Ethical Tourism Practices in Cancun - Essay Example

Introduction to Cancun Cancun is an important tourist of Mexico located on the Yutacan peninsula jetting into the Caribbean. A ferry is used tocommute between its offshore location and Isla Mujeres and the peninsular mainland. Cancun was a slow paced farmed land before the influx of tourist capital began in 1970. Ever since it has invited large scale investments from the Mexican and the International hospitality industry. Today it has 140 hotels with 24000 rooms and 190 flights and 4 million visitors each year. Cancun is served by large market places where tourists brush shoulders with locals to buy the traditional and fast moving consumer durable products. Close to the city lie many spots of ruins of the great Mayan civilisation, as a timeless testimony to the great indigenous American that flourished in medieval times. The Mayan ruins have been conferred the status of World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. The Mexican government created it out of "pole of development" for the impoverished state of Quintana Roo on east coast of Yucantan peninsula. Through Cancun Mexican government hoped the resort would bring jobs to the poor Mayan Indians of Quintana Roo state. Envisaged by the Mexican government as a pole of development (Hawley), Cancun today, presents pictures of contrast, as a place of brilliant turquoise waters and cool white sand, glittering hotels and immaculate streets (2006) for 4.6 million tourists and city of 500,000 struggling with the social l ills of a frontier boomtown: crime and poverty, drugs and gangs, political unrest. Rebecca Torres. To some Cancun is a civilisation eyesore on the vast spread of nature. To others, environmental hazards withstanding, it is great place to visit for relaxation and indulgence. Ethical and Sustainable Practices Ethical and sustainable practices in tourism essentially consist of respecting the environment, culture values and human dignity of the destination place. Basically, it is set of virtuous conduct, on the whole guided by the adage, “while in Rome do as the Romans do”. Ethicaltraveler.org fact the gamut of ethical practices is large varying from personal etiquette to macro-environmental factors. Ethical and sustainable tourism practices are a new field (m and as such are caught in a vortex of ideas, thoughts, suggestions and directives though it is a part of sustainable development that has been around for a considerable time now (Swarbrooke). The Bruntland report released in 1987 by World Commission on Environment placed sustainable development in the centre stage and promoted it as a vehicle of deliverance. By the late 80s, the tourism industry had become a money spinner with holidaymakers increasingly making a rush for tourist spots. As pollution, cultural clashes, and degeneration of the tourism spots set in, the world woke up to the redress the harm done by mindless human interference in the socio-cultural and ecological environment of tourist destinations. The importance accorded to sustainable development led to the paradigm of sustainable tourism. There is a spill over effect of ethical principles from other sectors into tourism.(Mark ) A government, people and activists have to pick and choose from the vast variety of Highham (2007), for example, advises economic assistance in needy areas that should ultimately become a part of the international development lexicon. Ethicaltraveler.org while list its ethical do lists counsel the tourists to use facilities run and operated by locals, respect the cultural notions of the destination people, having a sense of the environmental, social and political issues of the land and base your judgement on practical reason than media rhetoric. Huebesch and Fleckenstein warn against standardisation of ethical conduct or development of a common code as it can beat the very purpose of tourism. Ethical and sustainable practices do not create conflicts but promotes commonalities between the visitor and the host, and their cultures and countries. Fennel and Malloy seek a proactive approach to highlight human rights violations, social injustices of the host country as part of ethical conduct. Toinitiative.org mentions responsible use of natural resource, waste management, reducing, minimizing and preventing pollution and waste, and conserving plants, animals, ecosystems and protected areas. Despite its pluses and minuses tourism for the developing world is their largest single export and major driver of jobs, investment and economic transformation (Francesco Frangialli in wto.org report). Given its long term sustained growth resilience (with an average growth rate of 4%), the sector is in fact in the ideal position to contribute to facing the main global challenges of our societies (www.unwto.org). The Good and the Bad of Cancun The tourism development of Cancun has created socio-environmental impacts terms Grindalisaim (Torres) , a translational hybrid space incorporating elements of Mexican, American and Mayan cultures (Rebecca quoted by Bloom) and a term that reflects the circus-like spectacle of the overbuilt resort, embedded in a region deeply divided by uneven development and the ensuing inequitable power relations (Torres and Momsen). However, despite the natural hazards, Cancun remains high on the itinerary of North American and European tourists. Of late it has increasingly attracted the middle income group tourist to indulge. Grindalisaim is term used by locals referring to the extravagance and overbuild nature of Cancun that has been transformed into a circus like spectacle”.” “Locals refer to Cancun as "Gringolandia," a term that reflects the circus-like spectacle of the overbuilt resort, embedded in a region deeply divided by uneven development and the ensuing inequitable power relations.” (Toress). Taking cue from development of Cancun Landau has developed the metaphor “Cancunization.” Landau defines “Cancunization” metaphor as making of a bubble like zone with enough booze, food and the bubble stands in stark contrast to the surrounding environment of Cacun models of tourism development that stands in contrast crime, poverty, and corruption. The Mexican government has gone overboard in importing a tourism model that has failed to positively effect the socio-cultural environment of the region rather; the benefits of luxury tourism are being reaped by big corporations and not the locals. In fact, the government it failed to recognise its impending disastrous effects on the culture of the area. As Cancun developed, people from Quintoo province and elsewhere flocked to grab the ‘sea of opportunities” but ended up outside the Hotel zone doing menial jobs for pittance. The luxury tourism soon promoted a culture of strip clubs, brothels, prostitution, sleaze, crime leading to a social asymmetry. Taking the argument further Torress finds the shades of both Fordist (mass high class tourist influx) and neo-Fordist models (homogenised and rational mix of tourism) in Cancun. It would not be wrong to infer that Cancun today presents a sorry picture of skewed development pattern that failed to take locals conditions, people and their socio-economic status and priorities in its stride. At best, Cancun today can be described a tourism paradise dream gone sour. Hawley describes Cancun as a place of brilliant turquoise waters and cool white sand, tropical breezes and icy margaritas, glittering hotels and immaculate streets. The other Cancun that Hawley describes lies barely a kilometre from the Hotel zone, “a city of 500,000 struggling with the social ills: crime and poverty, drugs and gangs, and political unrest.” Cancun suffers from serious urbanization problems like polarization and social asymmetry. President Vincete Fox (cited by Hawley) describes organised crime in Cancun a serious problem. During Cancun’s development hundreds of kilometres of public beach along the Caribbean sold to commercial developers and displacing small fishing communities who still struggle for their livelihood in traditional occupation though some have been absorbed in construction and service sectors (Noble). Cancun is an example of lopsided development and its founders couldn’t envisage the monstrous effects of erecting a cemented jungle in a natural harbour. It is not only nature that is threatened by reckless development but the local cultures to get uprooted “The contact between modern and other cultures which tourism epitomizes only exacerbates an already morally fraught situation.” (Duffy and Smith). The conflict between nature and tourism mania can not be better stated by the following example. The incident concerns a group of expeditionary to Mount Everest .One such climber was quoted as saying, ‘above eight thousand metres is not a place where people can afford morality. (Shigekawa, in Simpson, 1997:48 quoted by Smith, M. and Duffy, R). Through this extreme example Duffy, tries to shake the conscience of the modern approach to tourism unabashedly being practiced by the hospitality sector, when southern countries and perceived to have a comparative advantage in terms of selling sun, sea, sand and sex, thereby fitting with Northern tastes for what seem like environmentally unspoiled and culturally exotic destinations (Landau). Duffy supports the view that aesthetics, economics and ethics the three distinct resultants of tourism that overlap each other. However Duffy et.al do see a marginalisation of ethics in social life when it is being defined in the metaphors of market forces and economics. The discourse about ethicality long and discursive. We have to limit ourselves to the ethicality of tourism in Cancun. Sustainable tourism meets the needs of today without compromising the needs of future generations. Jamal (2004) uses the Aristotlean concept of phornesis (practical wisdom) to solve the moral dilemma of ethical tourism by promoting ‘good’ rather than ‘correct’ practices by embedding of rightness and correctness in conceptualising sustainable tourism. The principle of sustainable development state that tourism can have both negative and positive effect on the social cultural and economy of a region. Conserving local culture, This leads as to question as to what is ethical practice in tourism and the current state of affairs in Cancun. According to Fennel and Macoy studies in ethical tourism began only in 1990s, although in UK, the first initiative to promote ethical tourism was taken in 1990 and is importantly built on sustainable paradigm (Fennel and Macoy). Sustainability is building up environmental, social, and economic aspects in building a tourism package. Right practices in tourism promote cultural mixing, for example, “Tourism contributes to the Alliance of Civilizations”. The best tourism practices include integrating sustainability by addressing sustainability issues of destination stakeholders (/www.toinitiative.org, Anon, 2007). Frangiali (quoted in wto.org report) calls for synergising private and government initiatives to alleviate poverty and check climate change through tourism initiatives. Toinitiative.org defines “sustainable tourism as contribution to the natural and cultural environment, thus generating benefits for the host communities, and which do not put at risk the future livelihood of local people”. Murphy (1995) (quoted in Wto.org report) calls for setting of equitable standards in enjoying the bounties of nature. The current state of affairs in tourism is far from satisfactory. Fennel and Macoy cite Tearfund (2001) to state that tourism is far behind other sectors in fulfilling social and economic obligations to local communities. Tearfund (2001) suggests operators to stimulate local partnerships spreading over a long period of time. The development in Cancun is not only unsustainable, but demeaning and exploitative for the locals. The following facts by Hawley couldn’t tell the story of Cancun better. Hotel housekeepers earn about 50 pesos a day, or about $5, not including tips. A worker at a McDonalds in the Hotel Zone typically earns $8 a day. But a gallon of milk in downtown Cancun costs $3.60, and a loaf of bread is $1.40. Bus fares are 65 cents, and it usually takes two buses to get from the outskirts of Cancun to the Hotel Zone. On one hand Cancun provides state-of-the-art facilities luxury facilities at the socio-economic and expense of Cancun, it cannot yield two square meals or guarantee basic living standards for the indigenous people. However, Landau (2004) suggests that money did enter Cancun but got filtered into the hands of elitist few, leaving the larger mass of humanity untouched. In the high growth tourism sector, the authorities and activists need to create a balance of growth and creating a blend of local and modern civilisations create a synthesis of mutual understanding and common grounds of progress. The lop-sided attitude of the government in promoting hotel culture should pave way for development of sustainable model of tourism that not only invites participation of locals but also the remnants of Mayan civilisation and culture. Destruction of the Cancun jungle, local habitat should be stopped and the ‘tourist bubble’ should be merged with the local habitat through cultural homogenising of the area. First and foremost step in uplift of Cancun is the empowerment and education of 500000 population of Cancun. They should be according a dignified status in the Cancun’s tourist growth. Simply put Cancun has to move towards de-Cancunization with repositioning of Grindalisaim that accords role of an active determinant in its development rather than making it passive victims of trans-national modernist culture towards a dialogue of cultures (www.world-tourism.org) for synergization of human learning for the development of a cohesive and mutual understanding future of today. Language and communication development for local children should be a priority, so that they can play a more proactive role in tourism industry working as managers and guides. It has been rightly highlighted by Landau that socio-economic degeneration in the Cancun area was lack of uneducated, untrained, and ill-compensated. ‘Ecological tourism in the Cancun area away from the hotel bubble will also add to the prestige Though Tourism can stay the mainstay of development of local economy, but industrial development of Cancun can give a dignified working atmosphere to the local people. An alternate to the tourism industry that is man power intensive and less consuming should be developed. Senseless quarrying, mining and sourcing of raw material have to be stopped if Cancun is to maintain its charm as a future tourist destination. Recommendations The Cancun children need modern education, skills development courses in schools and colleges that don’t undermine their own cultural values and social mores. Since tourism is already well entrenched industry Cancun, there will be no need to push the clock back and look for solutions elsewhere. Rather vocational education should be directed at creating managers, skilled staff for the booming tourist industry from the local population. Further the hospitality industry can be asked to employ local population in an equal measure with others at all levels of management through statutory means. Enhancement should be focussed at dissemination of managerial skills. Learning of English and Spanish amongst the locals should be encouraged to make it their language of common usage. The Cancun tourism ethos needs to be gradually moved from leisure and pleasure towards a more sensible learning and sharing environment. The Tour operator Initiative vision to anticipate and prevent economic, environmental, social and cultural degradation should be imbibed in the futuristic development of Cancun. In addition to the local government, the Cancun development can be entrusted to a Board that has equal membership of hospitality industry operators, officials, cultural leaders with a position of prominence to mould the futuristic vision for Cancun. This also requires active purging illegal, abusive or exploitative (toinitiative.org) in practice at Cancun and its surrounding through strong authoritative controls. Enforcement of Environment Management Systems (EMS) and ISO 14000 can help check the onslaught of concrete civilisation on the pristine atmosphere of Cancun. To end the conflict of man and natural forces, Cancun forest areas moratorium should be enforced to restore the harmony between man and the environment. It becomes all the more challenging when the biggest attraction of Cancun is its natural environs, soothing climate, rich flora and fauna. Only ecological tourism should be allowed to proliferate. The futuristic model Cancun tourism can present a balanced picture of luxury, ecological education, state-of-the-art and traditional, co-existence of cosmopolitan and Mexican-Mayan. The most challenging question in this tourism model would be preservation and propagation of Mayan culture especially side by side to the trans-national consumerism. One way of achieving this is by educating the tourist of the civilisation that is going extant, its past glories and achievements. Challenges Yet another problem that faces the development of a homogenous model is the vast variety of people who have made Cancun their home. The sociological and demographic blend of population makes it difficult for them to be identified with a single strand of culture. Such places often become centres of multi-culturism much like Singapore and Dubai. Multi-culuturism is not a taboo as long as the society has the resilience and strength to imbibe the richness of different culture and develop a distinct but a strong identity of its own. The traditional vocation of people like fishing, arts and crafts should be subsidized, protected and preserved under all conditions. Ideas like involvement of tourists amongst the Mayan should be encouraged where Mayan artisans can present their traditional artefacts, knowledge of science and fine arts in modern academies built on state sponsorship. Further expansion of Cancun into the natural environs of Cancun should be stopped immediately. As far as possible, jungles around Cancun should be declared out of bounds for humans to help the tropical wildlife flourish with least human interference. Eco-trails, treks, walks and safaris on battery operated vehicles should be allowed to areas earmarked for ecological travel. The Mexican government should promote Cancun as a city where nature and civilisation blend in harmony and not as a city where the rich come to spend money on luxury tourism and spread litter. The endangered species should be continuously monitored and bred in captivity to avoid them being wiped off the biosphere. All further development and building should be based on eco-friendly techniques using locally available raw materials that blend with their surroundings. If possible, the mass of unskilled labour can be relocated to industrial belts of Mexico. Conclusion Cancun has to emerge as the city of tomorrow while delivering quality life to its visitors and residents today. It needn’t bury its past to develop a new future. Cancun has to learn to live with its past glory to cash on the booming sector. What is required is a policy that gels concretised Cancun, with great Mayan culture, preserve its eco-fragile system and introduce a futuristic model of tourism that becomes a paragon of co-existence of thoughts, cultures and nature. References Tour Operators Initiative, www.toinitiative.org, Tour Operators Website for Sustainable Development Retrieved March 2nd 2008-03-07 Duffy, R and Smith Mark (2003), The Ethics of Tourism Development, Routeledge Taylor and Francis Group. 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