Tourism

Tourism serves multiple goals for a country. One, it enables people from other countries to experience the cultures and heritage of another country, thereby indirectly fostering harmonization of human relations. On the other hand, countries benefit economically from tourism due to the spend realized when foreigners visit that country. However, in some cases tourism can be blamed for the destruction of cultural heritages by fueling rampant development and foreign investment and control. In some cases, tourism can be constrictive to the people who actually live there, preventing them from advancing in an effort to retain what tourists find exotic about the culture.

In Peru, negative impacts of tourism have been observed in terms of the preservation of the Peruvian culture. Tourism contributes about 7 of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country, making it the third largest industry. Peru is a heir to ancient cultures and a rich colonial tradition. The country has been described as a magical spot where some of the richest biodiversities of Earth are found.  In addition, the country is a melting pot of different cultures that are forging the promise of a better future (David 2005). Cultural tourism plays a big role in Peru where pre-Columbian civilization and colonial architecture are the main attractions.

Fragile destinations such as Perus cultural and biological treasures can generate negative environmental, social and cultural impacts (Stephen 1). National heritage is a matter of collective and individual success of a country and should be conserved with gusto knowing that this is an individual country achievement. Tourists tend to come up with new cultural practices when they visit a country and may influence on the culture negatively. Stroma observes that differences in values, perceptions, attitudes and priorities in Peru are some of the contributing factors of cultural conflicts (191). She adds that tourism has brought about some changes due to contact with different people (Stroma 18). Education and curiosity of humans has led to what is now can be describe as cultural tourism in Peru. Wallerstein (2000) shows how tourism has brought about cultural development in 21 st century. It has brought about attention to rapidity and restlessness of change and shifting power relations in Peru (Melanie 4). Cultural tourism has also led to times of interconnected and apparently intractable moments of contestation. This relativism and essentialism among Peru communities creates a major challenge in the reconciliation and truth (Melanie 4) especially when expressing ones past in the present time. According to Alexander et al (2004) culture traumas leave indelible marks on their group consciousness, memories and identity, which can be both solidifying and disruptive, but rarely unanimous.

However, cultural tourism in Peru has developed the notion of acceptance of responsibility in terms of interpretation and representation of events. Tourism has also brought about globalization of new media, technology and regenerative creative industries in the economy of Peru .This has led to change of the ways the village inhabitants handles issues at hand. According to Sheller and Urry (2004), playful places that have immerged in Peru due to technology have different mobilizations of memories and emotions. As Turner and Roject note, tourism has led to democratization of mobility, whereby the virtue of frequent travel, has almost become a citizenship right in Peru. Melanie notes that communities are mobile like their culture .Cultural theorists notes that tourism in Peru has deteriorated and groups have began occupying the borderlands (7).

As Meethan (2001) states cultures and societies are not passive recipients of tourism, but are sites of contestation and resistance. According to Melanie post colonial discourse observes that loss of indigenous cultures is loss to the entire countrys history and heritage. The Peruvian government marks culture as heritage, and to mark cognitive environment as fossils, thus are very important. Unfortunately, cultural tourism is affecting indigenous and neo colonial traditions in Peru. In Peru, established notions of culture as loci of symbolic power and elitist expressions have had a good impact on the existence local communities in Peru, but is breaking away and moving towards more inclusive, democratic and experimental interpretations (Melanie 8).The nature of the tourists that experience the culture themselves contributes to this change.

According to Melanie, destinations, people and cultures are experienced by tourists and not just gazed upon.
observing tourists spends considerable less time in formalized cultural settings as gallaries,museums and historic buildings......indeed tourists spend large time walking around and watching people and in the process observing and encountering aspects of the hosts culture in the form of everyday practices and behaviors(8).
     
In Peru popular activities as going to a park or a club and eating chicken and chips has been transformed into special activities of many overseas tourists (Melanie 8).Ordinarily the activities are authentic in themselves and are very close to the Peru culture, but are slowly being threatened with extintion.Other forms of new culture are being created. This shows that culture changes in relation to the market, and since Peru has a ready and fast growing market, it translates to a rapid culture change. Tourism has led to transformation of cultural landscape in Peru. According to Melanie, the canvas of culture has broadened and become more accessible and creative (8). Accordingly cultural tourism has increased pluralism, democracy and social inclusion(Butcher, 2005).There has been increased relativism among Peru locals where new creative forms of cultural practices has been developed leading to a narrow representation of early human cultural practices (Melanie 8).This has also led to decline of cultural development standards.
   
Cultural tourism shares the spaces that are borrowed from other functions and symbolic uses. Catherine Kelly discusses heritage tourism development in contested political spaces of Peru arguing that confrontation of tourists with dissonant heritage sites in politically sensitive locations may interfere with multiple cultures and identities. Redevelopment of conserved areas in Peru into national museums and heritage attraction for tourism, has led to creation of tension between local development projects, conservation and the elitism of these sites and its visitors which are viewed as interfering with old social divisions (Melanie 8).She adds that social history in Peru is generally under played by such projects and this creates looming conflicts that are evidenced in national heritage developments and local social implications. Barbara Marciszewska says that national tourism is moving from more culture and heritage to cultural activities. This is evident in Peru where most of the locals are low income earners thus limiting their ability to consume culturally and thus increase the demand for new touristic experiences. Lack of support by the Peru government to fund cultural development projects has just led to acceleration of this and decline of necessary links to tourism policy(Melanie 9).The people of Peru  experience culture as their own way of life and this is what they deem they can relate to, though existence  different environment(Melanie 8).Theres is need to promote cultural ways because it recognizes the realities of cultural change and different forms of creativity, and the overall importance of tourism(Melanie 8). Therefore all the tourism is cultural in some sense.
       
Tourism needs to be assessed in accordance with existing global, regional and local conditions of social, political and economic realities (Mill and Morrison 1998). In fact Parker (2000) speaks of multi-dimensional and interdependent problem domains with respect to management of tourism. David adds that
Not only are the conditions that influence tourism almost always in a state of flux, the extent to which they permeate   communities also fluctuates. Consequently, the economic and social context within which tourism is situated shifts considerably, and governments may find themselves, often through no fault of their own, addressing  yesterdays problems. Nonetheless, given the extent to which tourism is manifested in the Caribbean, and because many island states rely heavily upon it for economic growth, there exist substantive issues that can indeed be addressed (287).

Theres need for the government to get involved in promoting tourism as stated by the degree of Wilkinson in Chapter 5, that government involvement is a question of active versus passive involvement. Government involvement in tourism should be focused in the sense whether a country like Peru is aiming at attracting large numbers of tourists, creating a high aggregate level of expenditure, and affecting its culture adversely (288).As Poon (1988) argues, the future of the Peru tourism will be based on innovation and the regions ability to adapt to changes in key generating markets. Elsewhere, Poon adds that the decision ultimately needs to be made over the extent to which tourism becomes fatalistic. Promotion of heritage tourism as Weaver, states in Chapter 10 is at least an attempt of normalizing mass tourism while focusing on culture issues. However, David adds that concentration of tourists in one place or in a country tends to be culturally sensitive (288). Negative effects of tourism seem to be amplified in islands environments (Widfeldt, 1996).There need to balance quantity and quality of tourists in Peru, especially around the island regions.

Theres need to maintain a sustainable tourism sector because it contributes to the GDP growth of Peru (David, 288), but also considering the effects such a sector would impact on the economy and culture as well. Ioannides and Holcomb notes that its important for destinations to adopt a policy framework that treats tourism not in isolation but as an integral component of the entire development process (45). These will create a uniform sustainable approach to tourism development in the broader cultural context, because there will be  various different dynamic nature of community cultural responses (Dogan 1989).Peru should adopt sustainable forms of tourisms that empower communities in order to ultimately reflect community values as critical in the long run (David 288).
   
Much of Peru depends on tourism as the mainstay of its economy but concentration on tourism may lead to a decline in other sectors of economy, and this may affect the overall output of the economy. Such a country should employ the act strong intra-regional competition since it boosts the country as favorite tourist destination. According to David, Perus image as an ideal destination for sun, sand and sea may continue to appeal in market because of rampant marketing by other sectors of the government (293).This can benefit its economy through increased annual tourist income, enhanced linkages between tourism and other sectors of economy and increased employment opportunities. The role of tourism is thus certainly important enough to warrant a considerable future attention by local governments (McDavid and Ramajeesingh, 2003) and most important  the scope of tourism development, the extent to which it can fit with other economic sectors of economy and the degree to which impacts can be managed in future (David 296).With a critical analysis of tourism, countries as Peru can succeed in carefully integrating and professionally managing  tourism plans, that is linked to a realistic regulatory and tax economy , while managing and maintaining its culture and heritage , increasing its tourism subsidies  and managing other stagnant economies (David 297).