Cultural Tourism Research Project

Travel has never been easier and, as a result, more popular. Southeast Asia has become an increasingly popular tourist destination because the region is culturally rich yet financially affordable. The economic boom, however, has resulted in environmental and social costs for both tourist areas as well as local cultures that are being “loved to death.”

Cultural tourism, in particular, has been promoted as a way for indigenous peoples such as the Igorots of the Northern Philippines to transition from “traditional” societies and become more integrated into the modern world. The younger generations are the most vulnerable because they are caught between two very different worlds. The rapid growth of cultural tourism is emblematic of globalization processes that make the world a smaller place.

This research project offers a compelling case study of the myriad of ways in which the local and the global are both inextricably linked and mutually constitutive. The digital stories highlight the perspectives of scholars, community leaders, and local stakeholders.

Tourists flock to the popular destination of Baguio, often referred to as “the summer capital of the Philippines,” to dress in indigenous costumes and pay Igorot people to pose for photographs that will invariably be shared in various social media platforms. The issue is not simply the assimilation of the other but rather who is assimilating whom.

Likewise, the Batad rice terraces are a UNESCO World Heritage Site that have been hailed as “The Eighth Wonder of the World.” The site was not easily accessible since the remote location required an arduous 3-hour trek. However, all of that has changed with the construction of a road leading directly to the terraces. The residents of Batad unwittingly find themselves in a double bind: they face an uncertain future if they do not reconcile the expectations of tourists for an idealized past.

Student Collaborators

• 2015
  • Jon Funder (’17)
  • Bradley Raynor (’16)
  • Anton Janezich (’15)
• 2016
  • Camila Velasquez (’16)
  • Bradley Raynor (’16)
  • Alexandra Hansen (’17)
  • Hannah Echt (’17)
  • Shaun Stewart (’17)
  • Jenna Rochelle (’17)
  • Lauren Michael (’17)
• 2017
  • Elise Tran (’18)
  • Gabriella Eugenio (’18)
  • Justin Sun (’19)
  • Tevin Harris (’18)
  • Malik Pilcher (’18)

Funding Sources

• ASIANetwork Student-Faculty Fellows Program (2016)
• Kenyon Summer Science Scholars Program (2015/2016/2017)
• Kenyon Summer Scholars Program (2015/2016/2017)
• Kenyon Summer Cascade Science Scholars Program (2017)
• Kenyon Anthropology True-Raffoul Scholarship (2017)