a perspective on tourism and new media from central america höckert
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A Perspective on Tourism and
New Media from Central America - Case study of Nicaragua -
27.6.2014
Emily Höckert
University of Lapland, Finland
“Tourism should be encouraged more for the fact that
it may contribute to the well-being of local people in destination areas
and less for the reason that it is good for the tourist industry.”
Geoffrey Wall & Alister Mathieson (2006, 288)
“… in that order”
- Harold Goodwin 2012 -
“Tourism highlights – and is to some extent based upon –
the vast inequalities between wealthy and impoverished.”
Development Studies + Tourism research
”Well-being of those being visited?”
”How tourism might promote development & reduce poverty?”
”Balance between triple-bottom line of sustainability?”
”Power relations between hosts & guests?”
HOSPITALITY
Etc…
- different actors in tourism development – [To take a look at tourism from different standpoints]
e.g. How, and by whom, tourism destinations are being represented in new media?
TOURISM DEVELOPERS
(PRIVATE & PUBLIC SECTOR)
LOCALS / HOSTS
TOURISM INTERMEDIARIES - UNWTO - (I)NGOs -Donors - Academics
Outline of the following
1. Search for sustainable tourism development in Nicaragua
2. Imaginary trip to the Northern highlands of Nicaragua
3. Images of San Ramón in the new media
4. Envisioning responsible use of the new media in rural tourism
POLITOUR: policies and practices of tourism industry.
A comparative and interdisciplinary study on Central America
“
- instead of creating good jobs tourism gives locals only
temporary, low paid employment,;
- instead of creating new activities tourism also threatens the
traditional sources of income;
- instead of creating better infrastructure for the local
community the infrastructure is modernized according to the
priorities that the tourism enterprises have:
- instead of adding value to local assets tourism tends mainly to
rise the living costs;
- instead of helping governments to pay their foreign debt,
tourism dollars end up to the pockets of foreign investors;
- instead of protecting environment, tourism contaminates and
exploits natural resources and uses the local resources in
unsustainable way;
- instead of promoting intercultural understanding, tourism
repeats the prior representations and ideas of the local culture
and society;
- instead of being the key to development, tourism creates a
dependency of the international markets;
- instead of reducing poverty, tourism tends to create more
problems than solutions amongst the most vulnerable
groups… ”
Marina Puesta del Sol (Mowfoth, Charlton & Munt 2008) Tola (Bonilla & Mordt 2011)
www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto
e.g. rural community-based tourism...
Search for
alternative / sustainable / responsible
forms of tourism
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COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM (CBT)
“An approach where the well-being of the local
communities is viewed as the starting point
and tourism perceived as one of the possible
instruments by which to promote it”
Arguments for CBT
- Small in scale
- Community control
- Fair distribution of benefits
- Solidarity
- Participation & empowerment
- Complementary source of income
Arguments against CBT
- Dependency – no local control
- Low-life expectancy
- Minimal possibility for economic growth
Mitchell, J. & Muckosy, P. (2008) A Misguided Quest: Community-based Tourism In Latin America. Odi.
Zapata Maria José, Hall C. Michael, Lindo Patricia & Vanderschaeghe Mieke (2011) Can Community-based
Tourism Contribute To Development And Poverty Alleviation? Lessons From Nicaragua. In Current Issues In
Tourism.
- 1 000 000 International Visitors / year - Distribution of wealth created by tourism? - ’Participación ciudadana´
How rural tourism development could be
promoted through the new media?
www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto
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2) Imaginary trip to the
Northern highlands of Nicaragua
www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto
http://www.tourism.ucasanramon.com/
“Get to know the faces, voices and
culture of the people behind your cup
of fair trade coffee in San Ramón,
Matagalpa, Nicaragua”
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BUS TRIP TO SAN RAMÓN
Coffee crisis
Pioneers in CBT
VISIT IN THE OFFICE OF UCA
SAN RAMÓN
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GUIDED WALK to LA PITA
ARRIVAL TO OUR
DESTINATION
COFFEE TOUR
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LUNCH at Doña Hilda’s place
www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto
Less tourists?
DEPENDENCY / Loans?
Volunteers / paying visitors?
How to attract more visitors?
Difficulties to contact potential visitors…
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3. Images of San Ramón
in new media
- Images of rural hospitality -
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www.tourism.ucasanramon.com
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4. ENVISIONING RESPONSIBLE USE
OF THE NEW MEDIA
IN RURAL TOURISM
Who might represent rural tourism communities in the new
media?
What ethical issues might be involved when representing rural
tourism communities in new media?
How new media could help rural communities to promote rural
tourism development in a responsible way?
Examples of further reading
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• Cole, Stroma & Morgan, Nigel eds. 2010, Tourism and Inequality - Problems and Prospects. CABI Publishing.
• Höckert, Emily (2011) Community-based tourism in Nicaragua: a socio-cultural approach. Matkailututkimus 7:2,
2011.
• Mowforth, Martin, Charlton, Clive & Munt Ian 2008, Tourism and Responsibility. Perspectives form Latin America
and the Caribbean. Routledge, London.
• Scheyvens, Regina 2011, Tourism and Poverty. Routledge, New York.
• Sharpley, Richard & Telfer J. David eds. (2004) Tourism and Development – Concepts and Issues. Channel View
Publications, Clevedon, UK.
• Telfer, David J. & Sharpley, Richard 2008, Tourism and Development in the Developing World. Routledge, Oxon.
• World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) 2010, Worlds Travel and Tourism Council: Progress and Priorities
2009-2010, WTTC, London.
• WTO (2002) Tourism and Poverty Alleviation. World Tourism Organization, Madrid, Spain.
• Zapata Maria José, Hall C. Michael, Lindo Patricia & Vanderschaeghe Mieke (2011 / forthcoming) Can
Community-based tourism contribute to development and poverty alleviation? Lessons from Nicaragua. In Current
issues in Tourism.