Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
of local action by concerned peopie from the proposals that emerged hosts, land-use conflict, environmental impact, and the North/South iently laid at the doorstep ofthe global economic
and intelligently, we must move away from the
during the discussions. divide. Examples of 'Alternative Tourism' and ideas about education monster; bonded labour, deforestation, eco-de emerging world view that the problem is exter
for future travel is also presented. Case studies on Bali, Turkey, the struction, tribals, women, tourism, children,
nal, sinco such a view is precisely being pro
Norfolk Broads, and the exploitation of women in Southeast Asia, acculturation, N-encrgy, what have you. Blame
pounded by reactionary politicians today in
Third World Tourism and Dakshina Kannada, Manga\ore. the multinationals, point a finger at the US order to take the focus away from the me5S
A seminar was organised by YANA, a group based in Mangalore, together with a variety of maps, graphs, and newspaper extracts,
hegemony over the UN, say no to the Japanese within.
on 15, September 1991. EQUATIONS made presentations on "Global provide students with discussion material.
yen. This is the theme of our ill-begotten times. S dl h d f h' . . h .
Tourism and India's Tourism Policy" and "Tourism Plans and Projects econ y, t e anger 0 t IS VIew IS t at It sees
The Economic Effects of Tourism in Goa, with a micro-study on Although thore is nothing essentially incorrect people in a limited perspective: as victims,
of Karnataka". Other topics addressed were on 'Beach Tourism', employment in the hotel sector, Harm Zebregs, Tifburg, September in this line of reasoning, it is limited in certain rather than as arbiters of their own future.
'T ourism Plans in Dakshina Kannada' and on the 'People's Resistance 1991, pp. 90. important respects. Primary is the question of And since they are seen as victims, there must
in Goa'. Participants were drawn from a wide spectrum of interests, This thesis studies the development of tourism in Third World responsibility and accountability. Why, for ex- necessarily emerge a class of saviours - per
representing NGOs, management and social work institutes, countries and examines the economic effects of tourism in the state ample, is the 'monster' seen only as being 'out haps ourselves.
researchers, educationists and other concerned individuals. of Goa, India. It also includes an analysiS of the economic benefits there'? Why are all the factors external to our "
and costs of tourism. Two reports are discussed, which have studied milieu? What about our responsibility in hav- WIth .all the nOIse of IMF'tWB diktats sur
Conference on The Rights of the Child, Calcutta. ing allowed matters to have come to t'his pass? ro:mdmg us now, we mus~ focus once agai? on
the macro economic effects of the tourist sector in Goa.
What is it within us - as a society that we stIll unresolv?d struc.tural. Issue~: land ~e!atlO?S;
The Conference, held between 21 st - 24th November 1991, focussed
TOE-DOC, No. 3, Tourism, Development and Environment Project, so easily fall prey to the machinations of gov- .,t, lo~al ~nd regional eht~s) .mclud~ng rel~gIous m
on the 'Role of NGOs in implementing the UN Convention on Rights "nments and institutions far removed from ~-..:-,-.,..-. . stItutlOns; the dram~tlC nse ofr:gh~-wmg forces
of the Child, with participants from 5 South Asian nations. It exam ECTWT, P.o. Box 24, Chorakhebua, Bangkok 10230, Jan 1991. 7(1
.? under a vanety of garbs; and the growmg centrahsatIOn of power
ined existing laws, levels of implementation as also the efficacy of pp. """ and authority within our country.
such executive action. K. T. Suresh, representing both EQUATIONS The first part of this edition of TOE-DOC, "Tourism Trends", bigh Undoubtedly, the new economic policies and priorities being fol
lights the plans and programs for the Visit ASEAN Year 1992, while lowed by our government - under possible international pres That is the choice we are faced with, and the reasons are clear.
and ECPAT, made a presentation (co-authored with Rico Noronha) Moral indignation is an insufficient response to social injustice.
on the growing nexus between tourism and child prostitution, fo the "Golf Course and Resort Monitor" focusses on the impact of golf sures - will bring greater marginalisation and suffering for the
cussing on the Freddy Peat case in Goa. courses and mega-resort-projects in Malaysia. The last part "Towards Paul Gonsalves
Sustainable Tourism" deals with the pros and cons of "eco-tourism",
illustrating two examples of environmental management in Nepal and
AII·lndia Consultation of Tourism in India, Goa.
A 6-day consultation was organised by the Labour Commission of Thailand. No home on the range
the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) and the Archdiocese /Visit India Year' and 'Visit Indonesia Year', A comparative Namita Khanna
of Goa on "The Human Cost in Modern Tourism - A Challenge to study of Imagery, Anne Badger, Roehampton Institute of Higher
all Religions". It called for a greater say to the people at the Education, England, 1991 86 pp. like Mir Ali, the 512 Gujjar families who have lived for centuries elephants in north India, is to be declared a full-fledged national park,
grassroots level in determining the criteria that is acceptable to them. 1991 being both 'Visit India Year' and 'Visit Indonesia Year', the in the forests near Dehra Dun are understandably nervous about the Gujjars and their cattle will have to move out. Once a part of
,. . . . ..' .
Our new contact numbers:
Phone 812-S82313
1
.... author has chosen to examine the imagery of both promotional
campaigns. The deciSion to hold a tourism year is analysed in a
historical and global context with reference to colonialism and issues
being asked to move out to a spanking new concrete colony built
for them near the city of God, Haridwar. And who can biame them?
Where will they keep their cattle? What of their outstanding debts
Jammu princess's dowry, the Gujjars and their cattle pose a threat
to the wildlife in the park, argue forest officials. Then there is the
problem of overgrazing. But the Gujiars have been fighting to stay
_ ~ax ~12:58~~~7...~~~ ?20~ , '" of national identity. It also highligr!!s how t~e ,images used, in both to the loca! traders in Dehra Dun district? And, most important, how on since the mid-Ei9hties when they obtained a stay from the
I el1.:Ht u84;>MUtlVU c~"'" III (Ado v(7) ) promotional campaigns reflect tne dllterent ana otten OppOSlllg Interests will lil8y iive in a Gity and wi lcil wlil happerl [0 their Olc.l WCt.y o[ lire 7 Supreme Court. Following dirpr:tivps frnm lhl? mllrt. thp, Utt::Jr
Cable EQUATIONS BANGALORE of those involved and the inequalities of their power and influence. Pradesh government built the coiony whictl mciud'::ls a school and
If the proposed Rajaji National Park, comprising the Chilla, Rajaji community hall at a cost of Rs 2.87 crores in Haridwar district. In
and Motichur sanctuaries and home to the largest population of
988, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition of the Gujjars, but
Published by; Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS), 168, 8th Main Road, Near Indiranagar Club, Bangalore-560 008. INDIA.
Design and Typesetting: Emerald Advertising, No. 41142. Jewellers Street, Off. Commercial Street, Bangalore-560 001.
by then local politicians with an eye on the potential vote-bank had
got into the act. The Gujjars were persuaded to stick on.
officials. O~ik~U~{.~
tion, and safeguarding the valuable acquifers that exist along the
coastal stretch.
The pahadi villages are inhabitated mainly by women, children and
M. K. Chandra Bose
Like the Gujjars, the elephants have been locked into the national old men. The breadwinners have moved to big cities in search of The scenic and archaeological importance' of the stretch attracts
park. While the elephant population is on the rise, the fragmentation lucrative jobs, often working as domestic servants and sending their Away from the din and bustle of Madras city lies the enchanting significant tourist traffic. Various kinds of recreational facilities have
of habitat with the growth of cities and townships means that the meagre savings back home. During the winter months it is not beach resort of Mamallapuram dotted with monuments which are come up along the coast to meet the needs of the tourist influx such
pachyderms are no longer free to roam around northern India in uncommon for pahadis to migrate temporarily to the plains from the finest examples of Pallava architecture. Tourists come in droves as hotel complexes, beach cottages, and the snake and crocodile
search of fodder and water. Desperate for food and made ill the less hospitable hills. In Haldwani, the pahadis would spread over from all over the world round the year to this spot, considered one farms. This has brought in 3 chain reaction giving a boost to the
tempered by the restricted space, the elephants have begun marauding the Bindukheda region, setting up temporary homes in the forest. of the centres of world heritage. One of the best beaches in the commercial activities all along the route.
villages and fields in search of fodder. In 1977 the UP Government decided that it might be better to world, the 56 km long Madras-Mamallapuram coastline offers great Though tourism is proposed to be expanded to bring prosperity to
The elephants could be free to move about again if the Uttar Pradesh earmark some 20 hectares of land specifically for the winter abode potential for multifarious growth. It is a 10 km wide belt between the area and also to earn valuable foreign exchange, the question
government speeds up work on the creation of two corridors through of the pahadis rather than have them spread all over the forest. By the Bay of Bengal and the Buckingham Canal with a population of is that of the capacity of environment to take up the load without
which the elephants could move in and out of Motichur, Chilla and 1991 these 20 hectares have expanded to 3,500 hectares and this 1,65,000 inhabiting 69 villages. being adversely affected. Now, on normal days about 3,000 tourists
further to the Kansrao and Lansdowne forests. temporary shelter has grown into a mini-township. Burnt tree stumps How to ensure development of the area for the optimllm realisation visit the place. On holidays, the number goes up to about 9,000.
seem to be the only pointer to the forest that once existed at of tourism potential without leaving any scars on the environment The experience of Mahableshwar, Goa and other tourist centres
For centuries, people have lived in forests without disturbing the shows that overcrowding destroys the tranquilty and the recreational
ecological balance. Many tribal cultures have evolved religions and Bindukheda. has been a major challenge for the planners. Their task is all the
more difficult as the area is environmentally fragile and the devel quality of the resort. The large water body comprising the back water
lifestyles based on animalistic and naturalistic traditions. The natural No government or politician with a desire to continue in power is opment hitherto haphazard. Right from 1972, the Tamil Nadu govern has the potential for being developed into a sanctuary for birds. This
resources of the forest have served the tribals well, and on their part going to dislodge the encroachers. Whlle some 2,700 cases have ment initiated several measures to regulate developments along the water body is slowly being filled with building debris from Madras.
the tribals have not exploited these resources. But the growth in been registered against various illegal occupants, the courts have coast. But lack of enforcement of various legislative measures The STEM study says that the over exploitation of ground water of
population and the simultaneous rise of cities and townships have passed orders of eviction against 1,600 of them. against the haphazard development on the coastline has nullified the coastal stretch may lead to water shortage in the area and warns
been at the cost of our forests. But for the demoralised forest staff the biggest threats are often the government efforts. of severe drought if the practice is not checked. It suggests a well
Poor as they are, the Gujjars have so far not fallen into the clutches posed from within. As with most bureaucratic services, the Indian In this respect, the notification of the Union government on July 27 planned water management strategy to avert such a situation. The
of unscrupulous timber merchants. But in Haldwani, the villagers Forest Service is ridden with factionalism and favouritism. Then last year in regard to regulation of development along coastal area is rich in acquiters providing excellent drinking water. Since the
have learnt long ago that it is far more lucrative to cut a tree and there is the problem of weeding out inefficient and corrupt staff, no stretches of India was a landmark. Meanwhile, the ministry of existing level of ground water may not be sufficient even to meet
sell it to timber merchants from Bombay and Delhi than slog it out easy task in the government as Anand Singh Negi, field director of environment and forests initiated project studies for specific coastal the growing demands of tourists, the study calls for drastic reduction
in the fields for Rs 30 often less, a day. Project Tiger at Corbett National Park, has found out. As the first stretches. The task of formulating an environment management plan in the withdrawal of water to meet the needs of Madras. Besides,
Forest officals complain that they simply do not have the means national park in the country and one constantly in the limelight, for the Madras-Mamallapuram coast was entrusted to the centre for the over-exploitation of ground water will lead to the intrusion of
to throw the book at the timber mafia operating in Haldwani. poaching is more or less curtailed in Corbett. If at all there is an Symbiosis of Technology, Environment and Management (STEM). saline water into the acquifers.
Rangers have neither guns nor wireless sets. Nor do they have the ideal national park in the country, Corbett comes close to fittina the The project report prepared by a 17 member team of experts led The report finds that the piOblem of pollution in the Madras
power to confiscate vehicles as is done in Karnataka. According to bill. Timber poaching is more or less at a standstill. by Prof, B. Bhaskara Rao, the prinCipal investigator and submitted Mamallapuram coastal stretch is largely that of water and land
the Indian Forest Act 1927, timber poachers are let off after paying The real problem posed to Corbett is the continued existence of a to the government in January last says it is intended to reflect what Unhygenic methods of waste disposal and industrial efflu
a fine of 20 times the value of the wood apprehended. "We can only colony built originally to house irrigation staff working on the construction actually should go into planning of developmental projects commen ents contribute to the problem. An integrated drainage system and
slap on a fine, which is always paid in hard cash. Chances are of the Kalagarh dam on the Ramganga river which runs through the surate with environmental sustainability. The plan is evolved in the more scientific methods of waste disposal are suggested as the
that within a month we will catch the same gang taking wood out park. hope that it may be useful for establishing an analytical process for remedy. The study recommends stricter enforcement of guidelines
in the same truck" bemoans an official. decision makers and implementing agencies. on development, keeping in view the local needs and the creation
The forests of Uttar Pradesh, particularly the Terai belt, have become of nodal agencies for the purpose.
the record, forest officials also claim that there is a nexus grounds for terrorists from adjoining Punjab. Much of the The evergrowng metropolis of Madras has cast its shadow on the
between the timber mafia and the police, timber mafia and politicians illegal activity, from illegal timber felling to ganja making, is currently predominantly rural coastal stretch. In the North,the pressure of urban - Illustrated Weekly of India 14·20 December, 1991.
and the timber mafia and forest officials. Rumour has it that postings being carried out in the name of the terrorists. growth are increasingly felt while from the South, where the Kal
in such police chowkies as Rehar thana in Bijnor distict where timber The Wildlife (protection) Amendment Bill, 1991, moved by Ministpr pakkam atomic plant is located similar pressures are in the offing.
poaching is rampant, don't come cheap and the police is willing to of state of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Kamal Nctl ','he study points out that pressure on land for urban use and water
cough up substantial amounts of money to get these plum postings, aims to broaden the scope and outlook of the previous act. The new to supplement the growing water and land requirements of the city's
as they are confident they wiil soon recover their initial 'investment'. increasing population are leading to unregulated and imbalanced
act, passed by both houses during the last parliamentary session development and pollution of natural resources. Builders and land
Politicians too are chary of getting on the wrong side of the timber covers not only animals and birds, but. for the first time. rare and developers are invading the canal and backwater zone, besides the
mafia, which has proved to be extremely generous during election endangered plants as well. beach. Reclamation and conversion of land for urban use are widely
Haldwani, which comes under the Nainital constituency, has But the main problem remains: that of creating an awareness of the resorted to. Consequently, the inherent unity in the drainage network
been the hunting ground of such stalwarts as the former Uttar importance of forests and of maintaining an ecological balance. It and the water bodies is disturbed.
Pradesh chief minister, Narain Dutt Tiwari. And even he has been is not enough to merely pay lip service to the environment and make
or unwilling, to stem the rot. Being in the hinterland of Madras city, the agricultural production
children learn poems about the importance of planting trees. Across pattern of the area would be determined by the demands of the
It is more difficult to prove a collusion between forest officials and the board, from magistrates to architects, from legislators to bureaucrats, metropolis. The study foresees that the crop pattern will gradually
timber poachers. Officials young and idealistic, or foolish enough the message has got to be hammered home that unless human change to cash crops, market gardening and horticulture. In this
to apprehend poachers and try and put an end to the illegal practice, encroachments are dealt with humanely but firmly, unless tree felling connection, the diminishing income from fishing and traditional farming
have learnt the hard way that it is perhaps better to em ulate the is stopped both by punitive action and the creation of a social and the dwindling of the area under agriculture are significant.
three monkeys in the popular story that saw, heard and spoke no
movement, unless we recognise the right of animals to live and roam
According to the report, urban expansion, mostly in the private sector,
evil.
freely in sanctuaries and national parks, we are going to rapidly be has been enveloping village after village and very substantial changes
Given that in most cases they are helpless to stop timber poaching,
converted into a wasteland. No amount of legislation is going to have taken place in the economic, social and physical structures in
it is not surprising that some forest officals resigned to the system
stop the slide downward, but, perhaps, it is still not too late. these areas. The Tamil Nadu government's efforts had three objec
will accept an inam for looking the other way. The stakes are
tives: preservation of scenic beauty, development of water front
high enough for the timber poachers to be generous with obliging
- SUNDAY 3·9 NOVEMBER, 1991. recreation possibilities without causing land, water or marine
2 15
Thailand's Casino Bet It was the Burmese government that asked permission from the Thai
Interior Ministry to open a temprary check point at Ban Wang lao to
~~IIjut4 E~
which will contribute to the earning of foreign exchange
for the country. It will also augument the development of the
construction materials to the project site in Burina. The Vaijayanti Kulkarni economy in this area. The project is expected tb add to the employment
idea of setting up a casino in Thailand has been talked about
Interior Ministry approved the opening for two years, ending in 1993. potential for local youths and will give boost to the local arts and
fOi many years and promoted by gamblers and politicians who claim world famous AJanta and Ellora caves will soon have a new crafts such as Paithani sarees, Himroo shawls, Bidri works and the
that the country has lost a huge :3mount of money by passing up It is not yet known what kind of approvals vvill be needed for travellers
look. Thanks to the Japanese government which has extended its like.
the idea. !t has been asserted that every year, Thai citi78ns t8ke when the resort ·opens. cooperation to preserve this ancient monument
Another indication ihal ~l;lfmrt smiles on the prOject is the contractuai The total cost for this project which will be executed in two phases
B 11,52 billion out of the country for gaml;ling. But strong OOr.lOSltlon Buddhism has tor long been practised in Japan. This may be the
clause that tnat ilO concessicns will be granted tor construction
works out to Rs. 195.614 crore. Or the total cost, the state
from many quarters has always nipped any t~ians in the bUG raRson why a Japanese institution has come forward to conserve government w:11 share Rs. ~ 39.73 crore, the centre will contribute
lega! casino gambling may be a li1ilhin a 100-mile radius for the ~eriod the tnese monuments which beautifully depict scenes from the life of Rs. 32.88 crore anc the private sector Rs, 23 crore.
Thai entrepreneurs and other parties whose identities have not Buddha. Trle Ajanta caves are renowned for their mural paintings.
For the first phase of the project which will commence in 1 the
been disclosed stand to Mr. !'ras:i that t'i8 first made \I;!ith Burmese offcials The C3ves (200 BC to AD 700) are endowed with beautiful wall
Overseas Economic Cooperabon Fund (OECF) of Japan has
when he applied for :;onc8ssion under nnrne f"ric.lencilai paintings, a perfect specimen of Indian art.
It has been hinted from time to time that Thai businessmen an outlay of Rs. 75.658 crare by way of soft loan of
to open casinos along the Lootian Suphan Buri Company. It had been reported that YO: the Though unique, the Ajanta-Ellora caves do not attract as many yens carrying a nominai interest rate of 2.6 percent to be refunded
border and the Burmese border. Severai such attempts was to come from 8urma's irVe,:;Tment Cornr(jis~J'On. foreign tourists as some other popular destinations in India, such as over a period of 30 years, including a moratorium of 10 years.
idea into a reality are now underway, with the most likely candidate according to Prasit this venture With a TaJ Mahal in Agra or the beaches of Goa. This is mainly because
The loan will be advanced by OECF under bilateral agreement to
for success a project located on a Burmese island In the Golden Japanese company whOSe name ;·18 declined tu revBal. the government of India has always concentrated on the northern
be entered with the Government of India ~nder the aegis of Aid
Other SOiJrces suggest that Mr. Plasit has received funding from Golden Triangle. Another reason being the poor infrastructural
Triangle owned by a Suphan Buri businessman with connectlons to India Consortium, comprising 13 advanced countries and international
several sources, includinf.l the qambling kingpins of Mac8u, who 1cilities available at Aurangabad.
the Chat Thai party. Prasit 8hodisuthon, president of Vitavas Inter financing organisations, which recentiy announced in Paris a loan of
national Company, will neither admit nor deny that a casino will be intend to hedge their bets wilen the Portuguese enclave is returned However, a large number of domestic tourists visit these caves, $6.7 billion for various development projects in India including the
set up in his company's Golden Triangle Paradise Resort. Mr Prasit to China in eight years time. Mr. Prasit declined to discuss this. which are not yet surrounded by unhealthy commercial activities. But Ajanta-E lora Tourism Development Project
is wary that publicity willi attract criticism. Already, even the vague with the ravages of time and tourism, they are in danger of being
To minimize any possible adverse effects on the Burmese monetary The outlay for the second phase of the project which will commence
lost forever. Smoke, dust and the centuries old preservative coats
reports of the project inspired Australian police to warn last year systems, visitors to the resort will only be allowed to use currencies in 1994 is about Rs. 120 crore. The total outlay of the state
have obscured some of the Ajanta paintings. The necessity
that a casino could easily serve as a money laundering center and other than the Burmese Kyat. As for security concerns, Mr. Prasit government for the first and second phases of the project during
to preserve these caves and upgrade their surrounding was felt to
forward base for drug traffickers in the notorious Golden Triangle. says he will set up a team of one Of two hundred guards. "It wiil eight five-year plan period will be Rs. 102.85 crore, The remaining
ensure that the great heritage is properly preserved and the tourists
Sources within the Golden Triangle and other evidence confirm that be like a task force," he says. expenditure of Rs. 36.88 crore will be provided in the ninth five-year
experience is more aesthetic.
a casino will be built on the Burmese island site. Even jf it had plan. The project is expected to be completed by 1998.
Some Chiang Rai residents are hopefui that the project will benefit With this thought, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation
the will to do so, there is nothing the Thai government can do about the tourism industry in the province, which is already well-known for has prepared a project report to implement the conservation of these
- The Independent (Bombay) 14 October, 1991
the project but keep an eye on it. its natura! beauty and serenity, monuments. The state government has given the green signal for
Press reports say the contract was signed at the site in December
of that year by the Burmese Commerce Minister David Abel, and
"Villagers here are pleased to hear about this project," says Phariot
Moraha, the kamnan of Wiang sub-district, Chiang Saen district.
this ambitious project.
The package for development includes conservation of Ajanta and
PARADISE LOST
Sally Mathew
Mr Prasit on behalf of a group of Thai businessmen. Also in "They don't think that the project will lure them into something bad. Ellora caves by modern chemical treatment to prevent deterioration
attendance, these accounts say, were Chiang Rai governor Banasith They think in terms of economics. Villagers normally don't have and help preserve and enrich the environment of the region through If Chester Bowles ever had Mahabali's 'granted wish' and could
Salabsaeng, and then-deputy foreign minister Prapas Limpabandhu, money to gamble in the casino. Casino players must have massive afforestation. Also on the anvil is a plan for the all round return to Kovalam today, there wouldn't be any "athapoovu" or
who also served as a witness, hundreds of thousands of baht to play." development of the surrounding countryside through better railway 'nirapara' to greet him. Instead, he would see hundreds of vendors
The company has leased almost 3,000 rai for a 30-years period from network, better and wider black-topped roads, improved water supply and stray dogs! The 'paradise on earth' that Bowles found on the
~nd sewerage, supply of electricity, modern eiectronic telephone sands of Kovalam beach is going fast and so is the beach
the Burmese government. The site will house a 300 room hotel, a
business and trading complex, an 18-hole golf course, a shopping ;changes and telex services. The project also envisages the setting itself, taking the tourists with it!
center, a helicopter pad, a hovercraft dock, gardens, an arena and ThirdGJQba~:C:~n9r~ss. Honolulu.. ''., ". ' , .,>
up of reception centres for visitors and provision of allied facilities
such as landscaping, battery-operated car coaches and shuttles to
Hawah Beach, the gOO-metre stretch between Vizhinjam lighthouse
a hospital. About SO~d"~ptelft()m,.~~countrlesmetduring Noyemb~r<; and Sea Rock Beach, was once a sparkling sandy beach with the
. 3~8. 1991)tQr:ff1e~~()fni~HQpd$ tor.Quanty Tqudsm"CQJ)gre~s . reduce pollution, training courses for guides and computerised lighthouse point and sunset rocks serving as a beguiling backdrop.
What attracts particLlar attention is that Mr Prasit is confident that OtfleritagelnteiprefCltion Inter~tiOnQt A ~ocurru!mtterm~ management of tourists arrival, stay and departures. That beach does not exist anymore. In its prace is a gOO-metre row
the hotel can be opened for service by end of this year, or early 'TheHon()fUt~;~rter'1 e'nclofslngtherOles'· of herlt(Jgeil'lt.,r~ of rickety and unsightly huts housing over 24 restaurants and 10
The facilities will also include a
next year at the latest. pretotiOI'\~~J!)re"'lVatlonJn qUOlltytouri$mex~rjenot$.·'·
standard. An institute for study of rock-cut caves and sculptures will shops. Now, if you need to go from Sea Rock Beach to the
.' was drotteClbYtl1e <;ongre$sond is belngtronlmitte,dtothe •.
"The rental fee for the concession area is US $30 million for a United Natl9n$with (ff"flliit ot 5ignatQiies~ . .. also be set up. Besides, there will be meditation centres, viharas lighthouse you must either walk in the water or throuah the inside
30 year period, and the company has to pay tax to the Burmese and facilities for scholars and hails to hold lectures, seminars and of several restaurants.
government when the project starts producing income", Mr Prasit The Power of Images: Matkefing Tourism in the
conferences. Adith Kumar owns a hotel on Light House Road, just off Hawah
reveals. But because this is a 100-percent foreign- owned invest 1990's London.
Provision will also be made for parking cars, restaurants, rest places, Beach. He said, "In mid-1989, the State Government clamped down
ment, the government reduces the tax by half to only 15 percent. This 2-day conference to be held in Roehampton, on J,and 4
picnic spots, parks and recreational facilities, Craft centres, shopping on the unauthorised encroachement of the beach and a demolition
The project will also enjoy a tax holiday for its first eight years" September 1992 involves key personnel from tourism busi.
comp:exes and an amphitheatre are also planned. squad arrived on the site. But, alas, politics got the best of sanity
ness cmdeducotion considering issues affecting the future of
and the hutment owners, through the local MLA, who was then a
Mr Prasit says that the total investment cost for this project is about marketing tourism. It is intended for all those involved in
All these facilities will be set up at a distance ot at least 4 km from
83 billion and the entire project should be cornpleted in 1995. He the Ajanta caves so as not to disturb the tranquility and serenity minister, and the local Panchayat member managed to get a 'stay'
tourism/leisure - lecturers, tour operators, tourism boards;
brags that the terms of tile contract make the 3000-rai site his virtual of the monument. Industrial and other activities within specified and the demolition squad was sent away". The stav still remains in
NGOs. studonts etc. For further Information contact: Or. John
fi~fdQ!')1, where his word is fiat. High-r::ml-i, Eode, D!gbV Stuart Collegs, RCGhompton :nstltute,Roehamp
,'adiiJs h}fil the f1IOiil.dTlents ~vill be disailowed so as tc ITlaintain the effect.
said to be very enthusiastic about the ton Lone. LondonSW 15 SPH. Tel: 081·876·8273.
ecological balance of the project area. According to Kumar, tile demolition would not hlil1 anyone, He s'aid,
followed the progress of construction. A light and sound show at the famous fort of Daulatabad will also "the owners of most of these hut-restaurants and shops own the
be introduced. The proj8ct is expected to give a massive thrust to property behind too, If they would move back to th:::ir property,
14 3
the beach as it was meant to be, they could continue doing riQht to exist under law and be heard by their sovereign nation, Chile. world clothing factory, a lot better than having no means of earning If the Pacific rim countries do prosper as they expect, investment,
business with unrestricted seaview and perhaps would do better from There are further proposals in the report which could shed light on money at all. An especially good thing about tourism is that it is large or small, should not be the main problem. The main problem
all the extra people spehding more time at the beach". Sunset Rock other sources of exploitation. . infinitely expandable. A holel creates business for a lot of other may be the islanders themselves. The next paragraphs may offend
was always apopular spot fortourists enjoying the magic of abeautiful businesses, taxis, restaurants, souvenir-makers, guides. Every digit them.
The governor, a Pinochet-appointed man, allowed
sunset. Today the rocks are almost inaccessible. And, if one reaches on three giant stone statues (moais) in June of 1988, added to the GOP means less reliance on the begging bowl called The Pacific islanders have to change their ways. They suffer from,
the vantage point inspite of the arrack shop and the drunks hanging aid. And fostering tourism will make for a cleaner Pacific. It is to use a polite word, inertia. The basic needs of life are available
damaged them. After knowing of the damaae. he
around, it is difficult to stay there long enough to see the sun setting, Dossible to visualise it eventually as a huge park, a watery wilderness with minimum effort. Nobody need go hungry. There are fish in the
have yet another cast. Shortly ther which even the French will decline to test their bombs. It will no
with all the filth. remove a massive amount of rock, in collaboration with lagoon and almost anything grows in the climate of perpetual
be in danger of becoming an industrial dump. It will be nearer summer. The biggest effort may be deciding what to do with the day.
"Sunset rocks have become lavatory for the hutment dwellers and Services of Chile (CONAF) near the most extensive archaeloaical Eden encountered by Bougainville. Those who believe that life must offer more find their ambitions
the garbage dump for all those hutment restaurants," said Salladeen, site, the quarry, Rano Raraku. This is madness; there would stifled by the confines of a small island.
The tourism that exists in the Pacific has produced mixed results
manager of a local hotel and a Kovalam native. Sea Rock Beach, be many archeological treasures there, as there are many petro
commercially. Tahiti is expensive compared with, say, Hawaii. New The outstanding virtue of the islanders is
is the only sandy stretch remainig for the 'non-ITDC class'tourists. that area and it was the main activity Genter during the Caledonia is still associated with rebellion. Fiji has had the bad aoodwill. However, even this may be a mixed
Another major problem is the lack of public toilet facilities, even at Era on the island. The Council of Elders was outraged, but publicity of its military coups. The insurrection in Bougainville has not grumble
most of the restaurants. Kovalam just doesn't make it easy for the had no recourse, as they have no legal say about anything. The only cast a shadow over both Papua New Guinea and the Solomons. In
tourist. For instance, there is no tourist Information centre, not even can 'do is bring lawsuits to be heard, which is expensive In October last year George Bush was in Hawaii and saw a
the minds of those thinking about holidays, the Pacific may not seem delegation from the island states, the first time an American president
an area map or bus schedule to help the tourist. Kovaiam post office no income. all that peaceful. had agreed to such a meeting. Mr. Bush had cleared a whole day
is over three kilometres away from the tourist area. In fact, around governor holds a permanent position as director of the Island This will pass. The now famous tourist area of South-East Asia, for the islanders,prepared to endure a long list of well-founded
the bus terminal there isn't even a mail box or a coin operated public Museum. One native islander entrusted an original artifact to hi2 based on Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong, took years to come complaints about the way the Pacific was mistreated, the most
telephone booth. museum and never saw it again. The Easter Islanders are very aware to flower. Island leaders, juggling their tiny budgets, may be appalled immediate one being the use of Johnston Island for the destruction
Besides the major hotels, there isn't anywhere for the tourist to cash that their island has lost, unfairly, most of what they consider their by the cost of building hotels and the infrastructure that goes with of chemical weapons. It was a chance to shout a bit and get world
money. The availability of the facilities in these hotels is not sacred relics. they even believe that their island, as a result of this, them. But not every place wishes to be a Miami; and the numbers attention for everything that the islanders grouse about among
made known to the predominant "non-five star" tourists and consequently has been stripped almost completely of her mana (their word for coming to the Pacific will not, by Miami standards, be huge. The themselves. And what happened? " We wish you love," their leader
many tourists, out of sheer necessity, resort to the illegal exchange supernatural powers). Every native islander still believes today that appeal of small remote islands is that they are small and remote. said. Nice for a weary president. Charming. But a bit feeble.
of money. "A tourist police force was promised by the previous the moai were moved from the quarry to platforms allover the island - The Economist 16 March, 1991.
government," said Salladeen, "but we haven't seen it yet". Such via mana. The varying theories scientists have claimed as "solutions
to the Easter Island Mystery" may be as feasible as the
policing might help keep the "money changers", hotel touts, pimps,
drug pushers and other undesirable elements away from tourists. legend. The islanders deserve to have their sacred relics returned, P..--otectiV\9 Pa~adise Group and the Aga Khan Development Fund have already leased
land. Others are buying land in anticipation that the sites will
Other complaints regarding Kovalam are antisocial activities such as and to gain the right to protect their heritagE David Dahmen eventually fetch high prices.
prostitution and illegal drugs. Also the fact that pipe water supply Since the report has been filed with the UN Human stretches of unspoilt beaches, Muslim architecture and a All these proposals are being carefuily scrutinised for their possible
end at Sea Rock Beach and Hawah Beach hotels and restaurants I have been informed that Chile is working in collaboration mix of African and Arab cultures, Zanzibar is a tourist impact on water use, sanitation, the environment and culture as part
offer weI! water to its guests. Several sources, who were reluctant with Club Med to take over the beach of Anakena. This is one of company's dream. So far, however, only the backpackers have found of a new policy on environment and tourism. Some of the new hotels
to be quoted, said that urine and garbage seep into these wells and the most prestigious archeological sites in the world and the only their way to this Indian Ocean paradise 320 km off the coast of would like to offer the tourists every facility within the compound,
there are literally hundreds of dysentery cases treated in Kovalam beach the islanders may enjoy (there is only one other, tiny beach). Tanzania. This is set to change. About 30 international hotel chains, and supply most things, including workers, from abroad. An Italian
the tourist season. Club Med would provide all of its own staff and keep the beach having explored every beach from Pattaya in Thailand to Mombasa hotel chain has even planned its own private airstrip for direct flights
"treatment" and this illness is exclusively for its members. Thus, the island would not benefit at in Kenya, have applied for building permission. Like many Third from Europe.
rid of stray dogs and a!1 from this invasion, except to sell a few more moal carvings. The World countries, Tanzania desperately needs foreign exchange and But the administration is insisting that the hotel companies commit
IMllthMiC'orl encroachments of the beaches, restricting areas for beach is also considered sacred to the islanders because their tourism is a sure way of getting it. themselves to use as much local manpower as possible as well as
tiding basic necessities like clean bathrooms, tourist original ruler, King Hotu Matua, first set foot on that location when Tourism contributes a mere 5% of the island's gross national product raw materials and food from the island. Another concern is how to
Infnrmation and communication facilities are just some of the immediate he first landed. To this day islanders do not like too many noisy (, and employs 6000 people. The administration plans to boost it to protect the environment from the impact of the tourist industry.
im!,\I'Vt"lnt necessities to save Kovalam before it's too late. disrespectful activities happening there. 15% of GNP a year about US$3 million to US$4 million a year Tourists come mainly to swim in the crystal clear sea, but also to
- by 2000. With some of the most beautiful coral islands already watch the marine life a1 the magnificent coral reefs and, if possible,
- Indian Express, 6 October, 1991. Keeva Kroll, Seattle, USA (Cultural SUivival Quarterly, 13(3), 1989.}
leased, there were signs that Zanzibar would become another example to take a piece of coral back
of unplanned tourism with all the associated environmental and social Issa says: "There is a big risk that a growing number of tourists will
Chile: Sacred Ground Exploited HAVEN Srinand
OF Jha HASSLES
problems. The growing awareness of environmental issues in Africa
may have saved it from that fate.
rbm!:l"a the fragile reefs. The reefs have a greater number of
species than the rain forests. They are also immencail,
Recently I lived on Easter Island for a year and found that there Abdulrahman S. Issa, director at the Department of Environment in imMrtant to the fishing industry ofthe island." Most tourists visit
is excessive exploitation going on there. I worked briefly with the Here is God's plenty: lush-green valleys, rocky ravines, flower Zanzibar, says: "We realised that we had to pull the emergency in small boats piloted by local fishermen. These boats anchor
President of the Council of Elders, a group of natives formed of one decked meadows and snowtipped mountains to thrill the most fastidious brake. Otherwise we could have had the wnole fragile ecosystem up on the reefs using old chipped stone as anchors. Strong currents
representative from each of the 36 original island families. He was tourist. The terrain is rich with people of exotic cultures and lan spoiled. We have seen what has happened to the Kenyan coastline, make the anchor roll over the reefs, causing considerable damage.
preparing a plea to the outer world for guages. Yet the tiny Himachal Pradesh is still waitina to be discov where tourism is a serious threat to the environment." Zanzibar has The main threat 10 the reefs may be from oil and waste .
The occupation by Chile, 100 years ago, has never ered by travellers from distant shores. a rich heritaae: it is the cradle of the Swahili culture, a rich mix of Issa says: "Pollution can make them stop growing. The silt washed
for EaSler Island. None of the agreements were lived a tnougnt to developing and Indian cultures. It was populated long before the into the sea from excavation for the new beach hotels will, if we
~inal contract which was signed by force. Shanta Kumar of the BJP was arrival of the first Egyptians, Phoenicians and Persians thousands are not careful, smother the corals,which need light to grow." The
revolution, but want just treatment. Their is threatened in brimming with ideas' when he took over as chief minister. He kept of years ago. new tourism and environment policy plans controlled development
numerous respects. One being their own President Pinochet the tourism portfolio with himself and went ahead with plans for Once, the slave trade provided its main source of income. Since then zones to protect marine life.
of Chile, has been trying to gain leaal title deed to the entire revolutionising the very face of tourism. He has found the public the 640,000 inhabitants, including those of nearby Pemba island, The last remaining natura! forest in Pemba island is also at risk if
except for the village area. sector a great put-off and his one big dream is to privatise the tourism have lived mainly by spice exports and some fishing. But world prices plans to build a large hotel compound in the middle of the 200
I have filed a report with the United Nations Human Rights Com sector and to make it the leading industry. But even before he could for the main export, cloves, have fallen. Some of the hotel chains hectare forest reserve go ahead.
mission in Geneva proposing that the Council of Elders be given the get off the starting block, controversies started plaguing him and seeking approval to set up in the island such as Italy's 8aganza - Panoscope 23 March, 1991.
4 13
several major projects have fallen flat.
need as it lacks basic facilities. The existing facilities are nothing
The Pacific Idea
it lost the Pacific war. In any case, the sums involved are not
for rich countries. A few million dollars goes a The Craig Nano project for the construction of an amusement park,
to write home about. Successive governments have followed a short
is a case in point. Immediately after the project was announced, four
sighted, if not warped, tourism policy. Apart from Shimla and Manali,
The Pacific idea is important for the mental well-being of the
in the PaCific. The donor can always tell no town in Himachal is geared to meet the tourist demand.
world The Pacific idea stands for a belief in the survival of innocence.
the PaCific is "important for defence purposes". hectares of land was given to a favoured promoter who was sup
12 5
for hundreds of years before the mainlanders came and claimed its
riches as their own.
Brazil's national tourism authority, Embratur, based in Brasilia, is
making nature tourism its priority this year, and Manaus hoteliers
WHAT KILLED MfiRICRISl
that Filipinas, Thais and other Asian women employed as hostesses
work in horrendous conditions and are often m~streated.
Every day at about 9 am, the gleaming tour buses start to arrive plan to double the number of five-star hotel rooms to 3,000 by 1999. At 4 am on Sept. 13, says Leonora Sioson Pacheco, she was
On Oct. 17 President Corazon Aquino dispatched a special mission
at the sea gypsy village on Rawaii beach. From the road, the village The number of foreign tourists coming to Manaus had been growing awakened by a man pounding on the front door of her Manila home.
to Japan to probe the Sioson case. Its leader, Labour Secretary
does not look much different from a Bombay slum, providing a steadily from 12,000 in 1983 to 59,000 in 1989, before dropping last The man was from the employment agency that had arranged for
Ruben Torres, told Asiaweek that while the Filipinos met Japanese
perfect Third World photo opportunity: well-heeled tourists gingerly year to 39,357 - a decline that has been largely attributed to the her younger sister, Maricris Sioson, 21, to work as a dancer in Japan.
government ministers, it was beyond their jurisdiction to conduct an
traipsing around patched-up huts and mounds of garbage, and in country's economic disarray. The economy is expected to have little Maricris, he reported, was suffering from hepatitis and had slipped
official investigation.
their wake some grubby children, begging for money. As recommen impact on Manaus' tourism industry this year. into a coma. Pacheco was shocked. But the news did not prepare
As far as Japanese authorities are concerned, Sioson died of ful
ded by a tourist publication, some tourists throw coins into the sea "Green tourism is a good thing, but not something you can count her for what she would hear the next night. The man came by again
minant hepatitis. Resulting from viral hepatitis, the disease is deadly
for children to dive after. on for protecting a lot of forest," said Philip M Fearnside, an at 1.30 am to tell her that Maricris had died.
in 90% of cases. Complications include liver failure, delay in blood
The village's official name, recently given by the government, is Baan American ecologist who studies deforestation here at the National The news threw the Sioson family into stunned disbelief. How could
clotting and damage to the kidneys and nervous system. Patients
Thai Mai, or Village of the New Thais, which makes the villagers Institute for Research in the Amazon. "Tourists find walking around their beloved, beautiful Maricris be dead? Five months earlier she
often lapse into a coma.
indignant. Five years ago, the village was neither dirty nor so a few acres to be enough. That doesn't provide economic justification had left for Japan full of hope. As an "entertainer" at a karaoke bar,
But members of the Philippine mission said they found "several
crowded. But whole communities of gypsies from surrounding islands for preserving hundreds of square miles of forests". Forming the she would be making $1,500 a month. Annualised, that would be
noteworthy inconSistencies" in the hospital's laboratory charts, includ
who lost their homelands to tourism have moved in. Without official embryo of a powerful lobby, the number of Manaus travel agencies 24 times the Philippines' per-capita GNP. She had written home only
ing Sioson's fever pattern and coma scale. They also said records
documents to prove their claim, ignorant of their rights and fearful catering to tourists quadrupled in the last five years to 67. By 1999, once. Life as a dancer at the night club in Fukushima prefecture,
given to the Philippine labour attache showed that Sioson was
of the authorities, they can be moved without much prompting. tourism is expected to become the state's largest source of 200 km north of Tokyo, hadn't turned out as expected. In the July
attended to by a team of doctors from Sept. 7 to 14. But "no record
international exchange. letter she complained that her salary was being held back. "I can't
was ever submitted regarding the medical attention she received
The journey of the displaced gypsies might not end even here at
the Village of the New Thais. As Phuket land prices soar along with stand the situation here any more," she wrote. "I want to go home.
from Sept. 11 to 14," said the mission's report, written by NBI
its status as an international resort, there are increasing signs that All of us here want to go home. I might go crazy. Our life here is
medical-legal officer Floresto Arizala.
hard."
the gypsies are not welcome to remain. Lacking paper ownership, On his return, Torres told a press conference that the Japanese
they live here as tenants of Thai landlords, who are anxious to clear When family members saw Maricris' body, they began to question government was willing to help uncover the circumstances of Si
the land and sell it to developers. No one who has lived more than the cause of her death. The bloated, disfigured corpse at the funeral oson's death. On Oct. 23, however, Japanese police declared the
10 years on a piece of land can be forcibly evicted, but there are parlour barely resembled the young woman they had seen off at the case closed. The Philippine consular office in Japan also came under
official plans to move the whole village to an inland mangrove airport in April. The report of the Hanawa Welfare Hospital in fire. Staffers had issued statements from Siosan's Filipino co-workers
swamp. Fu~ushima, where Sioson passed away, said she died of "multiple
that no foul play was involved.
The village carpenter, whose house is ort the beachfront, has been organ failure secondary to fulminant (suddenly developed) hepatitis."
Her relatives were sceptical. The employment agency had asked In Japan the case has highlighted the poor working conditions and
forbidden to repair it. He has the wood, stacked under the house questionable labour contracts often foisted on Filipinas and other'
for years, and he has the tools, but he must live in the tiny lop them to sign an affidavit waiving their right to request an autopsy.
They had agreed. But now they demanded one. The findings of an foreign women. The labour code for well-known foreign entertainers
sided house with four other people, until such time as he cannot does not apply to hostesses. Says Matsuda Mizuho, director of a
stand it any more, and moves away of his own volition. autopsy by the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
"If we have a large contingent of people visiting the Amazon, ideas seemed to confirm their worst fears. Sioson, said the NBI report, had Tokyo women's shelter called House in Emergency for Love and
During the monsoon, the village is turned into a stinking pond, its will change," said Silvio Magalhaes Barros, President of Emamtur, died of "traumatic head injuries" and had suffered a "massive" brain Peace (HELP): "The Philippines sends their women as 'entertainers'
livestock wallowing in knee-deep water, as natural waterways are the state tourism authority. Aware of the growing tourism lobby, haemorrhage. She also had what appeared to be stab wounds on but in Japan they're 'hostesses' many involved in prostitution." Help'
filled in and its once many paths to the sea and the main road are Gilberto Mestrinho, the new governor of Amazonas state, has moved her right thigh and genitals. has provided shelter to 260 foreign women and four children this
closed off by brick walls on all sides. Drinking wells are polluted, away from the confrontational stands that the five other state year. The vast majority were Thai. But most women who call the
disease is rampant. There are walls even along the beach, making The findings were enough to hurl the death of Maricris Sioson on shelter for help are Filipinas, says Matsuda. Their complaints range
governors in Brazil's Amazon region often take on environmental to the front pages of Manila newspapers. The Philippine consul
it impossible to pull the boats up on the shore for safe-keeping when issues. from sexual and physical abuse to mistreatment and lower-than
the sea is rough. general in Tokyo, Jesus Yabes, revealed that Sioson was the 33rd stipulated salaries.
According to a recent study by the Organization of American States, Filipino "entertainer" to die in Japan since January. He did not say
"Now we have to unload our boats at the far end of the beach, where the number of foreigners participating in nature tours in the Amazon how they died. The Manila women's centre BATIS said the number Many bars in Japan are controlled by small-time gangsters. They
the resorts are, but they get angry because they say our fish is smelly basin, is expected to increase from 123,000 in 1988 to at least could be higher. The embassy's list. it noted, did not include "en bring in Thais and Filipinas to work as hostesses. Taking advantage
and scares away their tourists", the villager said. "So here we are 375,000 by 1999. A poll of 436 international travellers at Latin tertainer" Cecilia San Miguel, who died in June of a brain hemor of the women's language inability and cultural disorientation, employ
inside these walls, like animals". American airports, found that 47 percent cited nature destinations rhage. An NBI autopsy reportedly found a contusion on her head ers often confiscate their passports and return air tickets and treat
-PANOS as an important factor in vacation planning. Although tourism is and bruises on her body, although Japanese doctors said she them as virtual slaves.
labor-intensive industry, some critics predict that its benefits will suffered no such injuries. Sen. Santanina Rasul, head of the Philippine Senate Committee on
bypass the Amazonians, either the Indians or the Caboclos • Women & Family Relations, has complained about the treatment of
Brazil: Forests in the Balance peasants who fish and farm along the region's riverbanks. "All the
Besides causing a minor diplomatic row, the Sioson case has
focused attention on the plight of cash-strapped countries that Filipinas by recruitment agencies in Manila. Rasul has called for a
James Brooke profits go out of the area, and the local communities are left by depend on remittances from OV6rseas workers. It's also stirred up temporary ban on Filipino entertainers in Japan. Last week Labour
the wayside," said Diana Propper de Callejon, Brazil's representative emotional debate over whether Filipinas should be banned from Secretary Torres met with recruiters, members of non-government
With "Green Tourism" expected to triple in the Amazon basin in the to Cultural Survivial, an international organisation dedicated to organisations and officials of government overseas-workers admini
1990's, environmentalists in the region's largest city are weighing its working abroad as bar hostesses. The Japanese embassy in Manila
defending indigenous groups. "Local groups should be given invest said the club where Sioson worked "does not have a reputation as strations. They proposed that the cabinet impose a selective ban on
impact on the fate of the forest. Aided by reports of farmers burning ment shares in tour companies". Filipino performers in Japan.
the rainforest, the world's discovery of this isolated region is well a prostitution spot." Still, it's suspected that many Filipino hostesses
established. Visitors, largely Americans and Europeans, come to the In one effort, a Manaus environmental group plans to train Cabaclos in Japan are forced into prostitution. Earlier Torres, along with many Filipino contract workers, had come
Amazon to fish for piranhas, study monkeys at tree tops and fall to work as park guards and ecological guides in the Jau National Last year in Japan there were 40,000 legally recruited Filipino out strongly against a ban. Torres argued that the Philippines, with
asleep at night listening to choruses of jungle birds. Manaus, a Park, a vast wilderness area 150 miles upriver from here. "The idea "entertainers" known in the host country as "Japayuki-sans" ("Miss 4 million unemployed, can ill afford it. But for BATIS executive
humid, riverfront city that stagnated after the collapse of the rubber is that the Cabaclos will depend on the conservation of the park,which Go-to-Japans"). It's estimated that, including illegally recruited ones, director Carmelita Nuqui, no price is too high if it means saving
boom in the early 1900's, now ranks after Rio de Janeiro and Sao is the largest in Brazil," said Leonardo Lacerda, a planner with the there may be up to 90,000 in all. Japanese women's shelters report people's lives.
Paulo as the Brazilian city with the most international air links. group, the Fundacao Victoria Amazonica. - Asiaweek, 29 November, 1991.
6 11
Sustainable Tourism Initiative
Integrated Tourism Services
Dr. Deirdre Evans-Pritchard. Contact her at them. Theory alld practice of government policies and com
- ITS ltd, Brae Street, Dunkeld, - Desai, Singh & Gonsalves (Advocates)
Instituto Eco de Costa Rica, Aptd. 8080-1000 San Jose, Costa Rica. Perthshire .PHS 08A Scotland. mitments are (~ften so far apart that you would not know,
unless actually told, that one was related to the other. Engineers House, 86 Apollo Street, Bombay-400 023.
10 7
PEQFECT Ht\QMONY INDIA ~ News
& Views The water shortage in Darjeeling is also bad advertisement for a
place that projects itself as a tourist centre. Therf;! are now well over
Veenu Sandal 1,00,000 people in the town proper, being served by a water
The conflict between tourism and the environment is perhaos the designed for 30,000. Taps often do not work and,
stiffest challenge, the biggest dilemma facing the travel and a trickle. The DGHC's proposal to construct an airstrip on
industry today. Recent years have witnessed a boom in the tourist
trade. Closely allied as it is to a steady growth in disposable or
to curb the exploitation of the environment, there must
be an agreement on self regulation within the industry an Over The Hill has invited great criticism on environmental grounds. Construc
tion work on the hill side, it is feared, could cause landslides or
tricky affair because of the profit motive, or an imposition of rules Christopher Coleridge with Nabanita Dutt
expendable personal incomes, tourism has prospered and flourished, from the government. A third avenue of environmental protection and worse.
particularly in the northern states of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar the balanced development is being explored under the auspices of "Even God could not solve the problems of Darjeeling," says an A recent estimate stated that over half the farmers were under threat
Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. the International Youth Centre. aged schoolmaster and resident of the hill station. And he's not the from landslides. The airstrip may harm the water-supply too, since
But this very success of tourism has begun to degrade the environment, Dr. Indira Koithara, programme director at the IYC, makes some vital only person to feel this way about what was once termed the Queen the seven foot deep tarmac necessary for the runway will stop water
out the adage, "tourism destroys tourism". If handled observations and stresses the role that tourists themselves can play being absorbed into the earth, water which in time runs down to
of the Hills. More and more locals and some outsiders as well
can provide a spectacular boost to state economies, in the coming years. According to Dr. Koithara "there is little Senchal Lake. To make matters worse, deforestation is also rampant
as was the case earlier in .J & K. If allowed to develop on an ad - are beginning to despair of Darjeeling. Not only have·civic facilities
realisation among tourist promoters and tourists that environmental completely broken down in the region, the prinCipal revenue-earners, in the region. This, in turn, has led to a decreased rainfall:
hoc basis without any long term perspective or plan, as is happenin.-. n~,,+al"til'\n is in their own interest.
in most hill stations, it could well destroy both the environment the tea and tourism industries, no longer bring in the kind of from exacerbating the water problem, this has caused harm to rare
the tourist trade. As a result, the inseparable link between tourism How can tourists be expected or persuaded to pay attention to the did earlier. Consider the facts - and figures. Tea plantations local plants and adversely affected the oxygen supply of the region.
and the environment is the single most contentious issue that environment? "Tourists can contribute greatly towards the environmental in the Darjeeling area numbered 102 in the Sixties. By 1987 the While forest cover disappears rapidly, the population of the area
currently exercises the minds of planners. protection. 11 would make a healthy difference and tourism and the figure had dropped to 85. The activities of the Gorkha National seems to be increasing at an ever increasing rate.
environment could co-exist in a far happier manner than they do Liberation Front (GNLF) and the resultant violence resulted in production
The Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Ministry of Tourism today if even half of the total number opt to live in tents, walk and A worrying result is a possibility of an outbreak of disease, especially
have long been at loggerheads over the matter of planned development. from 13 million kg/annum in '86 to 11 million in '87, with a crop value tuberculosis (TB). The number of people suffering from TB has shot
trek over natural trails, and become conscious of the damage that
While many of the viewpoints continue to differ, there are welcome discarded non-biodegradable garbage and an appetite for firewood loss of Rs. 2.5 crores. up of late. But instead of helping curb the spread of the disease
signs of a thaw. Appalled at the growing instances of unbridied can cause," points out Dr. Koithara. Tourism was hit just as hard. In 1985, 1,40,000 tourists had come the authorities hide its very existence, for fear of scaring away the
Kamal Nath, Ministry of State for Environment and Forests to the hill resort; two years later only a handlful of people braved
out plans to ensure that tourism does not indulge in In Rajasthan, where environmental damage has been minimised due tourists. It is thus left to such institutions as Hayden Hall, looked
.,.......,"""n+ exploitation of the environment. largely to planned development, plans are underway to create the GNLF agitation to visit the region. As GNLF president Subash after by Jesuits, to step into the breach.
awareness among locals on a diverse range of issues. Mr. V.P. Ghisingh got more and more aggressive, the authorities refused to Asks an angry priest, who helps run the centre: "If the
"One of our major thrusts is going to be to reconcile efforts for the deputy director at the Rajsthan tourism bureau said that in allow foreign nationals entry into the area, for security reasons. This
protection of the environment and development of tourism. There is is so keen on bringing in the tourists why don't they improve the
order to sustain tourism, parity has to be maintained between tourism had an even more detrimental effect on the tourist trade. appalling transport system by issuing more licences instead of taking
no reason why tourism cannot be environmentally compatible - but and environment. "Neglecting the environment would in the long run,
this calls for a dynamic mass awakening programme." A glimmer of hope was, however, held out when a compromise was Marutis off the road because their drivers, though experts on hilly
result in the decrease in tourist traffic, which would affect the
worked out between the Indian government and the GNLF. For long, roads, have no legal licence? If they ha.ve the good of the region
Recognising it as "one of the biggest problems" the Ministry of economy of Rajasthan, a development that the state can ill afford."
Tourism too is voicing an increasing concern for the el1'Jironment. residents of the area had complained that matters could only at heart, why don't they explore the possibilities of developing orange
In Haryana the carrying capacities of different places are being improve if the administration was given over to the locals. Finally orchards, which have as much profit potential as tea? Why don't they
However, the ministry is of the view that tourism cannot be dispersed· worked out and then dovetailed, if possible, with programmes that
at will. Basic infrastructure such as construction of roads and hotels that demand was met in 1988, with the constitution of the Darjeeling build more schools and create jobs in the region?"
are mutually attractive and beneficial for both the tourists and locals. Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC). But if this move was expected to herald
are an integral part of the development of tourism. Yet it is an But then, even the tea industry is not in the best of the health. Profits
inescapable fact; the more the tourists, the more elaborate the However, knotty problems still remain to be tackled, such as the a prosperous restructuring, the result proved to be rather disappoint-
reduction (due to human ingress) of the habitat of the Indian black made thereof are rarely if ever reinvested in Darjeeling. It was
and so quicker the degradation of the environment. ~,,, .... :,,,,h, this sort of situation that the Hill Council was expected to
buck once a star tourist attraction. The scrapping of the Rs. 50
Jayanta Sanyal, additional Director General of Tourism, disclosed crore Disneyland project in which some 4000 acres of forest reserves, Local officials, appear to be making little effort to make the lot of But its performance has been far from satisfactory on this
that concerted attempts are underway to sensitise people in the a hill top and prime land near Dandama lake would have beer. the tourists easier. For instance, there appear to have been little hairs score - as on most others.
tourist trade to the dangers of over-exploitation of the environment. swallowed for an amusement park, nas brought cheer to the lost over the taxi drivers' habit of grossly overcharging passengers.
However, Sanyal acknowledges that poor implementation is a problem. One reason for this may well be its members' fear of Chairman
environmental lobby. It is not just taxi drivers who are greedy: 'worldliness' bas permeated Ghisingh, which doesn't aid either communication or honest debate.
"At the micro level, a number of adverse factors come in to play, most of the population, and some see its growth as central to
such as lack of adequate control by local authorities, the profiteering UP and HP have both seen in recent years the emergence of Queries relating to any financial matter, however simple, for instance,
environmental pressure groups and movements at the grassroot Oarjeeling's problems. Says Ranjit Thapa, a local restaurant owner: cannot be answered without his express permission. Council members
There is no incentive for a single hotelier to SlOp unless he is sure said the excesses of mass tourism must be countered. "Bhutan limits young men filled with Western ideals." Others think that the rot set
his competitors will do so as well. This is precisely what happened have their criticisms attributed to them by name, for fear of attracting
tourists to less than 2000 a year. Why can't tourist numbers be in during World War II. when European soldiers were sent to reprisals.
in Kashmir. A wave of newly built houseboats threatened to overcrowd regulated in UP and HP as well?" he asks. to recuperate for two months at a time. Attempting to
(and pollute) the blue waters of the Dallake, besides The DGHC defends itself by citing underfunding as the principal
(often under the counter) on the State's natural resources stations such as Mussoorie, which registered an estimated 30 in any way they could, they created inflationary
pressures in the local economy. cause behind its failure to transform Dajeeling into a model tourist
increasing amounts of sweet scented cedar wood for building the per cent increase in tourist traffic over last year, and Shimla. are
dying -- choked by a surfeit of tourism. resort. The state government imparted to the Hill Council a veneer
houseboats.Finally, to protect the environment, the state government Further discouragement to tourist traffic is provided by the civic of self-rule to wash its own hands off a region which was
had to impose a ban on the further construction of houseboats. The entertainment tax has come to stay in most states. Why not facilities that exist - or more accurately, do not exist - in Darjee to be a drain on its resources. The state government, for its part,
Significantly, the other state governments too have started initiating an environment tax? Mass tourism cannot be wished away. Welcome ling. The condition of the roads, for one, is abysmal. It is even insists that the DGHC is guilty of gross mismanagement, hence the
measures to control tourism so that the carrying capacity is not or unwelcome, it is here to stay. The search has already begun, but rumoured that the taxi driver lobby is behind the terrible condition
in the years ahead, the northern states will have to find more sorry state of affairs in the hill-station.
exceeded or the countryside despoiled. In UP's world famous Valley of the roads. By paying the contractors small sums to keep the
of F.lowers, the state government concerned at the ecological damage effective ways to keep alive their economies, places of interest and quality of the work low, it ensures that roads are blocked more often, And while the two sides trade charges, Darjeeling's dreams die fast.
being caused to the delicate flora of the valley by a growing number the dreams of holiday makers alive. resulting in longer detours and hence greater rewards. - SUNDAY 8·14 September, 1991.
of tourists, banned overnight halts and camping. The Economic Times, 2 August 1991
8 9
PEQFECT Ht\QMONY INDIA ~ News
& Views The water shortage in Darjeeling is also bad advertisement for a
place that projects itself as a tourist centre. Therf;! are now well over
Veenu Sandal 1,00,000 people in the town proper, being served by a water
The conflict between tourism and the environment is perhaos the designed for 30,000. Taps often do not work and,
stiffest challenge, the biggest dilemma facing the travel and a trickle. The DGHC's proposal to construct an airstrip on
industry today. Recent years have witnessed a boom in the tourist
trade. Closely allied as it is to a steady growth in disposable or
to curb the exploitation of the environment, there must
be an agreement on self regulation within the industry an Over The Hill has invited great criticism on environmental grounds. Construc
tion work on the hill side, it is feared, could cause landslides or
tricky affair because of the profit motive, or an imposition of rules Christopher Coleridge with Nabanita Dutt
expendable personal incomes, tourism has prospered and flourished, from the government. A third avenue of environmental protection and worse.
particularly in the northern states of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar the balanced development is being explored under the auspices of "Even God could not solve the problems of Darjeeling," says an A recent estimate stated that over half the farmers were under threat
Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. the International Youth Centre. aged schoolmaster and resident of the hill station. And he's not the from landslides. The airstrip may harm the water-supply too, since
But this very success of tourism has begun to degrade the environment, Dr. Indira Koithara, programme director at the IYC, makes some vital only person to feel this way about what was once termed the Queen the seven foot deep tarmac necessary for the runway will stop water
out the adage, "tourism destroys tourism". If handled observations and stresses the role that tourists themselves can play being absorbed into the earth, water which in time runs down to
of the Hills. More and more locals and some outsiders as well
can provide a spectacular boost to state economies, in the coming years. According to Dr. Koithara "there is little Senchal Lake. To make matters worse, deforestation is also rampant
as was the case earlier in .J & K. If allowed to develop on an ad - are beginning to despair of Darjeeling. Not only have·civic facilities
realisation among tourist promoters and tourists that environmental completely broken down in the region, the prinCipal revenue-earners, in the region. This, in turn, has led to a decreased rainfall:
hoc basis without any long term perspective or plan, as is happenin.-. n~,,+al"til'\n is in their own interest.
in most hill stations, it could well destroy both the environment the tea and tourism industries, no longer bring in the kind of from exacerbating the water problem, this has caused harm to rare
the tourist trade. As a result, the inseparable link between tourism How can tourists be expected or persuaded to pay attention to the did earlier. Consider the facts - and figures. Tea plantations local plants and adversely affected the oxygen supply of the region.
and the environment is the single most contentious issue that environment? "Tourists can contribute greatly towards the environmental in the Darjeeling area numbered 102 in the Sixties. By 1987 the While forest cover disappears rapidly, the population of the area
currently exercises the minds of planners. protection. 11 would make a healthy difference and tourism and the figure had dropped to 85. The activities of the Gorkha National seems to be increasing at an ever increasing rate.
environment could co-exist in a far happier manner than they do Liberation Front (GNLF) and the resultant violence resulted in production
The Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Ministry of Tourism today if even half of the total number opt to live in tents, walk and A worrying result is a possibility of an outbreak of disease, especially
have long been at loggerheads over the matter of planned development. from 13 million kg/annum in '86 to 11 million in '87, with a crop value tuberculosis (TB). The number of people suffering from TB has shot
trek over natural trails, and become conscious of the damage that
While many of the viewpoints continue to differ, there are welcome discarded non-biodegradable garbage and an appetite for firewood loss of Rs. 2.5 crores. up of late. But instead of helping curb the spread of the disease
signs of a thaw. Appalled at the growing instances of unbridied can cause," points out Dr. Koithara. Tourism was hit just as hard. In 1985, 1,40,000 tourists had come the authorities hide its very existence, for fear of scaring away the
Kamal Nath, Ministry of State for Environment and Forests to the hill resort; two years later only a handlful of people braved
out plans to ensure that tourism does not indulge in In Rajasthan, where environmental damage has been minimised due tourists. It is thus left to such institutions as Hayden Hall, looked
.,.......,"""n+ exploitation of the environment. largely to planned development, plans are underway to create the GNLF agitation to visit the region. As GNLF president Subash after by Jesuits, to step into the breach.
awareness among locals on a diverse range of issues. Mr. V.P. Ghisingh got more and more aggressive, the authorities refused to Asks an angry priest, who helps run the centre: "If the
"One of our major thrusts is going to be to reconcile efforts for the deputy director at the Rajsthan tourism bureau said that in allow foreign nationals entry into the area, for security reasons. This
protection of the environment and development of tourism. There is is so keen on bringing in the tourists why don't they improve the
order to sustain tourism, parity has to be maintained between tourism had an even more detrimental effect on the tourist trade. appalling transport system by issuing more licences instead of taking
no reason why tourism cannot be environmentally compatible - but and environment. "Neglecting the environment would in the long run,
this calls for a dynamic mass awakening programme." A glimmer of hope was, however, held out when a compromise was Marutis off the road because their drivers, though experts on hilly
result in the decrease in tourist traffic, which would affect the
worked out between the Indian government and the GNLF. For long, roads, have no legal licence? If they ha.ve the good of the region
Recognising it as "one of the biggest problems" the Ministry of economy of Rajasthan, a development that the state can ill afford."
Tourism too is voicing an increasing concern for the el1'Jironment. residents of the area had complained that matters could only at heart, why don't they explore the possibilities of developing orange
In Haryana the carrying capacities of different places are being improve if the administration was given over to the locals. Finally orchards, which have as much profit potential as tea? Why don't they
However, the ministry is of the view that tourism cannot be dispersed· worked out and then dovetailed, if possible, with programmes that
at will. Basic infrastructure such as construction of roads and hotels that demand was met in 1988, with the constitution of the Darjeeling build more schools and create jobs in the region?"
are mutually attractive and beneficial for both the tourists and locals. Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC). But if this move was expected to herald
are an integral part of the development of tourism. Yet it is an But then, even the tea industry is not in the best of the health. Profits
inescapable fact; the more the tourists, the more elaborate the However, knotty problems still remain to be tackled, such as the a prosperous restructuring, the result proved to be rather disappoint-
reduction (due to human ingress) of the habitat of the Indian black made thereof are rarely if ever reinvested in Darjeeling. It was
and so quicker the degradation of the environment. ~,,, .... :,,,,h, this sort of situation that the Hill Council was expected to
buck once a star tourist attraction. The scrapping of the Rs. 50
Jayanta Sanyal, additional Director General of Tourism, disclosed crore Disneyland project in which some 4000 acres of forest reserves, Local officials, appear to be making little effort to make the lot of But its performance has been far from satisfactory on this
that concerted attempts are underway to sensitise people in the a hill top and prime land near Dandama lake would have beer. the tourists easier. For instance, there appear to have been little hairs score - as on most others.
tourist trade to the dangers of over-exploitation of the environment. swallowed for an amusement park, nas brought cheer to the lost over the taxi drivers' habit of grossly overcharging passengers.
However, Sanyal acknowledges that poor implementation is a problem. One reason for this may well be its members' fear of Chairman
environmental lobby. It is not just taxi drivers who are greedy: 'worldliness' bas permeated Ghisingh, which doesn't aid either communication or honest debate.
"At the micro level, a number of adverse factors come in to play, most of the population, and some see its growth as central to
such as lack of adequate control by local authorities, the profiteering UP and HP have both seen in recent years the emergence of Queries relating to any financial matter, however simple, for instance,
environmental pressure groups and movements at the grassroot Oarjeeling's problems. Says Ranjit Thapa, a local restaurant owner: cannot be answered without his express permission. Council members
There is no incentive for a single hotelier to SlOp unless he is sure said the excesses of mass tourism must be countered. "Bhutan limits young men filled with Western ideals." Others think that the rot set
his competitors will do so as well. This is precisely what happened have their criticisms attributed to them by name, for fear of attracting
tourists to less than 2000 a year. Why can't tourist numbers be in during World War II. when European soldiers were sent to reprisals.
in Kashmir. A wave of newly built houseboats threatened to overcrowd regulated in UP and HP as well?" he asks. to recuperate for two months at a time. Attempting to
(and pollute) the blue waters of the Dallake, besides The DGHC defends itself by citing underfunding as the principal
(often under the counter) on the State's natural resources stations such as Mussoorie, which registered an estimated 30 in any way they could, they created inflationary
pressures in the local economy. cause behind its failure to transform Dajeeling into a model tourist
increasing amounts of sweet scented cedar wood for building the per cent increase in tourist traffic over last year, and Shimla. are
dying -- choked by a surfeit of tourism. resort. The state government imparted to the Hill Council a veneer
houseboats.Finally, to protect the environment, the state government Further discouragement to tourist traffic is provided by the civic of self-rule to wash its own hands off a region which was
had to impose a ban on the further construction of houseboats. The entertainment tax has come to stay in most states. Why not facilities that exist - or more accurately, do not exist - in Darjee to be a drain on its resources. The state government, for its part,
Significantly, the other state governments too have started initiating an environment tax? Mass tourism cannot be wished away. Welcome ling. The condition of the roads, for one, is abysmal. It is even insists that the DGHC is guilty of gross mismanagement, hence the
measures to control tourism so that the carrying capacity is not or unwelcome, it is here to stay. The search has already begun, but rumoured that the taxi driver lobby is behind the terrible condition
in the years ahead, the northern states will have to find more sorry state of affairs in the hill-station.
exceeded or the countryside despoiled. In UP's world famous Valley of the roads. By paying the contractors small sums to keep the
of F.lowers, the state government concerned at the ecological damage effective ways to keep alive their economies, places of interest and quality of the work low, it ensures that roads are blocked more often, And while the two sides trade charges, Darjeeling's dreams die fast.
being caused to the delicate flora of the valley by a growing number the dreams of holiday makers alive. resulting in longer detours and hence greater rewards. - SUNDAY 8·14 September, 1991.
of tourists, banned overnight halts and camping. The Economic Times, 2 August 1991
8 9
Sustainable Tourism Initiative
Integrated Tourism Services
Dr. Deirdre Evans-Pritchard. Contact her at them. Theory alld practice of government policies and com
- ITS ltd, Brae Street, Dunkeld, - Desai, Singh & Gonsalves (Advocates)
Instituto Eco de Costa Rica, Aptd. 8080-1000 San Jose, Costa Rica. Perthshire .PHS 08A Scotland. mitments are (~ften so far apart that you would not know,
unless actually told, that one was related to the other. Engineers House, 86 Apollo Street, Bombay-400 023.
10 7
for hundreds of years before the mainlanders came and claimed its
riches as their own.
Brazil's national tourism authority, Embratur, based in Brasilia, is
making nature tourism its priority this year, and Manaus hoteliers
WHAT KILLED MfiRICRISl
that Filipinas, Thais and other Asian women employed as hostesses
work in horrendous conditions and are often m~streated.
Every day at about 9 am, the gleaming tour buses start to arrive plan to double the number of five-star hotel rooms to 3,000 by 1999. At 4 am on Sept. 13, says Leonora Sioson Pacheco, she was
On Oct. 17 President Corazon Aquino dispatched a special mission
at the sea gypsy village on Rawaii beach. From the road, the village The number of foreign tourists coming to Manaus had been growing awakened by a man pounding on the front door of her Manila home.
to Japan to probe the Sioson case. Its leader, Labour Secretary
does not look much different from a Bombay slum, providing a steadily from 12,000 in 1983 to 59,000 in 1989, before dropping last The man was from the employment agency that had arranged for
Ruben Torres, told Asiaweek that while the Filipinos met Japanese
perfect Third World photo opportunity: well-heeled tourists gingerly year to 39,357 - a decline that has been largely attributed to the her younger sister, Maricris Sioson, 21, to work as a dancer in Japan.
government ministers, it was beyond their jurisdiction to conduct an
traipsing around patched-up huts and mounds of garbage, and in country's economic disarray. The economy is expected to have little Maricris, he reported, was suffering from hepatitis and had slipped
official investigation.
their wake some grubby children, begging for money. As recommen impact on Manaus' tourism industry this year. into a coma. Pacheco was shocked. But the news did not prepare
As far as Japanese authorities are concerned, Sioson died of ful
ded by a tourist publication, some tourists throw coins into the sea "Green tourism is a good thing, but not something you can count her for what she would hear the next night. The man came by again
minant hepatitis. Resulting from viral hepatitis, the disease is deadly
for children to dive after. on for protecting a lot of forest," said Philip M Fearnside, an at 1.30 am to tell her that Maricris had died.
in 90% of cases. Complications include liver failure, delay in blood
The village's official name, recently given by the government, is Baan American ecologist who studies deforestation here at the National The news threw the Sioson family into stunned disbelief. How could
clotting and damage to the kidneys and nervous system. Patients
Thai Mai, or Village of the New Thais, which makes the villagers Institute for Research in the Amazon. "Tourists find walking around their beloved, beautiful Maricris be dead? Five months earlier she
often lapse into a coma.
indignant. Five years ago, the village was neither dirty nor so a few acres to be enough. That doesn't provide economic justification had left for Japan full of hope. As an "entertainer" at a karaoke bar,
But members of the Philippine mission said they found "several
crowded. But whole communities of gypsies from surrounding islands for preserving hundreds of square miles of forests". Forming the she would be making $1,500 a month. Annualised, that would be
noteworthy inconSistencies" in the hospital's laboratory charts, includ
who lost their homelands to tourism have moved in. Without official embryo of a powerful lobby, the number of Manaus travel agencies 24 times the Philippines' per-capita GNP. She had written home only
ing Sioson's fever pattern and coma scale. They also said records
documents to prove their claim, ignorant of their rights and fearful catering to tourists quadrupled in the last five years to 67. By 1999, once. Life as a dancer at the night club in Fukushima prefecture,
given to the Philippine labour attache showed that Sioson was
of the authorities, they can be moved without much prompting. tourism is expected to become the state's largest source of 200 km north of Tokyo, hadn't turned out as expected. In the July
attended to by a team of doctors from Sept. 7 to 14. But "no record
international exchange. letter she complained that her salary was being held back. "I can't
was ever submitted regarding the medical attention she received
The journey of the displaced gypsies might not end even here at
the Village of the New Thais. As Phuket land prices soar along with stand the situation here any more," she wrote. "I want to go home.
from Sept. 11 to 14," said the mission's report, written by NBI
its status as an international resort, there are increasing signs that All of us here want to go home. I might go crazy. Our life here is
medical-legal officer Floresto Arizala.
hard."
the gypsies are not welcome to remain. Lacking paper ownership, On his return, Torres told a press conference that the Japanese
they live here as tenants of Thai landlords, who are anxious to clear When family members saw Maricris' body, they began to question government was willing to help uncover the circumstances of Si
the land and sell it to developers. No one who has lived more than the cause of her death. The bloated, disfigured corpse at the funeral oson's death. On Oct. 23, however, Japanese police declared the
10 years on a piece of land can be forcibly evicted, but there are parlour barely resembled the young woman they had seen off at the case closed. The Philippine consular office in Japan also came under
official plans to move the whole village to an inland mangrove airport in April. The report of the Hanawa Welfare Hospital in fire. Staffers had issued statements from Siosan's Filipino co-workers
swamp. Fu~ushima, where Sioson passed away, said she died of "multiple
that no foul play was involved.
The village carpenter, whose house is ort the beachfront, has been organ failure secondary to fulminant (suddenly developed) hepatitis."
Her relatives were sceptical. The employment agency had asked In Japan the case has highlighted the poor working conditions and
forbidden to repair it. He has the wood, stacked under the house questionable labour contracts often foisted on Filipinas and other'
for years, and he has the tools, but he must live in the tiny lop them to sign an affidavit waiving their right to request an autopsy.
They had agreed. But now they demanded one. The findings of an foreign women. The labour code for well-known foreign entertainers
sided house with four other people, until such time as he cannot does not apply to hostesses. Says Matsuda Mizuho, director of a
stand it any more, and moves away of his own volition. autopsy by the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
"If we have a large contingent of people visiting the Amazon, ideas seemed to confirm their worst fears. Sioson, said the NBI report, had Tokyo women's shelter called House in Emergency for Love and
During the monsoon, the village is turned into a stinking pond, its will change," said Silvio Magalhaes Barros, President of Emamtur, died of "traumatic head injuries" and had suffered a "massive" brain Peace (HELP): "The Philippines sends their women as 'entertainers'
livestock wallowing in knee-deep water, as natural waterways are the state tourism authority. Aware of the growing tourism lobby, haemorrhage. She also had what appeared to be stab wounds on but in Japan they're 'hostesses' many involved in prostitution." Help'
filled in and its once many paths to the sea and the main road are Gilberto Mestrinho, the new governor of Amazonas state, has moved her right thigh and genitals. has provided shelter to 260 foreign women and four children this
closed off by brick walls on all sides. Drinking wells are polluted, away from the confrontational stands that the five other state year. The vast majority were Thai. But most women who call the
disease is rampant. There are walls even along the beach, making The findings were enough to hurl the death of Maricris Sioson on shelter for help are Filipinas, says Matsuda. Their complaints range
governors in Brazil's Amazon region often take on environmental to the front pages of Manila newspapers. The Philippine consul
it impossible to pull the boats up on the shore for safe-keeping when issues. from sexual and physical abuse to mistreatment and lower-than
the sea is rough. general in Tokyo, Jesus Yabes, revealed that Sioson was the 33rd stipulated salaries.
According to a recent study by the Organization of American States, Filipino "entertainer" to die in Japan since January. He did not say
"Now we have to unload our boats at the far end of the beach, where the number of foreigners participating in nature tours in the Amazon how they died. The Manila women's centre BATIS said the number Many bars in Japan are controlled by small-time gangsters. They
the resorts are, but they get angry because they say our fish is smelly basin, is expected to increase from 123,000 in 1988 to at least could be higher. The embassy's list. it noted, did not include "en bring in Thais and Filipinas to work as hostesses. Taking advantage
and scares away their tourists", the villager said. "So here we are 375,000 by 1999. A poll of 436 international travellers at Latin tertainer" Cecilia San Miguel, who died in June of a brain hemor of the women's language inability and cultural disorientation, employ
inside these walls, like animals". American airports, found that 47 percent cited nature destinations rhage. An NBI autopsy reportedly found a contusion on her head ers often confiscate their passports and return air tickets and treat
-PANOS as an important factor in vacation planning. Although tourism is and bruises on her body, although Japanese doctors said she them as virtual slaves.
labor-intensive industry, some critics predict that its benefits will suffered no such injuries. Sen. Santanina Rasul, head of the Philippine Senate Committee on
bypass the Amazonians, either the Indians or the Caboclos • Women & Family Relations, has complained about the treatment of
Brazil: Forests in the Balance peasants who fish and farm along the region's riverbanks. "All the
Besides causing a minor diplomatic row, the Sioson case has
focused attention on the plight of cash-strapped countries that Filipinas by recruitment agencies in Manila. Rasul has called for a
James Brooke profits go out of the area, and the local communities are left by depend on remittances from OV6rseas workers. It's also stirred up temporary ban on Filipino entertainers in Japan. Last week Labour
the wayside," said Diana Propper de Callejon, Brazil's representative emotional debate over whether Filipinas should be banned from Secretary Torres met with recruiters, members of non-government
With "Green Tourism" expected to triple in the Amazon basin in the to Cultural Survivial, an international organisation dedicated to organisations and officials of government overseas-workers admini
1990's, environmentalists in the region's largest city are weighing its working abroad as bar hostesses. The Japanese embassy in Manila
defending indigenous groups. "Local groups should be given invest said the club where Sioson worked "does not have a reputation as strations. They proposed that the cabinet impose a selective ban on
impact on the fate of the forest. Aided by reports of farmers burning ment shares in tour companies". Filipino performers in Japan.
the rainforest, the world's discovery of this isolated region is well a prostitution spot." Still, it's suspected that many Filipino hostesses
established. Visitors, largely Americans and Europeans, come to the In one effort, a Manaus environmental group plans to train Cabaclos in Japan are forced into prostitution. Earlier Torres, along with many Filipino contract workers, had come
Amazon to fish for piranhas, study monkeys at tree tops and fall to work as park guards and ecological guides in the Jau National Last year in Japan there were 40,000 legally recruited Filipino out strongly against a ban. Torres argued that the Philippines, with
asleep at night listening to choruses of jungle birds. Manaus, a Park, a vast wilderness area 150 miles upriver from here. "The idea "entertainers" known in the host country as "Japayuki-sans" ("Miss 4 million unemployed, can ill afford it. But for BATIS executive
humid, riverfront city that stagnated after the collapse of the rubber is that the Cabaclos will depend on the conservation of the park,which Go-to-Japans"). It's estimated that, including illegally recruited ones, director Carmelita Nuqui, no price is too high if it means saving
boom in the early 1900's, now ranks after Rio de Janeiro and Sao is the largest in Brazil," said Leonardo Lacerda, a planner with the there may be up to 90,000 in all. Japanese women's shelters report people's lives.
Paulo as the Brazilian city with the most international air links. group, the Fundacao Victoria Amazonica. - Asiaweek, 29 November, 1991.
6 11
several major projects have fallen flat.
need as it lacks basic facilities. The existing facilities are nothing
The Pacific Idea
it lost the Pacific war. In any case, the sums involved are not
for rich countries. A few million dollars goes a The Craig Nano project for the construction of an amusement park,
to write home about. Successive governments have followed a short
is a case in point. Immediately after the project was announced, four
sighted, if not warped, tourism policy. Apart from Shimla and Manali,
The Pacific idea is important for the mental well-being of the
in the PaCific. The donor can always tell no town in Himachal is geared to meet the tourist demand.
world The Pacific idea stands for a belief in the survival of innocence.
the PaCific is "important for defence purposes". hectares of land was given to a favoured promoter who was sup
12 5
the beach as it was meant to be, they could continue doing riQht to exist under law and be heard by their sovereign nation, Chile. world clothing factory, a lot better than having no means of earning If the Pacific rim countries do prosper as they expect, investment,
business with unrestricted seaview and perhaps would do better from There are further proposals in the report which could shed light on money at all. An especially good thing about tourism is that it is large or small, should not be the main problem. The main problem
all the extra people spehding more time at the beach". Sunset Rock other sources of exploitation. . infinitely expandable. A holel creates business for a lot of other may be the islanders themselves. The next paragraphs may offend
was always apopular spot fortourists enjoying the magic of abeautiful businesses, taxis, restaurants, souvenir-makers, guides. Every digit them.
The governor, a Pinochet-appointed man, allowed
sunset. Today the rocks are almost inaccessible. And, if one reaches on three giant stone statues (moais) in June of 1988, added to the GOP means less reliance on the begging bowl called The Pacific islanders have to change their ways. They suffer from,
the vantage point inspite of the arrack shop and the drunks hanging aid. And fostering tourism will make for a cleaner Pacific. It is to use a polite word, inertia. The basic needs of life are available
damaged them. After knowing of the damaae. he
around, it is difficult to stay there long enough to see the sun setting, Dossible to visualise it eventually as a huge park, a watery wilderness with minimum effort. Nobody need go hungry. There are fish in the
have yet another cast. Shortly ther which even the French will decline to test their bombs. It will no
with all the filth. remove a massive amount of rock, in collaboration with lagoon and almost anything grows in the climate of perpetual
be in danger of becoming an industrial dump. It will be nearer summer. The biggest effort may be deciding what to do with the day.
"Sunset rocks have become lavatory for the hutment dwellers and Services of Chile (CONAF) near the most extensive archaeloaical Eden encountered by Bougainville. Those who believe that life must offer more find their ambitions
the garbage dump for all those hutment restaurants," said Salladeen, site, the quarry, Rano Raraku. This is madness; there would stifled by the confines of a small island.
The tourism that exists in the Pacific has produced mixed results
manager of a local hotel and a Kovalam native. Sea Rock Beach, be many archeological treasures there, as there are many petro
commercially. Tahiti is expensive compared with, say, Hawaii. New The outstanding virtue of the islanders is
is the only sandy stretch remainig for the 'non-ITDC class'tourists. that area and it was the main activity Genter during the Caledonia is still associated with rebellion. Fiji has had the bad aoodwill. However, even this may be a mixed
Another major problem is the lack of public toilet facilities, even at Era on the island. The Council of Elders was outraged, but publicity of its military coups. The insurrection in Bougainville has not grumble
most of the restaurants. Kovalam just doesn't make it easy for the had no recourse, as they have no legal say about anything. The only cast a shadow over both Papua New Guinea and the Solomons. In
tourist. For instance, there is no tourist Information centre, not even can 'do is bring lawsuits to be heard, which is expensive In October last year George Bush was in Hawaii and saw a
the minds of those thinking about holidays, the Pacific may not seem delegation from the island states, the first time an American president
an area map or bus schedule to help the tourist. Kovaiam post office no income. all that peaceful. had agreed to such a meeting. Mr. Bush had cleared a whole day
is over three kilometres away from the tourist area. In fact, around governor holds a permanent position as director of the Island This will pass. The now famous tourist area of South-East Asia, for the islanders,prepared to endure a long list of well-founded
the bus terminal there isn't even a mail box or a coin operated public Museum. One native islander entrusted an original artifact to hi2 based on Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong, took years to come complaints about the way the Pacific was mistreated, the most
telephone booth. museum and never saw it again. The Easter Islanders are very aware to flower. Island leaders, juggling their tiny budgets, may be appalled immediate one being the use of Johnston Island for the destruction
Besides the major hotels, there isn't anywhere for the tourist to cash that their island has lost, unfairly, most of what they consider their by the cost of building hotels and the infrastructure that goes with of chemical weapons. It was a chance to shout a bit and get world
money. The availability of the facilities in these hotels is not sacred relics. they even believe that their island, as a result of this, them. But not every place wishes to be a Miami; and the numbers attention for everything that the islanders grouse about among
made known to the predominant "non-five star" tourists and consequently has been stripped almost completely of her mana (their word for coming to the Pacific will not, by Miami standards, be huge. The themselves. And what happened? " We wish you love," their leader
many tourists, out of sheer necessity, resort to the illegal exchange supernatural powers). Every native islander still believes today that appeal of small remote islands is that they are small and remote. said. Nice for a weary president. Charming. But a bit feeble.
of money. "A tourist police force was promised by the previous the moai were moved from the quarry to platforms allover the island - The Economist 16 March, 1991.
government," said Salladeen, "but we haven't seen it yet". Such via mana. The varying theories scientists have claimed as "solutions
to the Easter Island Mystery" may be as feasible as the
policing might help keep the "money changers", hotel touts, pimps,
drug pushers and other undesirable elements away from tourists. legend. The islanders deserve to have their sacred relics returned, P..--otectiV\9 Pa~adise Group and the Aga Khan Development Fund have already leased
land. Others are buying land in anticipation that the sites will
Other complaints regarding Kovalam are antisocial activities such as and to gain the right to protect their heritagE David Dahmen eventually fetch high prices.
prostitution and illegal drugs. Also the fact that pipe water supply Since the report has been filed with the UN Human stretches of unspoilt beaches, Muslim architecture and a All these proposals are being carefuily scrutinised for their possible
end at Sea Rock Beach and Hawah Beach hotels and restaurants I have been informed that Chile is working in collaboration mix of African and Arab cultures, Zanzibar is a tourist impact on water use, sanitation, the environment and culture as part
offer weI! water to its guests. Several sources, who were reluctant with Club Med to take over the beach of Anakena. This is one of company's dream. So far, however, only the backpackers have found of a new policy on environment and tourism. Some of the new hotels
to be quoted, said that urine and garbage seep into these wells and the most prestigious archeological sites in the world and the only their way to this Indian Ocean paradise 320 km off the coast of would like to offer the tourists every facility within the compound,
there are literally hundreds of dysentery cases treated in Kovalam beach the islanders may enjoy (there is only one other, tiny beach). Tanzania. This is set to change. About 30 international hotel chains, and supply most things, including workers, from abroad. An Italian
the tourist season. Club Med would provide all of its own staff and keep the beach having explored every beach from Pattaya in Thailand to Mombasa hotel chain has even planned its own private airstrip for direct flights
"treatment" and this illness is exclusively for its members. Thus, the island would not benefit at in Kenya, have applied for building permission. Like many Third from Europe.
rid of stray dogs and a!1 from this invasion, except to sell a few more moal carvings. The World countries, Tanzania desperately needs foreign exchange and But the administration is insisting that the hotel companies commit
IMllthMiC'orl encroachments of the beaches, restricting areas for beach is also considered sacred to the islanders because their tourism is a sure way of getting it. themselves to use as much local manpower as possible as well as
tiding basic necessities like clean bathrooms, tourist original ruler, King Hotu Matua, first set foot on that location when Tourism contributes a mere 5% of the island's gross national product raw materials and food from the island. Another concern is how to
Infnrmation and communication facilities are just some of the immediate he first landed. To this day islanders do not like too many noisy (, and employs 6000 people. The administration plans to boost it to protect the environment from the impact of the tourist industry.
im!,\I'Vt"lnt necessities to save Kovalam before it's too late. disrespectful activities happening there. 15% of GNP a year about US$3 million to US$4 million a year Tourists come mainly to swim in the crystal clear sea, but also to
- by 2000. With some of the most beautiful coral islands already watch the marine life a1 the magnificent coral reefs and, if possible,
- Indian Express, 6 October, 1991. Keeva Kroll, Seattle, USA (Cultural SUivival Quarterly, 13(3), 1989.}
leased, there were signs that Zanzibar would become another example to take a piece of coral back
of unplanned tourism with all the associated environmental and social Issa says: "There is a big risk that a growing number of tourists will
Chile: Sacred Ground Exploited HAVEN Srinand
OF Jha HASSLES
problems. The growing awareness of environmental issues in Africa
may have saved it from that fate.
rbm!:l"a the fragile reefs. The reefs have a greater number of
species than the rain forests. They are also immencail,
Recently I lived on Easter Island for a year and found that there Abdulrahman S. Issa, director at the Department of Environment in imMrtant to the fishing industry ofthe island." Most tourists visit
is excessive exploitation going on there. I worked briefly with the Here is God's plenty: lush-green valleys, rocky ravines, flower Zanzibar, says: "We realised that we had to pull the emergency in small boats piloted by local fishermen. These boats anchor
President of the Council of Elders, a group of natives formed of one decked meadows and snowtipped mountains to thrill the most fastidious brake. Otherwise we could have had the wnole fragile ecosystem up on the reefs using old chipped stone as anchors. Strong currents
representative from each of the 36 original island families. He was tourist. The terrain is rich with people of exotic cultures and lan spoiled. We have seen what has happened to the Kenyan coastline, make the anchor roll over the reefs, causing considerable damage.
preparing a plea to the outer world for guages. Yet the tiny Himachal Pradesh is still waitina to be discov where tourism is a serious threat to the environment." Zanzibar has The main threat 10 the reefs may be from oil and waste .
The occupation by Chile, 100 years ago, has never ered by travellers from distant shores. a rich heritaae: it is the cradle of the Swahili culture, a rich mix of Issa says: "Pollution can make them stop growing. The silt washed
for EaSler Island. None of the agreements were lived a tnougnt to developing and Indian cultures. It was populated long before the into the sea from excavation for the new beach hotels will, if we
~inal contract which was signed by force. Shanta Kumar of the BJP was arrival of the first Egyptians, Phoenicians and Persians thousands are not careful, smother the corals,which need light to grow." The
revolution, but want just treatment. Their is threatened in brimming with ideas' when he took over as chief minister. He kept of years ago. new tourism and environment policy plans controlled development
numerous respects. One being their own President Pinochet the tourism portfolio with himself and went ahead with plans for Once, the slave trade provided its main source of income. Since then zones to protect marine life.
of Chile, has been trying to gain leaal title deed to the entire revolutionising the very face of tourism. He has found the public the 640,000 inhabitants, including those of nearby Pemba island, The last remaining natura! forest in Pemba island is also at risk if
except for the village area. sector a great put-off and his one big dream is to privatise the tourism have lived mainly by spice exports and some fishing. But world prices plans to build a large hotel compound in the middle of the 200
I have filed a report with the United Nations Human Rights Com sector and to make it the leading industry. But even before he could for the main export, cloves, have fallen. Some of the hotel chains hectare forest reserve go ahead.
mission in Geneva proposing that the Council of Elders be given the get off the starting block, controversies started plaguing him and seeking approval to set up in the island such as Italy's 8aganza - Panoscope 23 March, 1991.
4 13
Thailand's Casino Bet It was the Burmese government that asked permission from the Thai
Interior Ministry to open a temprary check point at Ban Wang lao to
~~IIjut4 E~
which will contribute to the earning of foreign exchange
for the country. It will also augument the development of the
construction materials to the project site in Burina. The Vaijayanti Kulkarni economy in this area. The project is expected tb add to the employment
idea of setting up a casino in Thailand has been talked about
Interior Ministry approved the opening for two years, ending in 1993. potential for local youths and will give boost to the local arts and
fOi many years and promoted by gamblers and politicians who claim world famous AJanta and Ellora caves will soon have a new crafts such as Paithani sarees, Himroo shawls, Bidri works and the
that the country has lost a huge :3mount of money by passing up It is not yet known what kind of approvals vvill be needed for travellers
look. Thanks to the Japanese government which has extended its like.
the idea. !t has been asserted that every year, Thai citi78ns t8ke when the resort ·opens. cooperation to preserve this ancient monument
Another indication ihal ~l;lfmrt smiles on the prOject is the contractuai The total cost for this project which will be executed in two phases
B 11,52 billion out of the country for gaml;ling. But strong OOr.lOSltlon Buddhism has tor long been practised in Japan. This may be the
clause that tnat ilO concessicns will be granted tor construction
works out to Rs. 195.614 crore. Or the total cost, the state
from many quarters has always nipped any t~ians in the bUG raRson why a Japanese institution has come forward to conserve government w:11 share Rs. ~ 39.73 crore, the centre will contribute
lega! casino gambling may be a li1ilhin a 100-mile radius for the ~eriod the tnese monuments which beautifully depict scenes from the life of Rs. 32.88 crore anc the private sector Rs, 23 crore.
Thai entrepreneurs and other parties whose identities have not Buddha. Trle Ajanta caves are renowned for their mural paintings.
For the first phase of the project which will commence in 1 the
been disclosed stand to Mr. !'ras:i that t'i8 first made \I;!ith Burmese offcials The C3ves (200 BC to AD 700) are endowed with beautiful wall
Overseas Economic Cooperabon Fund (OECF) of Japan has
when he applied for :;onc8ssion under nnrne f"ric.lencilai paintings, a perfect specimen of Indian art.
It has been hinted from time to time that Thai businessmen an outlay of Rs. 75.658 crare by way of soft loan of
to open casinos along the Lootian Suphan Buri Company. It had been reported that YO: the Though unique, the Ajanta-Ellora caves do not attract as many yens carrying a nominai interest rate of 2.6 percent to be refunded
border and the Burmese border. Severai such attempts was to come from 8urma's irVe,:;Tment Cornr(jis~J'On. foreign tourists as some other popular destinations in India, such as over a period of 30 years, including a moratorium of 10 years.
idea into a reality are now underway, with the most likely candidate according to Prasit this venture With a TaJ Mahal in Agra or the beaches of Goa. This is mainly because
The loan will be advanced by OECF under bilateral agreement to
for success a project located on a Burmese island In the Golden Japanese company whOSe name ;·18 declined tu revBal. the government of India has always concentrated on the northern
be entered with the Government of India ~nder the aegis of Aid
Other SOiJrces suggest that Mr. Plasit has received funding from Golden Triangle. Another reason being the poor infrastructural
Triangle owned by a Suphan Buri businessman with connectlons to India Consortium, comprising 13 advanced countries and international
several sources, includinf.l the qambling kingpins of Mac8u, who 1cilities available at Aurangabad.
the Chat Thai party. Prasit 8hodisuthon, president of Vitavas Inter financing organisations, which recentiy announced in Paris a loan of
national Company, will neither admit nor deny that a casino will be intend to hedge their bets wilen the Portuguese enclave is returned However, a large number of domestic tourists visit these caves, $6.7 billion for various development projects in India including the
set up in his company's Golden Triangle Paradise Resort. Mr Prasit to China in eight years time. Mr. Prasit declined to discuss this. which are not yet surrounded by unhealthy commercial activities. But Ajanta-E lora Tourism Development Project
is wary that publicity willi attract criticism. Already, even the vague with the ravages of time and tourism, they are in danger of being
To minimize any possible adverse effects on the Burmese monetary The outlay for the second phase of the project which will commence
lost forever. Smoke, dust and the centuries old preservative coats
reports of the project inspired Australian police to warn last year systems, visitors to the resort will only be allowed to use currencies in 1994 is about Rs. 120 crore. The total outlay of the state
have obscured some of the Ajanta paintings. The necessity
that a casino could easily serve as a money laundering center and other than the Burmese Kyat. As for security concerns, Mr. Prasit government for the first and second phases of the project during
to preserve these caves and upgrade their surrounding was felt to
forward base for drug traffickers in the notorious Golden Triangle. says he will set up a team of one Of two hundred guards. "It wiil eight five-year plan period will be Rs. 102.85 crore, The remaining
ensure that the great heritage is properly preserved and the tourists
Sources within the Golden Triangle and other evidence confirm that be like a task force," he says. expenditure of Rs. 36.88 crore will be provided in the ninth five-year
experience is more aesthetic.
a casino will be built on the Burmese island site. Even jf it had plan. The project is expected to be completed by 1998.
Some Chiang Rai residents are hopefui that the project will benefit With this thought, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation
the will to do so, there is nothing the Thai government can do about the tourism industry in the province, which is already well-known for has prepared a project report to implement the conservation of these
- The Independent (Bombay) 14 October, 1991
the project but keep an eye on it. its natura! beauty and serenity, monuments. The state government has given the green signal for
Press reports say the contract was signed at the site in December
of that year by the Burmese Commerce Minister David Abel, and
"Villagers here are pleased to hear about this project," says Phariot
Moraha, the kamnan of Wiang sub-district, Chiang Saen district.
this ambitious project.
The package for development includes conservation of Ajanta and
PARADISE LOST
Sally Mathew
Mr Prasit on behalf of a group of Thai businessmen. Also in "They don't think that the project will lure them into something bad. Ellora caves by modern chemical treatment to prevent deterioration
attendance, these accounts say, were Chiang Rai governor Banasith They think in terms of economics. Villagers normally don't have and help preserve and enrich the environment of the region through If Chester Bowles ever had Mahabali's 'granted wish' and could
Salabsaeng, and then-deputy foreign minister Prapas Limpabandhu, money to gamble in the casino. Casino players must have massive afforestation. Also on the anvil is a plan for the all round return to Kovalam today, there wouldn't be any "athapoovu" or
who also served as a witness, hundreds of thousands of baht to play." development of the surrounding countryside through better railway 'nirapara' to greet him. Instead, he would see hundreds of vendors
The company has leased almost 3,000 rai for a 30-years period from network, better and wider black-topped roads, improved water supply and stray dogs! The 'paradise on earth' that Bowles found on the
~nd sewerage, supply of electricity, modern eiectronic telephone sands of Kovalam beach is going fast and so is the beach
the Burmese government. The site will house a 300 room hotel, a
business and trading complex, an 18-hole golf course, a shopping ;changes and telex services. The project also envisages the setting itself, taking the tourists with it!
center, a helicopter pad, a hovercraft dock, gardens, an arena and ThirdGJQba~:C:~n9r~ss. Honolulu.. ''., ". ' , .,>
up of reception centres for visitors and provision of allied facilities
such as landscaping, battery-operated car coaches and shuttles to
Hawah Beach, the gOO-metre stretch between Vizhinjam lighthouse
a hospital. About SO~d"~ptelft()m,.~~countrlesmetduring Noyemb~r<; and Sea Rock Beach, was once a sparkling sandy beach with the
. 3~8. 1991)tQr:ff1e~~()fni~HQpd$ tor.Quanty Tqudsm"CQJ)gre~s . reduce pollution, training courses for guides and computerised lighthouse point and sunset rocks serving as a beguiling backdrop.
What attracts particLlar attention is that Mr Prasit is confident that OtfleritagelnteiprefCltion Inter~tiOnQt A ~ocurru!mtterm~ management of tourists arrival, stay and departures. That beach does not exist anymore. In its prace is a gOO-metre row
the hotel can be opened for service by end of this year, or early 'TheHon()fUt~;~rter'1 e'nclofslngtherOles'· of herlt(Jgeil'lt.,r~ of rickety and unsightly huts housing over 24 restaurants and 10
The facilities will also include a
next year at the latest. pretotiOI'\~~J!)re"'lVatlonJn qUOlltytouri$mex~rjenot$.·'·
standard. An institute for study of rock-cut caves and sculptures will shops. Now, if you need to go from Sea Rock Beach to the
.' was drotteClbYtl1e <;ongre$sond is belngtronlmitte,dtothe •.
"The rental fee for the concession area is US $30 million for a United Natl9n$with (ff"flliit ot 5ignatQiies~ . .. also be set up. Besides, there will be meditation centres, viharas lighthouse you must either walk in the water or throuah the inside
30 year period, and the company has to pay tax to the Burmese and facilities for scholars and hails to hold lectures, seminars and of several restaurants.
government when the project starts producing income", Mr Prasit The Power of Images: Matkefing Tourism in the
conferences. Adith Kumar owns a hotel on Light House Road, just off Hawah
reveals. But because this is a 100-percent foreign- owned invest 1990's London.
Provision will also be made for parking cars, restaurants, rest places, Beach. He said, "In mid-1989, the State Government clamped down
ment, the government reduces the tax by half to only 15 percent. This 2-day conference to be held in Roehampton, on J,and 4
picnic spots, parks and recreational facilities, Craft centres, shopping on the unauthorised encroachement of the beach and a demolition
The project will also enjoy a tax holiday for its first eight years" September 1992 involves key personnel from tourism busi.
comp:exes and an amphitheatre are also planned. squad arrived on the site. But, alas, politics got the best of sanity
ness cmdeducotion considering issues affecting the future of
and the hutment owners, through the local MLA, who was then a
Mr Prasit says that the total investment cost for this project is about marketing tourism. It is intended for all those involved in
All these facilities will be set up at a distance ot at least 4 km from
83 billion and the entire project should be cornpleted in 1995. He the Ajanta caves so as not to disturb the tranquility and serenity minister, and the local Panchayat member managed to get a 'stay'
tourism/leisure - lecturers, tour operators, tourism boards;
brags that the terms of tile contract make the 3000-rai site his virtual of the monument. Industrial and other activities within specified and the demolition squad was sent away". The stav still remains in
NGOs. studonts etc. For further Information contact: Or. John
fi~fdQ!')1, where his word is fiat. High-r::ml-i, Eode, D!gbV Stuart Collegs, RCGhompton :nstltute,Roehamp
,'adiiJs h}fil the f1IOiil.dTlents ~vill be disailowed so as tc ITlaintain the effect.
said to be very enthusiastic about the ton Lone. LondonSW 15 SPH. Tel: 081·876·8273.
ecological balance of the project area. According to Kumar, tile demolition would not hlil1 anyone, He s'aid,
followed the progress of construction. A light and sound show at the famous fort of Daulatabad will also "the owners of most of these hut-restaurants and shops own the
be introduced. The proj8ct is expected to give a massive thrust to property behind too, If they would move back to th:::ir property,
14 3
by then local politicians with an eye on the potential vote-bank had
got into the act. The Gujjars were persuaded to stick on.
officials. O~ik~U~{.~
tion, and safeguarding the valuable acquifers that exist along the
coastal stretch.
The pahadi villages are inhabitated mainly by women, children and
M. K. Chandra Bose
Like the Gujjars, the elephants have been locked into the national old men. The breadwinners have moved to big cities in search of The scenic and archaeological importance' of the stretch attracts
park. While the elephant population is on the rise, the fragmentation lucrative jobs, often working as domestic servants and sending their Away from the din and bustle of Madras city lies the enchanting significant tourist traffic. Various kinds of recreational facilities have
of habitat with the growth of cities and townships means that the meagre savings back home. During the winter months it is not beach resort of Mamallapuram dotted with monuments which are come up along the coast to meet the needs of the tourist influx such
pachyderms are no longer free to roam around northern India in uncommon for pahadis to migrate temporarily to the plains from the finest examples of Pallava architecture. Tourists come in droves as hotel complexes, beach cottages, and the snake and crocodile
search of fodder and water. Desperate for food and made ill the less hospitable hills. In Haldwani, the pahadis would spread over from all over the world round the year to this spot, considered one farms. This has brought in 3 chain reaction giving a boost to the
tempered by the restricted space, the elephants have begun marauding the Bindukheda region, setting up temporary homes in the forest. of the centres of world heritage. One of the best beaches in the commercial activities all along the route.
villages and fields in search of fodder. In 1977 the UP Government decided that it might be better to world, the 56 km long Madras-Mamallapuram coastline offers great Though tourism is proposed to be expanded to bring prosperity to
The elephants could be free to move about again if the Uttar Pradesh earmark some 20 hectares of land specifically for the winter abode potential for multifarious growth. It is a 10 km wide belt between the area and also to earn valuable foreign exchange, the question
government speeds up work on the creation of two corridors through of the pahadis rather than have them spread all over the forest. By the Bay of Bengal and the Buckingham Canal with a population of is that of the capacity of environment to take up the load without
which the elephants could move in and out of Motichur, Chilla and 1991 these 20 hectares have expanded to 3,500 hectares and this 1,65,000 inhabiting 69 villages. being adversely affected. Now, on normal days about 3,000 tourists
further to the Kansrao and Lansdowne forests. temporary shelter has grown into a mini-township. Burnt tree stumps How to ensure development of the area for the optimllm realisation visit the place. On holidays, the number goes up to about 9,000.
seem to be the only pointer to the forest that once existed at of tourism potential without leaving any scars on the environment The experience of Mahableshwar, Goa and other tourist centres
For centuries, people have lived in forests without disturbing the shows that overcrowding destroys the tranquilty and the recreational
ecological balance. Many tribal cultures have evolved religions and Bindukheda. has been a major challenge for the planners. Their task is all the
more difficult as the area is environmentally fragile and the devel quality of the resort. The large water body comprising the back water
lifestyles based on animalistic and naturalistic traditions. The natural No government or politician with a desire to continue in power is opment hitherto haphazard. Right from 1972, the Tamil Nadu govern has the potential for being developed into a sanctuary for birds. This
resources of the forest have served the tribals well, and on their part going to dislodge the encroachers. Whlle some 2,700 cases have ment initiated several measures to regulate developments along the water body is slowly being filled with building debris from Madras.
the tribals have not exploited these resources. But the growth in been registered against various illegal occupants, the courts have coast. But lack of enforcement of various legislative measures The STEM study says that the over exploitation of ground water of
population and the simultaneous rise of cities and townships have passed orders of eviction against 1,600 of them. against the haphazard development on the coastline has nullified the coastal stretch may lead to water shortage in the area and warns
been at the cost of our forests. But for the demoralised forest staff the biggest threats are often the government efforts. of severe drought if the practice is not checked. It suggests a well
Poor as they are, the Gujjars have so far not fallen into the clutches posed from within. As with most bureaucratic services, the Indian In this respect, the notification of the Union government on July 27 planned water management strategy to avert such a situation. The
of unscrupulous timber merchants. But in Haldwani, the villagers Forest Service is ridden with factionalism and favouritism. Then last year in regard to regulation of development along coastal area is rich in acquiters providing excellent drinking water. Since the
have learnt long ago that it is far more lucrative to cut a tree and there is the problem of weeding out inefficient and corrupt staff, no stretches of India was a landmark. Meanwhile, the ministry of existing level of ground water may not be sufficient even to meet
sell it to timber merchants from Bombay and Delhi than slog it out easy task in the government as Anand Singh Negi, field director of environment and forests initiated project studies for specific coastal the growing demands of tourists, the study calls for drastic reduction
in the fields for Rs 30 often less, a day. Project Tiger at Corbett National Park, has found out. As the first stretches. The task of formulating an environment management plan in the withdrawal of water to meet the needs of Madras. Besides,
Forest officals complain that they simply do not have the means national park in the country and one constantly in the limelight, for the Madras-Mamallapuram coast was entrusted to the centre for the over-exploitation of ground water will lead to the intrusion of
to throw the book at the timber mafia operating in Haldwani. poaching is more or less curtailed in Corbett. If at all there is an Symbiosis of Technology, Environment and Management (STEM). saline water into the acquifers.
Rangers have neither guns nor wireless sets. Nor do they have the ideal national park in the country, Corbett comes close to fittina the The project report prepared by a 17 member team of experts led The report finds that the piOblem of pollution in the Madras
power to confiscate vehicles as is done in Karnataka. According to bill. Timber poaching is more or less at a standstill. by Prof, B. Bhaskara Rao, the prinCipal investigator and submitted Mamallapuram coastal stretch is largely that of water and land
the Indian Forest Act 1927, timber poachers are let off after paying The real problem posed to Corbett is the continued existence of a to the government in January last says it is intended to reflect what Unhygenic methods of waste disposal and industrial efflu
a fine of 20 times the value of the wood apprehended. "We can only colony built originally to house irrigation staff working on the construction actually should go into planning of developmental projects commen ents contribute to the problem. An integrated drainage system and
slap on a fine, which is always paid in hard cash. Chances are of the Kalagarh dam on the Ramganga river which runs through the surate with environmental sustainability. The plan is evolved in the more scientific methods of waste disposal are suggested as the
that within a month we will catch the same gang taking wood out park. hope that it may be useful for establishing an analytical process for remedy. The study recommends stricter enforcement of guidelines
in the same truck" bemoans an official. decision makers and implementing agencies. on development, keeping in view the local needs and the creation
The forests of Uttar Pradesh, particularly the Terai belt, have become of nodal agencies for the purpose.
the record, forest officials also claim that there is a nexus grounds for terrorists from adjoining Punjab. Much of the The evergrowng metropolis of Madras has cast its shadow on the
between the timber mafia and the police, timber mafia and politicians illegal activity, from illegal timber felling to ganja making, is currently predominantly rural coastal stretch. In the North,the pressure of urban - Illustrated Weekly of India 14·20 December, 1991.
and the timber mafia and forest officials. Rumour has it that postings being carried out in the name of the terrorists. growth are increasingly felt while from the South, where the Kal
in such police chowkies as Rehar thana in Bijnor distict where timber The Wildlife (protection) Amendment Bill, 1991, moved by Ministpr pakkam atomic plant is located similar pressures are in the offing.
poaching is rampant, don't come cheap and the police is willing to of state of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Kamal Nctl ','he study points out that pressure on land for urban use and water
cough up substantial amounts of money to get these plum postings, aims to broaden the scope and outlook of the previous act. The new to supplement the growing water and land requirements of the city's
as they are confident they wiil soon recover their initial 'investment'. increasing population are leading to unregulated and imbalanced
act, passed by both houses during the last parliamentary session development and pollution of natural resources. Builders and land
Politicians too are chary of getting on the wrong side of the timber covers not only animals and birds, but. for the first time. rare and developers are invading the canal and backwater zone, besides the
mafia, which has proved to be extremely generous during election endangered plants as well. beach. Reclamation and conversion of land for urban use are widely
Haldwani, which comes under the Nainital constituency, has But the main problem remains: that of creating an awareness of the resorted to. Consequently, the inherent unity in the drainage network
been the hunting ground of such stalwarts as the former Uttar importance of forests and of maintaining an ecological balance. It and the water bodies is disturbed.
Pradesh chief minister, Narain Dutt Tiwari. And even he has been is not enough to merely pay lip service to the environment and make
or unwilling, to stem the rot. Being in the hinterland of Madras city, the agricultural production
children learn poems about the importance of planting trees. Across pattern of the area would be determined by the demands of the
It is more difficult to prove a collusion between forest officials and the board, from magistrates to architects, from legislators to bureaucrats, metropolis. The study foresees that the crop pattern will gradually
timber poachers. Officials young and idealistic, or foolish enough the message has got to be hammered home that unless human change to cash crops, market gardening and horticulture. In this
to apprehend poachers and try and put an end to the illegal practice, encroachments are dealt with humanely but firmly, unless tree felling connection, the diminishing income from fishing and traditional farming
have learnt the hard way that it is perhaps better to em ulate the is stopped both by punitive action and the creation of a social and the dwindling of the area under agriculture are significant.
three monkeys in the popular story that saw, heard and spoke no
movement, unless we recognise the right of animals to live and roam
According to the report, urban expansion, mostly in the private sector,
evil.
freely in sanctuaries and national parks, we are going to rapidly be has been enveloping village after village and very substantial changes
Given that in most cases they are helpless to stop timber poaching,
converted into a wasteland. No amount of legislation is going to have taken place in the economic, social and physical structures in
it is not surprising that some forest officals resigned to the system
stop the slide downward, but, perhaps, it is still not too late. these areas. The Tamil Nadu government's efforts had three objec
will accept an inam for looking the other way. The stakes are
tives: preservation of scenic beauty, development of water front
high enough for the timber poachers to be generous with obliging
- SUNDAY 3·9 NOVEMBER, 1991. recreation possibilities without causing land, water or marine
2 15
NETWOKK vU? invite Network members to contribute to the Network letter
by sharing their work Ideas and plans through these pages:'
NEWS Communication is vital to the Irle ofa Network especia/~v when
ROUNDUP physical d':'itances cannot easily be brtdgedby dO_fer COnfacts_
of local action by concerned peopie from the proposals that emerged hosts, land-use conflict, environmental impact, and the North/South iently laid at the doorstep ofthe global economic
and intelligently, we must move away from the
during the discussions. divide. Examples of 'Alternative Tourism' and ideas about education monster; bonded labour, deforestation, eco-de emerging world view that the problem is exter
for future travel is also presented. Case studies on Bali, Turkey, the struction, tribals, women, tourism, children,
nal, sinco such a view is precisely being pro
Norfolk Broads, and the exploitation of women in Southeast Asia, acculturation, N-encrgy, what have you. Blame
pounded by reactionary politicians today in
Third World Tourism and Dakshina Kannada, Manga\ore. the multinationals, point a finger at the US order to take the focus away from the me5S
A seminar was organised by YANA, a group based in Mangalore, together with a variety of maps, graphs, and newspaper extracts,
hegemony over the UN, say no to the Japanese within.
on 15, September 1991. EQUATIONS made presentations on "Global provide students with discussion material.
yen. This is the theme of our ill-begotten times. S dl h d f h' . . h .
Tourism and India's Tourism Policy" and "Tourism Plans and Projects econ y, t e anger 0 t IS VIew IS t at It sees
The Economic Effects of Tourism in Goa, with a micro-study on Although thore is nothing essentially incorrect people in a limited perspective: as victims,
of Karnataka". Other topics addressed were on 'Beach Tourism', employment in the hotel sector, Harm Zebregs, Tifburg, September in this line of reasoning, it is limited in certain rather than as arbiters of their own future.
'T ourism Plans in Dakshina Kannada' and on the 'People's Resistance 1991, pp. 90. important respects. Primary is the question of And since they are seen as victims, there must
in Goa'. Participants were drawn from a wide spectrum of interests, This thesis studies the development of tourism in Third World responsibility and accountability. Why, for ex- necessarily emerge a class of saviours - per
representing NGOs, management and social work institutes, countries and examines the economic effects of tourism in the state ample, is the 'monster' seen only as being 'out haps ourselves.
researchers, educationists and other concerned individuals. of Goa, India. It also includes an analysiS of the economic benefits there'? Why are all the factors external to our "
and costs of tourism. Two reports are discussed, which have studied milieu? What about our responsibility in hav- WIth .all the nOIse of IMF'tWB diktats sur
Conference on The Rights of the Child, Calcutta. ing allowed matters to have come to t'his pass? ro:mdmg us now, we mus~ focus once agai? on
the macro economic effects of the tourist sector in Goa.
What is it within us - as a society that we stIll unresolv?d struc.tural. Issue~: land ~e!atlO?S;
The Conference, held between 21 st - 24th November 1991, focussed
TOE-DOC, No. 3, Tourism, Development and Environment Project, so easily fall prey to the machinations of gov- .,t, lo~al ~nd regional eht~s) .mclud~ng rel~gIous m
on the 'Role of NGOs in implementing the UN Convention on Rights "nments and institutions far removed from ~-..:-,-.,..-. . stItutlOns; the dram~tlC nse ofr:gh~-wmg forces
of the Child, with participants from 5 South Asian nations. It exam ECTWT, P.o. Box 24, Chorakhebua, Bangkok 10230, Jan 1991. 7(1
.? under a vanety of garbs; and the growmg centrahsatIOn of power
ined existing laws, levels of implementation as also the efficacy of pp. """ and authority within our country.
such executive action. K. T. Suresh, representing both EQUATIONS The first part of this edition of TOE-DOC, "Tourism Trends", bigh Undoubtedly, the new economic policies and priorities being fol
lights the plans and programs for the Visit ASEAN Year 1992, while lowed by our government - under possible international pres That is the choice we are faced with, and the reasons are clear.
and ECPAT, made a presentation (co-authored with Rico Noronha) Moral indignation is an insufficient response to social injustice.
on the growing nexus between tourism and child prostitution, fo the "Golf Course and Resort Monitor" focusses on the impact of golf sures - will bring greater marginalisation and suffering for the
cussing on the Freddy Peat case in Goa. courses and mega-resort-projects in Malaysia. The last part "Towards Paul Gonsalves
Sustainable Tourism" deals with the pros and cons of "eco-tourism",
illustrating two examples of environmental management in Nepal and
AII·lndia Consultation of Tourism in India, Goa.
A 6-day consultation was organised by the Labour Commission of Thailand. No home on the range
the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) and the Archdiocese /Visit India Year' and 'Visit Indonesia Year', A comparative Namita Khanna
of Goa on "The Human Cost in Modern Tourism - A Challenge to study of Imagery, Anne Badger, Roehampton Institute of Higher
all Religions". It called for a greater say to the people at the Education, England, 1991 86 pp. like Mir Ali, the 512 Gujjar families who have lived for centuries elephants in north India, is to be declared a full-fledged national park,
grassroots level in determining the criteria that is acceptable to them. 1991 being both 'Visit India Year' and 'Visit Indonesia Year', the in the forests near Dehra Dun are understandably nervous about the Gujjars and their cattle will have to move out. Once a part of
,. . . . ..' .
Our new contact numbers:
Phone 812-S82313
1
.... author has chosen to examine the imagery of both promotional
campaigns. The deciSion to hold a tourism year is analysed in a
historical and global context with reference to colonialism and issues
being asked to move out to a spanking new concrete colony built
for them near the city of God, Haridwar. And who can biame them?
Where will they keep their cattle? What of their outstanding debts
Jammu princess's dowry, the Gujjars and their cattle pose a threat
to the wildlife in the park, argue forest officials. Then there is the
problem of overgrazing. But the Gujiars have been fighting to stay
_ ~ax ~12:58~~~7...~~~ ?20~ , '" of national identity. It also highligr!!s how t~e ,images used, in both to the loca! traders in Dehra Dun district? And, most important, how on since the mid-Ei9hties when they obtained a stay from the
I el1.:Ht u84;>MUtlVU c~"'" III (Ado v(7) ) promotional campaigns reflect tne dllterent ana otten OppOSlllg Interests will lil8y iive in a Gity and wi lcil wlil happerl [0 their Olc.l WCt.y o[ lire 7 Supreme Court. Following dirpr:tivps frnm lhl? mllrt. thp, Utt::Jr
Cable EQUATIONS BANGALORE of those involved and the inequalities of their power and influence. Pradesh government built the coiony whictl mciud'::ls a school and
If the proposed Rajaji National Park, comprising the Chilla, Rajaji community hall at a cost of Rs 2.87 crores in Haridwar district. In
and Motichur sanctuaries and home to the largest population of
988, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition of the Gujjars, but
Published by; Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS), 168, 8th Main Road, Near Indiranagar Club, Bangalore-560 008. INDIA.
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