Tourism, Culture and Development: Hopes, Dreams and Realities in East Indonesia

by Stroma Cole

Can tourism help a poor remote community to develop? How much does tourism change a village? How can a village have the benefits tourism offers without the problems it can cause? These are the questions that lie at the core of this text. Using an anthropologist’s eye and a high degree of trust, this book uncovers the story of tourism development in two small villages on a remote island of Eastern Indonesia.The ethnography provides a rich description of life in a non-western marginal community in a contemporary global context and how they face the challenge of balancing socio-economic integration and cultural distinction. It uncovers the conflicts of tourism development between a poor community, tourists, governments and brokers. This micro study has ramifications beyond the locality. Many other villages in Indonesia are experiencing similar issues. Many of the challenges are relevant to peripheral communities across the globe. Themes in this book will resonate with studies of tourism, tourists, development, globalisation and cultural change from around the world.

296 pages, Hardcover

First published November 9, 2007

Reviews

[Alien · Rating 3 out of 5]

She spent almost 10 years of research to write this book. And it is a very good book, indeed.
The fact that she really tried to blend herself with the culture and Indonesian people was fascinating. She even joined in, at one time, to gossip around with the women of the village about other bule.
Plus, her Bahasa Indonesia, her knowledge about Indonesian history, and the way everything works in Indonesia are evidence that she is a good researcher.
I wanna be just like her.