To Americans Puerto Rico is an island destination where they can relax on the beach. In reality, Puerto Rico has deep social problems that have been hidden by tourism. It is easy to see pictures of magnificent beaches and assume the whole island is as beautiful and picturesque as that beach. There is no arguing that Puerto Rico is an incredible place with a thriving culture the disregard of its problems has created an American population that knows nothing of its commonwealth neighbor. The Rum Diary by director Bruce Robinson explores these issues, especially transparency regarding social ills. In the movie, Johnny Depp’s character, Paul Kemp is a freelance journalist who is only allowed to write about tourist life even though he wants to write about the poverty of San Juan. The film portrays the disconnect between American tourists and the local community. The way Puerto Rico is portrayed in the media and in entertainment is one sided, and that is the side that appeals to the public. No one wants to taint paradise with corruption. That is similar to many resort countries where tourists only know what they see within the confines of their hotel. That is unfortunate because serious issues need to be known especially since Puerto Rico is an American commonwealth that deserves the same opportunities that are available in America. In this essay I will use The Rum Diary to support the argument that American intervention and the media’s portrayal of Puerto Rico as a tourist destination has covered up deep social problems, which tourism has perpetuated.
Puerto Rico was not always the tropical tourist destination it is today. Initially, it was a rural island with little to no modern amenities, and a severely impoverished population. Th...
... middle of paper ...
...erican intervention in making Puerto Rico a tourist destination has created social problems while simultaneously covering them up. Tourism has made Puerto Rico an island paradise, but no one talks about the high unemployment rates, crime, and Americanization of Puerto Rican culture. Many do not see this a problematic because tourism is highly profitable, but many of the locals do not see those profits. There is not much being done in combating the issues that have risen with the implementation of tourism as the main industry of Puerto Rico. Many people do not think of these things when thinking about the island because it is marketed as a place to forget troubles, not a place to take on the troubles of Puerto Rico. There has to be more awareness, and priority placed on finding solutions to these issues if Puerto Rico wants to maintain a successful tourist industry.
The debate on Puerto Rican Identity is a hot bed of controversy, especially in today’s society where American colonialism dominates most of the island’s governmental and economic policies. The country wrestles with the strong influence of its present day colonizers, while it adamantly tries to retain aspects of the legacy of Spanish colonialism. Despite America’s presence, Puerto Ricans maintain what is arguably their own cultural identity which seems largely based on the influence of Spain mixed with customs that might have developed locally.
By tracing the roots of Puerto Rican development from the Spanish invasion to today, one can see the influence of the dominant power in the interaction between different races of Puerto Rico, effecting how they viewed each other, and themselves. Isabel’s family, which is composed of Spanish and Corsican immigrants, reflects the attitudes that helped form Puerto Rican racial divisions. While she speaks from the point of view of a member of the upper class, there is a great deal of history behind the attitudes that influence the House on the Lagoon that she only lightly touches upon. Although Puerto Rican society has been racially mixed, issues such as class, imperialism, and outside prejudices have created a split between the different races.
Steven Gregory’s book entitled The Devil Behind The Mirror is an ethnographical study of the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is in the Caribbean, it occupies the Western half of an island, while Haiti makes up the Eastern portion. Gregory attempts to study and analyze the political, social and cultural aspects of this nation by interviewing and observing both the tourists and locals of two towns Boca Chica and Andres. Gregory’s research centers on globalization and the transnational processes which affect the political and socio-economics of the Dominican Republic. He focuses on the social culture, gender roles, economy, individual and nation identity, also authority and power relations. Several of the major relevant issues facing Dominican society include racism, sexism, and discrimination, economy of resort tourism, sex tourism and the informal economy. The objective of Gregory’s ethnographic research is to decipher exclusionary practices incorporated by resort tourism, how it has affected locals by division of class, gender, and race, increasing poverty and reliance on an informal economy.
Guerra, Lillian. Popular Expression and National Identity in Puerto Rico: The Struggle for self, Community, and Nation, chs. 2-3 (Gainesville: U Press of Florida, 1998) 45-121.
Puerto Rico is a small island in the Caribbean that holds a vast, and rich culture. Due to its accessible geographical location, it is often called the key to the Caribbean. Puerto Rico enriched its people with one of the most innate and unique culture different from the rest of the world. The colonization of Spaniards left us not only with myriad architectural heritage, but also with language and cultural traditions that beholds Hispanic imagery and representations. Our music, our love of dancing and festivities, as well as our practice of Catholic beliefs represents
In “A Small Place” by Jamaica Kincaid, Kincaid criticizes tourists for being heartless and ignorant to the problems that the people of Antigua had and the sacrifices that had to be made to make Antigua a tremendous tourist/vacation spot. While Kincaid makes a strong argument, her argument suggests that she doesn't realize what tourism is for the tourists. In other words, tourism is an escape for those who are going on vacation and the tourists are well within their rights to be “ignorant”, especially because no one is telling them what is wrong with Antigua.
In Chiapas, there are 0.3 hospital beds per 1000 Chiapas residents, however, there are 7 hotel beds for every 1000 tourists(CITE, 26). With the government not trusting the people with loans, many of the people have made their own small businesses in order to make a few pesos off of these tourists, an example of this are children in Guadalajara charging tourists 5-25 pesos to have their picture taken with an “authentic Mexican,” to give the tourist a more authentic Mexican feeling (CITE SECONDARY). It is disheartening to see these people who live in a land so full of resources and opportunity, having to live in such impoverished conditions, and having to cater to wealthy tourists in order to make their stay more comfortable and happier for just a few pesos to bring back to their broken down shed where they live. This capitalist approach that prioritizes wealthy tourists over the indigenous people who inhabit the land also has a large effect on the education and healthcare of these rural people. While there are lavish hotels for the tourists, the towns people have a broken down shack that serves as a multi-purpose community center for them as a church, meeting room, school, and adding to that, the education system only goes up to grade 3, and teachers are
A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid presents the hypothetical story of a tourist visiting Antigua, the author’s hometown. Kincaid places the reader in the shoes of the tourist, and tells the tourist what he/she would see through his/her travels on the island. She paints a picturesque scene of the tourist’s view of Antigua, but stains the image with details of issues that most tourists overlook: the bad roads, the origin of the so-called native food, the inefficiency of the plumbing systems in resorts, and the glitches in the health care system. Kincaid was an established writer for The New Yorker when she wrote this book, and it can be safely assumed that majority of her readers had, at some point in their lives, been tourists. I have been a tourist so many times before and yet, I had never stopped to consider what happens behind the surface of the countries I visit until I read this essay. Kincaid aims to provoke her readers; her style of writing supports her goal and sets both her and her essay apart. To the reader, it sounds like Kincaid is attacking the beautiful island, pin-pointing the very things that we, as tourists, wish to ignore. No tourist wants to think about faeces from the several tourists in the hotel swimming alongside them in the oceans, nor do they want to think about having accidents and having to deal with the hospital. It seems so natural that a tourist would not consider these, and that is exactly what Kincaid has a problem with.
This is an Economic analysis of the impacts of cruise ship tourism specifically pertaining to Costa Rica. The analysis was published in the “International Journal of Tourism & Hospitality Research”. The source has trusted information written by two established, well known, professors, in the tourism field, Juan Brida and Sandra Zapata. The source houses a wealth of statistical information that illustrates the positive impacts that cruise ships have on Costa Rica. Not only does the article have data on the exact number of cruise ship passengers that
The world is filled with many gorgeous lands, but Puerto Rico absolutely tops them all. This land is particularly intriguing due to its vast variety of beaches filled with people of all different ethnicities as if it were a melting pot. When experiencing these beaches the senses are overwhelmed with the smell of fresh salt water, foods ranging from fruits that are both sweet and tangy like candy. As soon as person steps on to one of these beaches, he or she can instantly hear people splashing and playing as if he or she were kids in a swimming pool during the summer. Whiles music playing the sounds of the island a music that is infectious and made your body want to succumb to the sounds of the all while the sun warms the air around them like a heater in the winter.
Hawaii is a top vacation destination by many tourists all over the world. When Hawaii comes to mind many people and different cultures imagine sandy beaches, warm, blue waters, lush green backdrops, Hula dancers in grass skirts with flowers in their hair and leis around their necks. These visual representations are iconic symbols of Hawaii and of what many have come to define as Hawaiian. These images and ideas painted by the visitor industry most often take place at the expense of the Hawaiians historic culture. These stereotypes conjured up by the tourist indus...
(2017). The future of Caribbean tourism: competition and climate change implications. Worldwide Hospitality & Tourism Themes, 9 (1), 44-59. Retrieved October 11, 2017 from EBSCOhost Database
In summary, the small country of Costa Rica has always been a highly sought after vacation spot. However, the influx of drugs and the deforestation have caused tourists, including myself, to question the desirability. Nonetheless, according to Forbes, Costa Rica is “The Happiest Place on Earth. Its national conservation policies, small ecological footprint, high quality of life and life expectancy rate are all exceedingly above par.”(Greenstein) I feel that Costa Rica would be an intriguing place to visit because of its vibrant landscapes and the abundance of incredible Catholic Churches.
According to the ‘World Tourism Organization’ (UNWTO), the tourism industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, as it is estimated that by the year 2020, 7.8 billion people (roughly a quarter of the world’s population) will embark on a foreign trip (Bennett & Gebhardt 15). The Caribbean is said to be the most economically dependent on this industry, as the ‘Caribbean Tourism Organisation’ states that the industry forms the “economic backbone of most countries in the Region”(“Caribbean Tourism Industry” 1), implications for what tourism’s affect on the region have arisen and have prompted further research into matter. Since the 1970’s research regarding tourism in the Caribbean has attempted to determine the social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts of tourism. Much of the research has found that there are in fact many negative adverse affects, and Jackson’s article asserts that, “Governments often commit money and other resources to support the growth and development of tourism and often turn a blind eye to its negative impacts” (574). The reason why tourism looks attractive (and thus turn a blind eye) to these Caribbean countries is because of “its potential to foster GDP growth, to create employment, to increase foreign exchange earnings, and attract capital investment” (Daye, Chambers, and Roberts 2). This paper will overview such impacts by first discussing a case study conducted in Jamaican resort town, Ocho Rios, with Sheere Brooks discussing the observed social, cultural and economical consequences of Jamaica’s reliance on the tourism industry and will finally look at tourism in relation to capitalism, with Robert Fletcher suggesting in his article that the tourism industry (and more specifically...
The Philippines is endowed with abundant natural resources and one of the world’s richest diversity of fertile lands; flora and fauna; heart seizing scenic beauty; diverse culture; indigenous etiquette. A country blessed with astonishing natural environment along with the country’s hospitable and pleasant people has made it one of the major tourist destinations around the world. Tourism is one of the major contributor to the economy of the Philippines. Its beaches, mountains and rainforest are among the country’s natural tourist destinations. Aside from these, its rich historical heritage, diverse culture and traditions, festivals and celebrations, native foods and delicacies are endemic additions to the Philippines’s tourist captures.