Tourism, Globalization and Sustainable Development Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the global economy and de

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问题             Tourism, Globalization and Sustainable Development
   Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the global economy and developing countries are attempting to cash in on this expanding industry in an attempt to boost foreign investment and financial reserves. While conceding that the uncontrolled growth of this industry can result in serious environmental and social problems, the United Nations contends that such negative effects can be controlled and reduced.
   Before getting into the cold facts of global economics, let me begin with another story to warm up. I was perplexed when I recently read in the newspaper that Thailand’s forestry chief had said: "Humans can’t live in the forest because human beings aren’t animals. Unlike us, animals can. adapt themselves to the wild or any environment naturally." This was to legitimatize the government’s plan to remove hundreds of thousands of rural and hill tribe people from protected areas. This man, who is in charge of conserving the forests, is at the same time very strongly pushing to open up the country’s 81 national parks to outside investors and visitors in the name of "eco-tourism". Can we conclude, then, that the forestry chief considers developers and tourists as animals that know how to adapt to the forest and behave in the wild naturally?
   While authorities want to stop the access to forest lands and natural resources of village people, another group of people -- namely tourism developers and tourists with lots of money to spend -- are set to gain access to the area. While authorities believe that local people, who have often lived in the area for generations, are not capable of managing and conserving their land and natural resources -- under a community forestry scheme for example -- they believe they themselves in cooperation with the tourist industry can properly manage and conserve "nature" under a national eco-tourism plan. Taking the above quote seriously, cynics may be tempted to say there is obviously a gap between "human rights" and "animal fights".
   How is this story linked to globalization? First of all, that humans cannot live in the forest is -- of course -- not a Thai concept. It is a notion of Western conservation ideology -- an outcome of the globalization of ideas and perceptions. Likewise, that eco-tourism under a "good management" system is beneficial to local people and nature is also a Western concept that is being globalized. In fact, Thailand’s forestry chief thinks globally and acts locally. A lesson that can be learned from this is that the slogan "Think Globally, Act Locally" that the environmental movements have promoted all the years, has not necessarily served to preserve the environment and safeguard local communities’ rights, but has been co-opted and distorted by official agencies and private industries for profit-making purposes. The tourism industry is demonstrating this all too well
    Many developing countries, facing debt burdens and worsening trade terms, have turned to tourism promotion in the hope that it brings foreign exchange and investment. Simultaneously, leading international agencies such as the World Bank, United Nations agencies and business organizations like the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) have been substantially involved to make tourism a truly global industry.
    However, tourism in developing countries is often viewed by critics as an extension of former colonial conditions because from the very beginning, it has benefited from international economic relationships that structurally favor the advanced capitalist countries in the North. Unequal trading relationships, dependence on foreign interests, and the division of labor have relegated poor countries in the South to becoming tourism recipients and affluent countries in the North to the position of tourism generators, with the latter enjoying the freedom from having to pay the price for the meanwhile well-known negative impacts in destinations.

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答案 旅游、全球化与可持续发展 旅游是全球经济中一个快速增长的领域,因而发展中国家正努力从这一快速增长的产业中获利,以促进海外投资、增加金融储备。联合国一方面承认,该产业的无序发展会造成严重的环境和社会问题,另一方面却坚持认为这些负面影响可以得到控制和减小。 在了解全球经济的严酷现实之前,让我先讲个故事为大家热热身。最近我在报纸上看到泰国林业部高官称:“人类无法生活在森林里,因为人类不是动物;动物与人类不同,能够自然地适应荒野和其它环境。”他的话令我非常困惑。这种说法将使政府将数以万计的边远和山区部落人民逐出保护地的计划合法化。这位负责森林保护的官员正在以“生态旅游”为名义积极推动向海外投资商和游客开放该国的81家森林公园。我们由此是否可以断定,这位林业高官把开发商和游客看作了动物,他们知道如何适应在森林中的环境、在荒野里自然地生存的动物? 尽管当局要禁止村民接近林地和自然资源,而另一群人,那些旅游开发商和出手阔绰的游客,却能获准进入这一地区。当局认为世世代代生活在这里的当地居民没有能力通过诸如社区森林保护规划之类的方法管理其土地和自然资源,唯当局自身却坚信他们可以在全国生态旅游规划之下,与旅游部门合作,妥善地管理并保护“自然”。倘若上述说法当真,那些愤世嫉俗的人也许不禁要说,看来“人权”与“动物权”之间鸿沟确实不小。 这怎么会与全球化联系在一起呢?首先,人类不能生活在森林里,这本来并不是泰国人的观念,而是西方环保意识的影响——也即观念全球化的一个结果。同样,建立在“良好的管理”体制下的生态旅游有益于当地人民和自然的观念也是一个正在全球化的西方观念。事实上,泰国林业高官表面上着眼的是全球,实际上着力的却是本部门的利益。在这一点上有个教训:多年来环保运动提倡的“着眼全球,着力本地”的口号,并没有被用来保护环境、捍卫当地社区的权利,而是被官方机构和私人企业共同曲解谋利了。旅游业在这一点上的表现可以说是淋漓尽致了。 许多发展中国家面临着沉重的债务负担和日益刻薄的贸易条款,转而提升旅游业,以期得到外汇、吸引投资。与此同时,世界银行、联合国各部门等主要国际机构和世界旅行及旅游业理事会之类的商业组织已经从实质上已参与进来,使旅游业事实上成为一个全球产业。 然而,在批评家看来,发展中国家的旅游业往往是先前殖民统治的延续,因为从一开始,它就从国际经济关系上获益,而这种关系从结构上讲有利于北半球发达资本主义国家。不平等的贸易关系、对海外利益的依赖和劳动的分工,使南半球的穷国沦为旅游的接受者,而北半球的富国则处于旅游生产者的地位,他们不必为众所周知的对旅游目的地造成的负面影响买单。

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