I have learned things you cannot learn from books. I have seen things that photographs can't show you. And I have experienced things that I could never have experienced back home.
I am writing this in the airplane, during my flight from Phnom Penh to Singapore. The field trip already ended three weeks ago and now my travels after this also have come to an end. I will be heading home with a suitcase full of souvenirs and a backpack full of memories. But the most valuable asset I will take back home are the things I have learned the past months. During the field trip, we have been to three amazing and totally different places, each of them with its own culture, lifestyle and characteristics. Therefore, what we applied in Bali last month was again totally different from what we did in the previous destinations, Melbourne and Sri Lanka.
I came to realize that there just isn't one simple solution to all the complex matters all over the world and each destination, let alone country needs to be tackled differently. Also when it comes to tourism development. What may work for one destination could be counterproductive somewhere else. One of the main reasons for this is, what I believe to be, the cultural context of a place, often intertwined with the historical context.
Take Bali for instance. The culture here is so strong that no matter what kind of development you want to promote, local ceremonies and temples will always be the most important factor in the everyday life off the Balinese. And although Melbourne has a great public transportation system, which is even expanding at the moment with a new metro-line, this still does not mean it'll be the answer for the traffic problem in Bali or the long distances in Sri Lanka.
Besides the simple fact that there is no general answer to tourism development dilemmas, I also came to realize that we, as foreigners and visitors in a country, can never just assume that we are the problem solver to fix the place of people who live there, and often were born and raised here. I believe us "Westerners" think too often that we can just lunge into another country and fix their problems, heroes as we are, the way we think will work. As it works back home too right? But once again we face the dilemma again of just the fact that every destination works differently and the cultural and historical context should never be forgotten or ignored. Not to forget that sometimes people don't even ask for your help and sometimes destinations are coping just fine the way they are.
However, where there are rising destinations, there is development and as tourism all over the world is a booming industry, also tourism development will continue. So how to cope with tourism development at different destinations in the world? Well, talk to the local people. See what they want. But also face the facts: realise that the power lays in investment and the one who brings the money often has the last word. And then try your best to consult a destination to develop in the best way possible. Which shouldn't be a formula, but custom work. That is the only "simple solution".
One thing is for sure, my holidays will never be the same again!
Janine Liolios
