Keeping culture alive

Despite the recent international financial crisis, the tourism industry is as strong as ever, with the total contribution to the world economy being 2.9% in 2013 and international tourism in particular showing a growth of 4.0%, according to the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC). The variety of ways to spend your vacation is also the widest it’s ever been. Thousands of students are choosing to spend a year at an institution in another country, contributing to a “mixing pot” of cultures in many university cities, although similar environments can be found in many larger cities without a university.

However, all too often people regard travelling as a competition, listing places almost as a roll call. And although these people have visited a wide variety of places, they invariably have a limited understanding of the culture which they by all rights should have interacted with. There are many reasons that could account for this. The emergence of international brands such as McDonalds and Coca-Cola has led to a homogenisation of cultures, making it easier to travel to almost anywhere and still have a traditionally western experience.

An understanding of the culture can also enhance a traveller’s understanding of the landmarks and wonders of the country they are visiting.

Another possible reason for this attitude to traveling could be the change in attitudes toward the concept of a holiday. No longer a luxury or something to be undertaken for restorative purposes, the holiday has become something purely for leisure and pleasure. However, has this change in attitude diluted the importance or significance of going abroad? The advent of the 18-30 holiday in particular promotes the pursuit of pleasure above all else. Miniature versions of Britain are being constructed in the Mediterranean, not to mention the overwhelming Anglicisation of many regions in Europe, principally areas of Spain such as the Costa Del Sol.

The importance of culture cannot be underestimated. Arguably, only by absorbing the culture of the place you have visited can you truly begin to understand where you have been. This is especially true in younger nation states, such as Italy and Germany, where understanding Bavarian or Piedmontese culture doesn’t necessarily guarantee an understanding of cultures of other parts of the countries, such as Prussian or Sicilian.

This vestigial regionalism in many countries means that when you visit Florence or Frankfurt, by engaging in their culture on a deeper level, you can have what is often a completely different experience to someone who may spend the same time in Messina or Munich. Even capitals of many countries, despite being lauded as melting pots, fail to completely capture the culture of the nation. Cities like Paris and Madrid are often a world away from the countryside that surrounds them. An understanding of the culture can also enhance a traveller’s understanding of the landmarks and wonders of the country they are visiting.

Whatever the case, this perception of travelling needs to change if we are to preserve the wide variety of cultures that exist around the world. And things do show signs of changing. Alice Cornelius, a 1st year History student at Warwick, was quoted as saying “I wanted to learn about a culture that was so similar yet so different to our own, and always wanted to observe the leftovers of the colonial empire, a period of history I have always found fascinating” when referring to her time in Australia.

Another positive sign is the distribution of growth in the tourism industry, with South East Asia’s industry showing 8.9% growth according to the WTTC. The fact that so many people from the Western world are visiting a region so wildly different from western culture, and yet one that is being influenced heavily by it, is arguably representative of a positive change in attitude. The increasing accessibility of the world also helps to facilitate the understanding of culture, and vast sums are spent in many parts of the world in efforts to preserve what each country sees as unique, rather than seeking to homogenise the world.

However, the main impetus ultimately has to come from us as holidaymakers. If we are to preserve the diversity of cultures around the world, we have to be prepared and enthusiastic about engaging with them, rather than reluctant, and avoid staying within the confines of a resort. Only by venturing beyond the confines and into the areas of this world that are real and unique, in spite of the risks we may run, will authorities be prepared to invest more widely in the areas. This could lead to the risks lessening, which can only have positive knock-on effects. Otherwise, cultures run the risk of disappearing, simply because of our inability to access them.