl qrcling a prwrammeaired by lhe official All India Radio. DeccanHenld, Hubll, F&ruary 15, 1992.

Konkani poet Manohar Rai Sardessai alsolermed as'repugnant' the idea of welcominge foreigner only for the sake ol his foreign

hange, in the same programme.

'South Europe-. Much LessExpenslve'

Goa has been described in the Swedishmedia thus: "This is not India," explains (sic)a retired Finnish missionary, who has 13years of experience in the East, "this is SorlhEurope, but warmer, friendlier, far moreexolic and much, much lessexpensive. Wee k en de r 23. 2

March 1992 :Protets over Hotel ly'e,arTemple

Reddents from Taleigao (Tiswadi taluka)slaged a large prctest march against a hotelconstruction coning up near a villagetemple. lt was felt the hotel-cum-bar would"destroy the sarctily of lhe temple premises"

"trhind Times March 9, 1992.

ineaders may note the significance of sr.phdevelopments, which efiectively put pajd lolhe tourism lobby's claims that protests ontourism are solely a catholic, middle-classphenornena.)

April1992:lntlux of Kashmlrls

Newspaper reports quote unnarned CrimeBranch officials from the Goa Police sayingthere was a possibility of terrorists beingarTpng Kashniri youth who have "been'flocking to Goa under the pretext of sellingcarpets, American stones, and some similaritems."

May 1992:11,32,4(n fi.m tor Golf Cour*gGovernrnent of Goa invites otfers, ii;t varlouscenlres including Bangalore, from pronnters

(Contirad on pqe l9)

From Our Nelworks

rlistrit.rutet.l panrphlcts toLxrth lrrals as wellas tourists. Rcgistering their protcst dircrtlywith thc foreign tourists thc gJoups soughttlreir hclp to inform thc people atxrut theway the tourism industry works.Tlre activists conducted group intcractirxrswith thc local population to cliscuss thcthrcat facetl by the nrassivc tourismpromotion in Kcrala statc. The gtroups arenow trying to work out a round the ycarcampaign.

I

K C Santlrosh Kurnar(Acliaist in Keraln working t'or ALCOM,Stnlfurch Kumnr :aoas also part of lhe Equations

meating organixd in Kernla)

11

Elephant Size MockeryIn a frce market scricty everything is upfor salc. Orrly moncy matters. Evcrr if thccountry is going thnruglr a carnagg itdesn't matter to the powers that tre inbusiness. lf it is government servants it isthe desire to be in the limclight antl theincremcnt that mattcrs.The ever incrcasing financial lt*scs of tlreGreat Elcphant March'celebrated by thetourism departmcnt of Kcrala has notdeterred the govcmment fromconducting it this year tm. Addc<l to thiswas the thc governmcnt's need to showthe people abroad that all is wcll in thecountry and bring in the tourists. At thattime Bombay was in the grip of violcncea sccond timc. Gujarat was eruptingagain. ln Kerala, an uncasy calm hidconcealed tcnsions in thc pmplc's minds.This cultural mcrckcry has bcrn grring on forthe last 7 years. This ycar the governmcntexpectcd 5(f,1 foreigncrs but lcss than '15()

furned up. The 4<lay ct'lcbrations has c<xtthe govcrnment Rs 14 lakh frtm which itreccivcd Rs 4 lakh by way of returns. Eventourists wondcred at tlrc cxtravagancewhen the country was strappcd for cash.

Raising their warnings against thc cvils offive star tourism and cultural scll<ruts likcthe'elcphant marchcs', environmcntalgroups in Kcrala protested under thebanner of k{,roups, kralam near thevenue. They cxhibiterC pmters describingthe evils of the krurism industry and

Extracts from an open lctter

DearTourist fricnd,Kerala was once rich in natural resources. Cradually due to our short lerm uLsion, the*resourcesdwindlerl. Notothestnleisshortof ebclricity,shortofwater,shortofgrains,shortof uegetnbles, short of all necessities. Our agriculture is stunted. Industial grouth isstagnant. Only the terliary sector is expnnding.

The statc instead of trying lo sokse the social and econonic issues thot haunt the people , nakethe people more luls anil ask then to sing and dnnce to untimely culturnl calls. This is in thename of culture, in the name of touism ! The stnte lies to hide the renl state of the people ltystaging Great Elephant Marches.lt is a ltetraynl of lhe. people and peopb's c.ulture.

The tourism inilustry, as you knuu, has an adwrse impact on our society. lt pollutes not onlyourculturebutalsoourenaironment.Fulher,canyouimaginethecrueltie.sinllicte.don dumltcreatureslike the elephants? In the nnme ol touriw, lhey nre forccd to pnrade under unhealthyconditicms. Pnhnps, if they had the intelligence to ranlt , lhey utouLln't haoe sparei thcs<alled promotzrs of tourism

DearTituistfriend,ue re4uest you lo note the real moliaefuhind lhe GreatElephnntMnrches.Pleas takc pains to explore the real state of our people ond culture. Only thn ,nay rntranscend racial and nalional lnundaries and enter inlo a nan dawn of cioili*tion.K Arouindhaskhan

for ECOGROUPS KERALA, clo Keka Nalure Presenntion Society, Kunnalh MnnaBuildings, Shornur Rd , Thissur - 680 00'l ,Koala .

From our Networks

have not bcen a tourisnr activist.I lowever, I havc becn in the NorthIiast for the past fcrur yearu as a lawyer

rcpresenting a Naga hrrman rightsorganization in a case against the arnredforcex; ftrr cronrnritting atnrcilics in Nagainhabited areas in Marripur. It was duringlhese years that wc noticcd the IndianState's efforts trl "opcn up" lhe Norlh liast,spccially Nagaland and Manipur.'l'hc first step was to relax lhe InnerLinc Ilcgrrlations. Indian citizensreqrrire Inner Line ltermits to visitalnxlsl all tlre. Nolth East States.

Thoe pernrils were to clreck the

inflow of non lribals lo thcse areias

and . to protca-t the indigenctrus

pmplcs frrm econonric exploitationand cultural donrination.'fhere arespccial laws which prohibit thetrarufer of land lo non tribals andconstitutional safeguards to prolectthc socicty and culture.

The' px-'o1'rlc's 1rf Nortl'r F.rst have bcenable to protect tl'reir naturalresourcr.ls frrxn exploilation andsonrc of thc thickcst fore;ts are to be

firund in the North llast. This has

lxu pxrssible partly due to tlu lcgal

and ctln-stitutional safeguards butmostly due to politically powerfullnrovenrcnls for nat ional self- deternrination.'the Indian State has trierl to crush thr:;e

movenlenls by brutal military reprcssionand relentless prsychological warfare. Thehistory of the crrrelty and pain inflicled onthe' pcoplc of North liast try lhc Indianarntetl forcts has slill t<l lre writlen. Nagainlnbitcd areas have bee'n undcr virlualarnry rrrlc (rrr three decades. Alnxxt everypenple living in the Nortl't liast have livedtrndcr nrartial law.

The finst Parliament of Independent India

1:asscd the Arnrcd lrorccs (Special ltowers)Act in 19511.I'his Actallows lheGovernnrentlo dcclarc any part of the North Lrasl as

distrrrhd ft'rr inde'finite periods of limewithotrt a provision of revicw or even a

statuk)ry duty to inform thc Parlianrent.

under army rule.'flrc Indian State l'ns notallowed any real econonric developnrent totake place in the North East as a part of theirdeliberate policy of keeping the area

econonrically backward. This policy has

resulted in the increase in poverty and thebcginning of landlessness among peopleswl'ro have never known hunger.

'flre new generation has grown up withoutknowing their hiskrryor their language. TheIndian State deliberately promotedslereotyped negalive inrages of the NorthEast peoples as head hunters, savages andprimilive peoples. The youth in the NorthEast have often bccome victinr of thispsychological warfare. It is in thisbackground that we must see the latestattenlpt of the Indian State to nopen upn theNorth East to tourism. The Indian State has

not controlled the influx of outsiders intothe North East and in many parts the

indigeneous people have become

minoritiep.

And now the Indian State is trying topronrote tourism. Every part of Naga,Meitei or Mizo culture is being marketed as

a comnrodity. The Governments arepromoting "festivalsn in which the

indigeneous people are toldperform inImphal and Kohima andthese festivals are inauguratcd bythe Chief Ministers and patlrnizedby the Governors. A poster broughtout by Nagaland Department ofTourism states "Conre to Nagaland

- where life ts one long festival".The Tourism Departments are

concentrating on attracting potential

Japanese tourists, and panrphlets are

being specially designed to attractthem.

Japanese businessmen ar€ notwaiting for invitations. They havealrmdy opened a Naga-Japanese

l'rotel in Kohima. They are alsolobbying hard for pernrission-'".construct a war memorialmemory of the ]apanese who died in

the North Ea-st during the Second WorldWar. It is not only theJapanese. Foreign andIndian nedia people are busy producirgglossy books on "tribal culture" with photosof shawls, jewellery, baskets and monoliths

-divorced from their context or meaning.

Most peoples of North East believe thattourism will promote development bygenemting jobs and money. They do notconnect the tourlsm industry withunscrupulous businessmen dreanring offivestar hotels and contractors ca,qting theirevil eyeon the tinrberand natural resources.

The people of North East do not knowtourism can mean the death of their culture

Tourism and Human Rights inNagalandThe Indian State "opens up" the North-East to tourism

NAND]TAHAIGAR

One an area is disturbed the security forces

t4ke over civil administration and theyhavepowers to search, seize, raid, destroyproperty and even murder, In the name ofcounter-insuryency nranoeuvres the IndianStateallowed its amrc'd forces toburnNagavillages and even to bomb Aizwal. This isnot a part of past history but the present.I.arge parts of the i{orth East are even today

't2

and civilization.

From our Networks

ENDANGEREDSPITISpiE, uhi&lrcrettminalrcldioely inlded ofu',being m inna'lir mya, is nmulrcing tlnrnun opatfa'tourisn. Shubendu

Kaushik zrzifes nlnt his impra"{ons ani cur;":nr t'u auillry tlat is raaly t'a' mnssanrlsunqtiot

his sunmer I went on a long andextensive journey in theHimalayas. And different. This was

as close to the ideal of bavel as I have got inmy decade or so of Himalayan visits so far.Which is one of the reasons why I want to tellyou about it.

I was out for two months, moving on footmost ol the time, tucking and bussing sonre' e time, or simply looking around in soneiiiic'6 meadow or village. The annual festivalwas on at the gompa in Lamayuru. Saw thelanas dancing, with the tourists doing theirown kind of dance with still and videocaneras; the lamas vrr:re literally bippingover them in the confusion - no, I am notexaggerating! Got disgusted wilh the touristsand the commercialisation there, so I hurriedon. I intended to cross over into Parbativalley via the Bara Shigri glacier and theSara Umga pass. Changed my plansbecause of bad monsoon weather and madea last ninute decision to go to Spiti instead.So I walked over the Kunzam la into Spiti.Stayed in Spiti for close to a week. Four ofthose days I spent with some lamas at Kigompa, the biggest of five gompas in Spiti.A lestival was on there too, and was itdilferent! No tourists, except lor a package

J^'- that swooped in on a rehearsal, created: -lc for a while. then drove off in a cloud ofdust because they had a schedule to keep.

Around this time | finally ran out of money, soI had to return. During these two months oftanping around, I had not carried a tent ora stove, only a leaky bivouac sack to covermy sleeping bag. I stayed with villagerswheretherewas a village, orwith shepherds,or else out in the open. Food was withvillagers or shepherds wherever possible, orelse the meagre dry rations that I wascarrying.

Harmonising with the villagers cane quiteeasily after the {irst few days of getting usedto down-to-earth, happygoJucky kavel, I

soon developed the confidence to bb able toknock on a door and say, "Hil I'm hungry giveme some {ood", and come out bf thereburping in satisfaction and waving goodbyeto newly made friends. lt was an easy going,matter-ol-fact hospitality that I expgriencedout there, hospitality with a small 'h'i nothing

sentimental or contrived about it. Maybe I

gathered more of it because I was alone andill-equipped, but it was reassuringnonetheless.

Spiti is a valley bracketed between Kinnauron one end and the Kunzam pass andLahaul on the other. A road runs rightthrough the valley, coning from Kinnaur (andSimla) and going over the seasonal Kunzamla to Lahaul and then over the Rohtang la toManali and beyond. The population ol justunder 1O,OOO is essentially Buddhist, exceptfor the government employees in and aroundlGza. Five major gompas, twelve gramsabhas - each representing a cluster ofvillages and a surrealistic mountain desertterrain, not very different lrom neighbouringLadakh and Zanskar.

And $iti is nowhere near being sdf+eliant.It relies on an annual government subddy ofFh 1 crore @ross), beddes what isspent ondate government projcts like roads and theultra-modern hydro-power project (2rnw;0.5mw pre*ntly operational) that s.rppliesyear-round dectricity to all villages in thevalley. The Cenkal government has aseemi ngl y acti ve desert-devel op ment proj ecton in the valley with an expenditure of Fb.'l

crore annually. The pea crop, which $iti isfamous for, is not enough to make the peopleseltreliant and the subsidence cultivation isinadequate. Hardly any handicraftsare madefor sale. Very little wood, and little gass forlivedock.

Unlike Ladakh and Zanskar, Spiti hasremained relatively isolated so lar becauseof being an 'innerline area'. This pastsurmer, Spiti has been thrown wide open tooutsiders and to tourism - it is no longer aninrirerline area. So the mad rush lor yet

another 'newly discovered land' has begun.Spiti is ready for mass- consumption. Thelines I wrote in reaction to my lirst Zanskarvisit nny well be apt {or Spiti soon enough:'fhought uc zoould go far ltom thc m*ldinga'cnod,

Tlnught s<t the mudding ct'Lnud tott.

Thought Zmsknr toas tt'trctu ,lix.,twa'cd'land,

Tlwught s: the mad,ling a'rxurl, too.

While I was in Spiti, I net the SDM at Kazaand expressed my fears to him. I told him thatSpiti oughtto prepare itself for tourism be{orethings got out of hand. The people of Spitishould make sure that il tourism is inevitableas it seenrs to be, its ill-eflects should beminimised, and its good etfects (money, thatis) should not be siphoned off by outsideagencies. Above all, the people of Spitishould be involved in lhe evolution andimplernentation ol any such 'strategy lortourism'. And so on. The SDM shared myconcern and said that if I had any concretesolutions to offer, his administration wouldlend all possible support. So I decided to getin touch with EQUATIONS to work out'something concrete'.

I want to get going on this right away. Theintention is to study the tourism potential ofthe valley and its possible impact onresources, on lifestyles, on the economy andthe ecology. And then to act as a catalyst,among the people and the administration, inevolving and implementing a sound strategyfor handling tourism in the valley. In addition,I want to also examine how Spiti can movetowards self-reliance. and of how it canattempt to step directly into the maturedsophistication of the 'solar era' with aminimum ol messing around in the crude andsimplistic insensitivity of mainstreamindustrial civilisation.

In short, ari open-ended association of sortswith this valley. I intend to collaborateextensively with individuals andorganisations that have the in{ormationknowledge or expertise that I might need asI go along, but I want to work essentiallyalone and in my own way, which is

characterised by down-to-earth informality,by freedom from strict schedules and quite

/=-a\..<Y-Y\\V ^----\ry13

Action Alerts

importanlly, a lreedom from arcountability toary organisation or individual. In thoprocess, I intend to visit the valley in allseasons, walk up and down its trade andtrekking routes, interacl variously wilh lhepeople there, possibly learn the language -

all this in a disorganised ('nonorganisedreads better) way, going essentially by feeland making, breaking or changing plans alwill.

The lunding forthis wort should ideally comein some way from the people of Spitilhemselves, or otherwise f rom an inleresledindividual (or individuals), but not from anyorganisalion or institution. And again, thelunding source orsources will have to rely onmy integrity, for I do not intend lo haveanything lo do with accounls. All this mightsound quite strange, even unreasonable, butthat is how it is.

Now let me make nry motives lransparenl.Firsl the selfish ones. These include theopportunity for extensive travel in Spiti andthe opportunity to make some sustenancemoney out of work that I will ouile obviouslyenjoy. Secondly, I hope to use this exerciselo sort out, evolve and if possible test out myideas on wholesome developnrent. Andthirdly, a deeplelt love f or the mountains andtheir people, a deepfell empalhy with whattheir way of living stands for, and deepleltpain al what is happening to them all over.All lhree sets ol molives are clean andheahhy and perhaps even necessary forsomething worthwhile to emerge out of suchwork. r

Note to our Readers

Ifor those who would like to linnncially orotherwise assist with this project, pleasewrite to Shrlbhendu directlv.

Shubendu Kaushik, C-404, SomviharApartments, R.K. Puram, New Delhi-110022Phone-676957

C)r.rr appcal is:* to suspend tree cuttingand corctructionwork on the ECR hetween Madros andCuddalore until an EnaironmentalImpact Assasment is prepared.* to drop ECR behueen Madras andCuddalore as it is a duplication of NH45.

* to imprwe and widen the existingcoastal road with minilnal tree cuttingand dlsruption of uillages.* to explore the feasihility of an inlo-a .

highway at a distance of '10-40 lo, l', - . )

the coast.

Petitions may be senl to:

I lonourable Chief Minister, Dr Selai lJayahlitha, kcrelariat, Fort St. Ceorge,

Madras 6m 009. His Exccllcncy, LtCovcrnor of Pondichcrry, Sri HarswarupSingh, Raj Nivas, Pondichcrry 505 fi)l

I lonourable Minister ol Enuironment awlForests, Si Kamal Nath, Paryaoaran Bhaoan,

CCO Complex, Ldi Rmrl, Nau Delhi 110 00i.

Mr K Taru Mizu, Prestlent, Asianf)eoelopment Bank, P O Box789,'l(D9 Manila,Philippines.

For more information, write to: lndirt .

National Trusl for Art and Cultuial llei\ l

(INTACI D,14,Church Street, Pondicherry 6b5

0'12, lndia FAX: C[.].914'13 86-2116 I TELw914't3-86-2258.

According to latest reports, the MadrasHigh Court has issued a stay order on the

felling of trees, follouring a utnt petitionfiled by INTACH, the AurmsilleDettelopment Croup and Consumer ActionGroup (CAG), Madras.

On a wayward highw€l/......THE EASTCOASTROAD

A major highway, callcti thc East CcnstRrud (ECR), is bcing built along thc East

Coast from Madras to thc southcrn tip ofIndia at Kanniyakumari, a distancc of about700 km.

Although callcd a road, thc ECR ispractically a new major highway cuttingthrough fragile ccesystcms, villagcs,sometimcs houscs, and disturbing wildlifchabitats. ln many places it is within 5fi) mof thc high-tidc linc and only 2-3 m abovemcan scil ltvcl. Rt'sidcs t ncouragingindustrics with high water dcmands andpolluting potcntial, a busy hig,hway alongan ecologically dcvasta tcri routc is not likclvto cncouragc tourism, which is onc of thcstatctl reas<lns for thc nud.

Thc cntirc strctch is likcly t<l cost morc thanUS $ 2m million. Thc Asian flevt'lopmcntRank is lcnding (t07o <tf thc moncy. Thc rcstis from public firnds. llul is this rmi renlly

necessnry? Atxlut 10-30 km inland, an

almost p,rralltl national highway (NH 45)

alrc.rdy r.xists. This is bcing tviticnccl andupgratlc.l with World &rnk funds.

Thc plans for thc ICII havc not tncnprrblicly cliscusscrl. Nor has it bt'en clcariclIty tllr officials of thc Ministry ofFnvironment and Forcsts, n'ho havc bntntold that an cxisting ro.rtl is jrrst bcirrgimprovcrl anrl widcnctl from 10 to 12 m!

Thc only rcason to prrt this roacl ckxc to thccoast sct'ms to t'rc th,rt cconomically ahdsrxially u'n.rkt'r scctions of srrir.ty will bcaffc.ctt'd. Tht'y arc not infrlrmcd ororganiscd cnorrg,h to protcst and landac<lrrisition will thcrc[<rrt tr chcnpcr.

This is an urgent appcal to internationalcnvironmcntal and othcr pressurc groups.- 'govcrnmcnt of Tanzania has allcratcda sports-field<um-greencry to ShcratonHotels to build a luxtrrious five-star hotel inthc city of Dar-Es-Salaam.

With thc rapitlly expanding population, a

number of ope'n spaccs earmarked asrecrcation spots havc bcen g<ibblcd up bypropcrty devclopcrs. The last rcmainingsports ground is not trcing spared cithcr.

The govcrnmcnt of Tanzania, n'ith a vicu'torcvamp its cconomy has tx'cn invitingforeign invcstmcnt without having a

clcar-cut policy on environmcntal

SAVE

OUR

SPORTS

FIELD

protection. Tixlay, it is the Shcraton,tomorrow it will be five othcr hotclswanting another patch of grecrrerv.

Mormvcr, thcre'arc varit)l-ls opr: n plots clrxeto thc controvcrsial sitc which arc alsoowncd by the govcrnmcnt anc'l can bcallrratcd for thc hote.l-

All c<lnccrncd groups arc renue'stctl torespond and hclp save our sports field.

Petitions may be sent [o: Pres. Ali IlnssnMutinyi, Clo The Stntu I bu*, P. O. llox 9120,Dnr -ES -Salaam, TANZ AN I A.

Appeal received from: Nizar I]. Fazal, P. O.Box 5-l 65, Dnr -Es- Salnnm, TANTANI A.

Action Alerts

I.ATE PRESS

According to latcst rcp()rts, thei'lhnzanian governnrcnt lras g(ntcahcarl arrcl allrrak'd thc sports fitlcl tolvl/s Tantruss Ltd (thc l<rirl Partrrt'rso[ Shcratr>n I krtcl). -llotrgh tlrcrnattcr is still pcndirrg irr court underan intcrirn in junctir>n, Danishcontract<x, M/s. C J Jcnscn hasalroatly tregun construction work.

Rtprrts say that thc Worlcl Bank hasalso joinecl the' project throrrgh thcI'refcrcntial Tlade Agreement Ilankset trp for East and Sotrthern Africancountrics. Othcr partncrs arcThntruss Ltd of Thnzania, OvcrseasI)rivate Invcstment Corporation(Shcraton), USA, C C Jcnscn ofDt'nrnark, lrrdustrializa tion Fund forDcvt.l<ping Countrics (lFU),

f)enrnark, ancl J'cchnrxxport, Iirssia(converting USSR nrilitary rlclrtuntlcr IMF conditionalities).

Do ^t €r 'f -f HE Stc,AlS'lgS 'f HL c-lttL-D "Boycott l,auda Air"

Thus ran somc of thc placardscarrid by dcmonstrators protesti ngagainst a controversial advcrtise-

mcnt that apporrcd in thc airlinc's inflight UP magazinc. Thc adshowed four mcrk postcards. Onc said, "From Thailantl withLove." with a picturc of a young girl in thc nudc. The rcverse ofthc card had four Ccrman tourists boast of Thailand as the landof sin and womcn, referring in particular to a place callctl thcBaby Club.

Reacting to thc ad, the TECST (TaskForce to End Child Sexploitation

in Thailand\, an umbrella organization of 24 non- governmcntand scrial groups working for the rights of women and chilciren,has demandcd an apology to thc Thai peoplc, the withcirawal ofthc Junc cditions of UP and thp publishing of Thai anti-chilclsexploitation laws in thc magazinc. So far, Lauda Air has

withdrawn all June/July crlitions. The f<rur people responsiblefor the ad have also bcen bannccl from entering Thailand. Butdespitc a month of protests, thc Austrian-based chartcr airlinehas failcd to takc responsibility for the picture.

Niki tauda, the airline oh'ncr was qtrol.cd as saving that thcprxtcarcl was thc work of a farnous Austrian cart<xrrrist irr a vcryspreci.rl stylc which thc Austrian people wcrc usctl to. It is

howcvcrclcarthat thcchild isbcingyiqwctl asa svmkrl of Thaitourism. Whilc thc ac'l ust cl kangarcxrs for Ar.rstralia, for Thailanrlit trscd a picturc of a young girl nakccl from thc waist trp.

Thc Tlr.ri govcrnmcnt is to blame too for not putting in cnoughcfforts to curb tlrc gorvth of chilcl prrxtitutiorr ancl allowing thisto btromc part of thc natiotral irnage. According to a surveyc(nducted this year by the Foundation t'or Children, therc areroughly two million prostitutes in Thailand,600,(X)0 of which arcr

undcr 1 8.

This is not the first timc that the tourism industry has promoterc'l

child scxploitation in Asia. There are many similar cases inEurope, according to TECST. In Switzerland alonc, l0 airtickctagencies promoting chilcl scx tours has trecn lcr-atcd folkrwingwhich all 10 agencics cl<xcd down.

Mc.anwhile, the TECST has callccl for a boycott on tlrc airlinc andclcmandcd that lcgal action bc takcn up.

It is impcrative that the Thai governmcnt tnake it clear kr theworld that it is not thc country's policy to use scx tours to attracttourists. Otherwise Thailand will continue to trc vicwecl as thcworld's brothcl.

The Economic effects of Tourism in Goa(with a Micro-Study on Emfloyment In the hotel sector)

by Harm Zebregs,Catholic University of Tilburg, Holland.September 1991. PhD Thesis 54 pD + dppendices

By G Martn

I.ocal politicians like Churchill Ale'nrao

have stated, for the record, that tourisnrprovide; jotx to may[x-'a few lakh people inCoa. Orrr pcnrly-educatcd youtlt lcxrk to

thissectorwith lxrpc. YOt, even todayIuxurylxrlels ad vertise frrr conl ractcd c'nrployeeri

who will carn L'rarcly lts. 3tt0 per nronth forthret yrrrs on'apprenticesltips'.

Jolrti have beren a major bait while justifyingthe irrational growth of tourism and luxuryl'urtels in Goa. Still, few worry to look at the

type of john or the salaries lr>urisnr offers, ortorrlisnt's negative inrpnql on existingoccupali()n-s. Zcbrcgs, a young Dutchrcscalcher, laker on sonrc srrch issucs even

if not qrrite getting l<l tlte bcrne of the issue.

Reing an acadcmig his work is naturallyentanglcrl in nruclt economics-relaledtccllnicalitie's. Ilut even if clcar<ut answersare nol openly visilrlc', his wrlrk gives sonler.rscful malcrial and clues to unravcllingCoa's lourisnr enignra.

Zcbrcgs work nrainly z.eroes inon the'large'versus 'surall' hotels issrre. For sonleonecrrnring flonr tlrc leisurc-oriented societies

o[ liur'ope, this issue ruay lrc crucial. [:or, iflrolidays ale an unquestionable nced for alarge scction of tlte [npulace, lhen one

sinrply must work out tl'rc bcst tourismoption.

But for Goa, or any post<olonial ThirdWodd srciety, the more vital question mayindeed [re: slrould tourism at all be givensonurch priorily vis a vis other sectors?

Wc rnrrst raise ntorc fundanrental issues. Is

earning foreign exchange going to fillhrrngry slonlachs? Is it ntoral for theCovcrnmenl lo sulnidise the rich ntan'slullidays, undcr whalever cxcuse? Whatnceris of thc pcoplc should be given firstpriority?

Dcspite this, I'larrrr's study brings out somerrscful facts.

For in-stance, he reveals that Goa has the

highcst foreign cxchange earnings per

capita of all Indian States. But these earningsacrnte not to the Slate treasury, but are

rcdistributed to all States after beinglran-sferrcd to the Centre.

Residcs, its 'snull ecnnonric base' makes

Goa bring in substantial of ils tourism sectorinputs fiom other States. Thus, an importantpart of tourism generated income will notaccrue to Goa, but to other states or evenfoleign countries.

Zcbregs reports that caste and socialbackground (or class) strongly influenceonc's career possibilities. Even in the

srrpposed ly nrodern tourism sector. Despitea reluctance try sonre respondents to talk oflheir casle, he notes that a 'low' caste birthnrakes entry into a hotel executives ranksnot possible.

Of late, this 'glass<eiling' seems to beincreasingly taking ory unfortunately, a

regiornl sl'rape too. In large hotels quite.alarge proportion (40%)of people fronr States

other than Goa occupy managerialpt'rsitions.

Unskillcd workers in large hotels earn anaverage of Rs. 645 per month, and just Rs.

436 in small hotels on average, Zebrqscirlculates. Many snall hotels studies hadowners previously employed in the Gulf,who saved enough to start a small business.

One useful contribution of Zebregs to tl'reCoa debate is on tourism's econonicbcnefits to Goa. Considered a highly'tecl'rnical'sutrjert, few dare to touch it.

Ilut tl'ris work makes tlre point that twoearlier Governnlent- spronsored studies, bythe IIPO (lndian In-stitule of Public OpinioryNew Delhi 1987) and the Tata '1975-76

reporls ovenimplify, and exaggerate, theplus sides of klurism.

Note, for instanc€, the way the Tata studyworks out employment created. For everyRs. 1O000 of gross earnirgs per year inrestaurahts and bars fields, one job is

estimatd tohcreatd.

Then, the total (estimated) expenditure oftourists on food and drinks is taken. Thisfigure itself is not an actual, please n-'r.later this estin'tate is multiplied by .. tabove estimated ratio. And, this is the

number of jobe we are supposed to have.

Pro-tourism lobbylsts, above all officialones, have hardly bothered to check the

actual number of jobs existing, and the

terms offered. We prefer to bluff ourselveswith estimated estimates.

It is also significant that the foreignexchange earnings of tourism in Goa are

only estimates again. Does this foreignexchange really reach government coffers?

In fact, the Govemnrent admit.s it has nofigures to accr)unt for this.

Costs for promoting tourism are also

nowhere taken into account. For exaq ' \expenses made for the tourists but pait ,.1by the local population in terms ofenvironmental pollutiory maintenancecosts for tourist attractions andinfrastructure.

Zebrrys study, even if it enrphasises is-sues

which may really be not so important in the

Goa context, reopens nany an importantsubject linked to the whole tourisn debate

herc. I

Weekenda', Goa.

76

Beyond the Maek, Toward a transdieciplinary Approach of Intended f<rr the upper primary level, the primary kit, "Our l,acificSelected Social Probleme related to the Evolution and Context of Neighbours" which focusses on thc Pacific island c<runtries, acts as

International tourism in Thailand. Waltcr Mryer, Seial Scbnce an intr<xlucti<rn to tourisrn. The secondary kit, "Misgufuleil Tours"

Studbs on International Problems, Band 134, Verlag'breitenbach examines the impact of tourism on developing countrics with a

Publkhers, Memeler Strass 50, 600 Saarbruecl<en, Germany, frrus on srrial, culttrral and cnvironmental issues. An adult kit,1988,533 pp. titlcd, "Goirg lhe Extra Mila" has alsobern pr<xluccc.A study of international totrrism sct within its larger context inThailand, this brnk aims at broadening the view on tourism- relatedproblems in order to show the interrelations that exist betweenvarious elements of the tourist system and general developmentswithin host and guest countries.

Selg Money and Morali$r: Prostitution and Tourism in SoutlreastAsia, Thanh -DamTruon g, ZED Bools LttI ., 57 Caledon ian Razd, London,

1990,227 pp

Contributing to thc on6oing debate on prostitution, this b<xrk

focuses on thc factors underlying thc phenomenon, its'rlsformation and convergence with one maior industry, thc

international tourist indushy. Breaking away from thc commonconccption of prostitution as promiscuity and crimc, thc studyformulates thc problematic of prostitution froln the anglc of thcpolitical economy of women's labour and scxuality.

The Tourist Gaze, Leisure and Travel in Contemporary Socielies,

lohn Urry, Sage Publications Ltd.,28 Banner Street, Lonilon ECIY 8QE,

1990,'176 pp.

Outlining thc dcvelopment of, and historical transformation in, the

tourist gaze, thc author elaborates on the prrcesres by which the

gaze is constructed and reinforced, who or what authoriscs it, and

what its conscquences are for the placcs which are its object, and

how it interrclatcs vr'ith a varicty of other scrial practices.

Sustainable Tourism Newsletter Eco lnstituk of Cosla Rica, Aylo8080 11 0N, San lo*, Costa Rica, triannual, 4pp

Launchcd in May 7992, the Sustainable. lourism newsletter scts out toshape a new tourism order that fits with world concern about the

-r'.:rzi1enrnon, and cultural rights. WorkinB towards thc crcation of a

,tainablc Ttrurism Profile for Central America, thc Ncwslettcrcovers all ma jor rcgional developments besides promoting the workof the Sustainablc Tourism Initiatives (STI) at the Eco Institute

Beyond the Green Horizon - Principles for Sustainable tourism,ed, Shirley Ebrs, WWF UK, Panila lloux, Weyside Park, Ctf,alming,

Surry CLIT IXR,'1992,'I -54

Beyond thc Crecn Horizon aims to provide a tool f<rr discussion

about tourism, the environment and development. Thc first section,

aimed primarily at the tourism industry, scts out principles for sus-

tainablc tourism development while the case studics which followhighlights various attempts to put such principlcs into practice.

TDE-DOC Spcial issue, ECTWT,':P.O. Box 24 Choral<hebua, Bangkok

10230, Thailnnd, N ooember 1992, 1 -53

This special issue on Resort anil Golf Cour* Deoelopmmt includes

statements on the environmental, srrioetonomic and politicalimplications of the golfing busincss by both golf promoters andcritics as well as a selection of materials on Japan, Hawaii and

Southeast Asian Countries.

One World Teaching Kits 1992 Australian Catholic RelieflAustralian

Co un c i I o f Ch u rches, 37 9 Ken I S treet, Sydney 2(N0.

Asian Consultalion on Tourism and Aboriginal Peoples,Comnrunity Control, Cultural Dignity & Economic Value erl,

Yaonne Lin Mei- jung,lluadong Community Deuelopnwnt Cenlre, #7,

I Isiang 87,Tie llua Street,Taidong95008 Taiwan, (089) 327-754,1-134Rccording the prcrecrlings of the consultation hcld in Taiwan inNovember 1989, this collection includes articlcs on alternativcs tocommcrcializcd tourism and a statement on tcnrrism fr<lm the 19t19

Darwin International Indigenous Peoplcs Seminar. Wth Countryrcports from Taiwan, Fiji, I-Iawaii,Japan, I'hilippincs and Tlrailand,thc thcme ccnters around what an ab<rrig,inal community can clo tomanagc the tourist industry in order to lcssen the destrrrctiveinfluencc tourism brings kr thcir scx'iety ancl culture as wcll as tocnsure that thc cconomic lxrncfits accrue to thcm.

E-pty nreeting grounds, The tourist papers Dean Mnc Cannell,

Routledge,ll Ne:lu Fetter Lane,London EC 4P 4EE,'1992,'l-346.This trxrk e'xa mincs sornc of thc ncw ctrltural fornrs and c<lrnnrunityarrangeincnts that accompany thc dcvelopmcnt of global tourisnr.In particular, it examines the new stagings of 'primitivism' fortourists antl the totemism of the pmtmoderrrite. The thcsis of thcb<nk is that human kind has alrcacly arrived at thc historicalmomcnt of thc invcntion of a new kind of commurrity, but we arenot capatrlc <lf facing the implications of our collective invention.Written in the spirit of thcoretical activisrn, theauthor lras takcn carc

to grouncl his theoretical cliscussion in practical examplcs.

Children in Prostitution, Victinrs of Tourism in Asia ed., Ron

O' G rrul y, ECP T, P.O. Box 1 7 8, Klong{han, Ilangkok 1 0240, Thai ln n d,'t992,'t-62.

This report of the International Confcrence organisctl try ECI'ATcontains some of the majtr spcechcs krgether with the confercncestatcment and a summary of the ECPAT activities in sorne Asianccruntries. Examining some of thc challcnges and stratc.gics foraction in rclation to the t<rurism industry and child prostitutitn, thisc<ilection uncovers the cxtcnt to which childrcn havc been s<id,ab<luctecl, cnslaved and sexually abused all over Asia.

The Itepercussions of Luxury tourism in Goa, India /. Lobo,

Mi rii th u P ubl ish in g I I o use, Ban gnlore, I n d in, 1 99 "1, 1 -7 3 .

Intendcd to compliment an earlier study byMcnezes and Lotxr trn" Luxury llench-ResortTburism in Cm: The Dark sfule ol Darclopme,nt and

Crowth", this report evaluatcs the dccper structural dimen- sions ofthegoan tourism indush/s 'development orientation'and it's linkswith 'world capitalist development'. The author clcarly illustratesthe irregularities within the hotel and travel trade and its

I- envircm mental, srrio-;xrli tical repcrctrssions.

About Equatlons

Meetings organised byEquations

29 -30 August 1992

A two-day ses-sit)n examining the

theclretical perspcrtives on tourisnr washeld for a small group corsisting ofEQUAI-IONS staff and troard, and a fewfi'iends from Karnataka. Led by AlitoSiqrreira of Goa University, the discussionsoffe'r'ed insights on lhe tourisnt industry,will.r scrio- antlrolmlogical inputs. C KMccrra's arlicle based on this nrectingappears elsewhere in this issue of ANLetter.

26 - 27 September 1992

A trvo-day cunfcrcnce on "lourismDevelclpnrent in Kerala. Its Implicationswas oryanised in lrichur byIIQUATIONS togetlrcr with PraihikaranaSangl'ranr, Sahyadri, Prathikarana Vcdhiand INFACI'(all actiongroups in Kerala).

llestrlting fnrm the merlin& a coordinationconrurittcr: has bcen set up with the KeralaNature Prcservalion Clrrlr steering thedistrict lcvel cornmittee at Ti'ichur.l)re'senlalittrts were made by ProfCangadharan, Srrjatha Devi, Mohankuntar,Paul Consalves, K K Vijayan, RolandMartin-s and othes.

A set of posters produced by DhanarajKeczhara, especially comnrissioned ftrr theKcrala meeting, wcre displ2ys6 at theworkshop venue, and later nrade availablefor a state-wide travelling exhitrition.

10, 16 October 1992

NGOs, churchr:s, acadenrics and nassmedia were represented at two meetingsespecially organiserJ to discuss currentsro-ial issues in India, in an historicalc()nlcxl, as a background lo llle prcpamtionof an "lnditr I'rofile" for the Catholiclnstitr.rtefor lnlt:r'nirlional l{elations (CIIR), lrascd inLondon. I'.rul Corualv(s was invited lotlraft tlrc 'prrrfile' by the Scottish GtholicInternational Aid Frrnd (SCIAF), on trehalfof CllR.

30-31 )anuary 1993

Ameeting was hcld at EQUATIONS to lookat the design, metlndolcgy and scope of theNatiorual liaining Programnte, resulting inplans for a Working Conference in May193, and the Main Event scheduled forDecember this year. Morc informationelse'where in this issue.

16 February 1993

A half-day mceting .was organised todisctrss lhe issue of Child Prostitution andits links with the tourism industry.Participants from backgrounds such as

psychia t r y, state social welfare institutions,the legal profcssiory social work andjournalism nret wilh EQUATIONS staff andnetwork partners to review thepsycho-social and legal dimension-s of ChildPlostituticln.

Visits of Network / FundingPartners

llon O'Grady fiom ECPAT @nd ChildProstitition in Asian Tourisnr, NewTealand), visited EQUATIONS to exploreavenues of setting up an ECPATlndiagroup. ECPAT has committees in 15

counlries.

Raincr Kruse from Bread for the World,Cernrany, met withstaff and menrbersof theRoard to discuss IQUATIONS prsrentactivities and future strategicrs.

Judith Lim from YMCA, Solq Indonesia, a

nrc'nrber of the ANTENNA Southeast Asiabranch, visited EQUAflONS to discuss thepossibility of organising a trainingprogmmme for Indonesian tourismactivists, in collaboration withEQUAIONS and the Thai Network onTirurisnr.

Dr Ulrich Dorntreqg, fTom MISEREOR, theGernran Calholic Church's centre fordevelopment cooperation, visitedIIQUAION$ for discussions on theproposed national training prqyanrme.Ulrich, in his earlier capacity at the AsianCul tural Forum on Development (ACFOD),llangkok, was a resource pemonat the Asian

Tourism Activist training programme inMarch 1991.

C-atherine Schumperli, a member of the

French section of the BerneDeclaration,Switzerland, visited us to dlscuss theirplans to do a programme on Tllird Worldtourism during 1993.

The BBC World Service is featuringEQUATIONS in a half-hour programmeontourism and technology in India. K TSuresh and Paul Gonsalves wereinterviewed by Dr Stephen Hedges, seniorproducer.

Jueqgen Hammelehle, Information Offi -:'{Bread for the World, Stuttgart, gave J.

brief visit, together with Christine Pluess ofthe Swiss group, Arbeitskreis Tourismusund Entwicklung (AkTE). Juergen wasformerly on the staff of ZEB, our networkpartner in Germany, and both ZEB andAkTE are active members of TEN the ThirdWorld Tourism European Network. Apartfnom general discussions on the wolk ofEQUATIONS, Christine also updated us onthe Swiss campaign against , ChildProstitution. She expressed a keen interestin the Tourism and Child Prostitution studyconducted by EQUATIONS.

Hilary Blume, fron Charities AdvisoryTrust, discussed the proposal to establish a

"Green Hotels" project in India. Set on thelines of an alternative tourisnr-rele

'

facility, the project wouldincomegenerating. She was acconrpaniedby H Ranjeet of KOLAM, an alternative touroperator based in Madras.

Research students

Wendelin Kuepers, from the University ofWtten-Herdicke in Germany, spent abouttwo n'ronths at EQUAflONS consulting ourlibrary and for discussion-s on his researchon tourism in India and perceptions of it.s

implications . He took part in the facultymeeting held at the end of January, andvlsited Kerala together witl'r Suresh andDhanaral during tlre Theyyam festivities atKannur District.

Christian Stock, a student from the Social

Geography department of Freiborg

t8

University, is doing research on ffirdWorld Tourism as part of his graduatestudies. He visitcd EQUATIONS on several

occasions to refer to our dcrumentation,and to discuss thc scope of a pcsible futurefield study in South India.

Other Visitors

A group of Sri Lankans representing a

variety of NGOs in their country were inIndia as part of an expoeure visit. Adiscussion on EQUATIONS was lcd by Paul

and Suresh, at thc invitation of the IndianSocial Institutc, Bangalore. (14 September1e92\

Two groups of students of Friends WorldProgramme, an international proglamme,visited EQUATIONS for learning scssions

on the issnc of tourism in India. Surcsh andMichacl Isaac lcd tlre discussions hcld inNovcmbcr 1992 and May 1993.

IIAM Assaiation, ltaly, which organisesjoumeys to mect scrial and cultural BToupsworkin$ on human rights in thc ThirdWorld, mct with Paul Gonsalvcs in

Decembcr. Thcy were lcd by Renzo

Garrone.

A group of students of Saial Gcographyfrom Fricborg University, Ccrmany were

introduced to EQUATIONS and tourism

.;"-r1,nqin India at a meeting with Paul\ -n3'-{vo, in March 1993.

Global Villagc, a group from Japan, visitcdEQUATIONS in March 7993 for a briefdiscussion on Asian tourism and Japaneseinterests, espccially the proliferation of golfcourscs. I

T.A.D.A lmposed In Goa:Row over lts lmpacl on Tourlsm

The ultra-slringent'Terrorist and Disruptive

Activities (Prevention) Aci of 1987 was

introduced in Goa. lt provides for detenlionwithor.i lrial.

Goa Depdy Chief Minister Dr.Wilfred de

Souza was quoted as warning that suchsleps urould scare away lourists from Goa,by projecting the place as a violence-riddenplace.

tsut Goa Tourism Minisler Pandurang Rautreportedly argued lhat TADA would in factput fear into the guilty, and make the place

safe lor lourists.

July 1992 :

Flshermen Displaced at Colva Beach

State Tourism Minister Pandurang Rzutadnitted in the Goa Assembly thatfishermen had been dishoused ard

From our Networks

(continued from page ll) displaed du€ to recenl tourism expaflsionplans at Cotva beact, South Goa. He gare

for "devebping and running" golf clurses at lhe name of the owners of lhe six hr.rts ardVerna (Salcete) and Amnhane (Bicholim) for one stall thus uprooted. (Starred qn. no.which lartd of 6,40,000 Sq.m. and 4,92,400 1027 dated July 31, 1992).Sq.m. respectively has been acquired.

MLA Fladharao Gracias called on the

Government to provide ahernate space, as

the fishermen needed lo work on the shore

lor their livelihmd.

But Mr. Raut only answered that 'no

objections' had been brought forward whenlhe acquisition of land was nolified throughthe Press, and said the Government "will

look inlo the issue".

During past months, other related issueshave also come up here. The Indian Travel

Congress, the annual convention of TAAI(the Travel Agents'Association of lrdia) wasorganised in Goa in September 1991. More

serious developments came in the form ofthe controversy over the Konkan Railway

roule in Goa, and opposition from diversequarters to the proposal to site India's first'Free Port' in this State. These lwoproposals, it is believed, if implementedcould have a very strong impac{ on Goa'senvironment ard her people - making

tourism seem as a very tiny issue indeed. I

Tourism Alternativea Exchartge, Occassional document Issue No 3, Equations,B angal o re, M arch 7 993, 7 -7 I P r i c e : Rs.25.0 0 I $ 5.0 0.

The latcstissueof TAE fr>nrsscson thcstrugglcof theadivasisof Tlroovaipathy,threatencrl with tlrc planncd take-over of their tribal forcst lands by a privatezoological park. Includcd are also a discussion paper on Tourism and the NcwEconomic Policy, and a response to thc dcbate otr coastal constmctiotrregulations.

Wrile to Equations for a cory.

*{1

19

wEcotorrrisrn Developing an Action Strategy November4-6, 1992

The BanffCentre which is hcrt toa seminaron Ecotourism each Fall

organised a thrc.e day seminar on thc planning and management ofecotourism operations. Through involvement in concentrated

planning exercises, case study analysis and group discussions,

participants worked through a structurcd prcress enabling them todevelop an ecotourism product and operations plan. Faculty were

representative of North American and International ccotourism

organizations.

Banff Festival of Mountain Films, November G8,l%t2

Now in its 17th year, thc festival showcases the world's bcst movingpictures on mountain subjects, featurirrg continuous film and vidcrrscreenings, exhibitions and fairs. "Best of thc Fcstival" tour begins

Novembcr 15. For furtlrer information, contact: Carole Stark, The

Banff Cenlre for Managerunt, Ilox 1020, Statkm 45, knff Aherta,Canaila TOL OCO; Phone: (403) 762- 7327 , Fax: (403) 762-422

95th International Conference of theAIl March 20-25,1993,Delhi

The 95th International Confcrcncc of thc Alliance International de

Tirurism (AIT), will inclucle post-confcrcnce tours to3 dcstinations,including Ccn. Thc Ceneva-b:rscd AIT promotes internationaltourisrn ancl traffic managemcnt and has constrltative status withthe UN. Thc confcrencc will attract dclegatcs from over 100 membcrcounlricrs.

"Golf Courses are not Earth-Friendly", April 29lh,l992,Tokyo

The Clobal Netrvork for Anti4olf Ct>ttrsc Action (CNACA) was

launchccl on this day rvith thc ol.rjcctivc of opposing golf coursc

construction rrndcrtakcn by fapancsc companies. CNAGA has

already bc5'un to network internationally cspccially for golf-course

rclatcxl surveys and sitc inspection tottrs, information exchange andputrlication, mutual support trctwccn citizcns g<lups andcrnrdinatcd actions, and initiativcs for systematic rcform. Sez

elsewlrcre in this issue t'or World No Co$ Day, April29,1992. Contact:

CNACA, Internntionnl liason: Cen Morita478 Katnikohra

Knnrogautn-shi, Chiln l'ryan 296-0"1, TeI. 0170-97-'/0'/,1, Fax. 04V0-

97-'tzt5.

Regional Meet ing on Border Parks and Resewes, Costa Rica, 1992

Over 30 incliviclrrals inclucling park and reserve managcrs, non-governmcntal conservation grorrp activists, Indian leaders, andplanning ministry and donor agency representatives, met in the firstregional workshop on the thcme of transformation parks ancl

rcserves. Participants reviewcrl progrcss in establishing, protecting

and managing such parks and reserves, including the MayaBiosphere Reerve in Guatemala and adjoining res€rves in Bclize,Mexico etc. Contact: F elip Mata, Coorilinatar, Natural Resourca Area,

Uniuersity t'or Peace, P.O. hx 138, Cindail Colon, Cwta Rica.

Children in Prostitution: Victims of Tourism in Asia, Bangkok,March 3l-April3,1992

More than 150 represcntatives comprising of educatcrs, NCOrepresentatives, law enforcement officials, ecumenicalrcpresentatives from twenty-six countries in Asia, North America.

and Europe attended the conference,.organised by ECPAT f' '1.

Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism). The conference was desigrarlto formulate active measures for children's rights and welfare.Contac t : EC I"{f , P.O.h x 1 7 8, Klon gthan, kn gkok'l 0240, Thaihn d -

Tourism Education:f ob Opportunities and Training needsin Goa,Goa University, April 15,1Y)2

Thc Tourism Rcsearch Group of Goa University, organised a

workshop attended by participants representing indushy, academicinstifutions and thc govemment of Gm for chalking out a ccmrsc ofaction for meeting the diverse manpower needs of the tourismindustry in Coa. Contact: Cu Unioersity, Taleigaum Plateau, P.O.

Banrbolim, Gm 40i202.

Sustainable use and the conservation of Wetlands, Rainforestsand Biodiversity, between December 1,1993 - February 1994USA

Thc Association of State Wctland Managers has called forsubmission of papers for the 4th International Sympcriumo- ' ' -'

,,

Ecotourism and Rcsource Conservation Proicrt. The symposirr,..will cxplore spccific assessment, planning and managementtmhniques for both protecting wctlands, rainforests andbi<xiivcrsity, while providing sustainablc economic uses includingthc possible rolcs of forcstry, agriculfure, mining, nature-basedtourism and othcr economic activitics. W?ite to: Association ofWelland Managers, Box 2463, krne, NY 12023-9746; 5'1,8-872-1804 orfax to 5'l 8 -872 -2'17'l .

COADESC

An activist initiative in Dncumentation, Education and Solidarityon issues of dcvelopmcnt and democracy has been set up todissem i na te i n formatioh, empower through trai ni n g program mes,workshops etc. and support shuggles for justice throughnetworking, campaigns and lobbying. Address: GOA DESC,No.11,Librty Aprhnents, Feira AItn, Mapusa, Gm403507,India. I

I\rblishc<l by: Iiquitablc Tourism Options (EQUATIONS),168,8th Main Road, Near Indiranagar Club, Eangalore-560 0S. INDIAI'hone: 812-5tt2313, l;ax: 812-582527 (Attrr. (20), Telex: 084t8$0 CSCI in (Attn (D7), Cable: EQUATIONS BANCALORE

Illustrations by Dhanarai Kcezhara and Ty;resetling by: Verba Network Services, 139, 5th Main, l2th Cross, Malleswryam, Bangalore 560 03, Phone: 3465!2.