Tourism and Transformation of Local Cultural Values. A Study Based on Mobilities Approach in Sri Lanka

Abstract or Introduction

Ever since homo-erectus moved out from Africa, human species have been moving around the globe contributing to shape and reshape the cultural landscape of space. Tourism and culture are deeply interconnected to spatial and temporal variations, making it is hard to understand in isolation. Previous studies which are conceptual in nature suggest that macro level movement of populations, material, capital and physical objects, technological relocations, information, communication, ideas and image transfers, temporal transformations of residents through daily movements are common forms of Tourism Driven Mobilities (TDM) that transform cultural values of local residents.

Recent tourism driven mobilities intersect the traditional socio-cultural borders and expose distinctive way of life of remote societies. This evolving temporal-spatial patterns claim novel approaches of social inquiry. Studying tourism and cultural alterations through mobilities approach is new to scientific community. Thus, transformation of local cultural values caused by TDM and local residents’ attitudes on tourism through mobilities approach at destinations appealed for elucidation. Our study examines the globally driven tourism mobilities and their impacts in modifying local cultural values as seen from various perspectives. The research questions were answered through anthropologic approach of TDM at national and in community specific level to understand the complex nexus between tourism and community cultural values which was completed through two pre-qualitative case studies; development, calibration and validation of a scale; modeling TDM and residents’ attitudes on tourism in two UNESCO cultural world heritage sites.

Findings indicate that capital, envisioned manipulations of community cultural elements and structures, communicative and image mobilities directed a transition of cultural hegemony from former colonial powers to emerging Asian supremacies. Indigenous community studied (Vedda) has become a susceptible tribe under influences of tourism informed cultural erosion. Spatial restructuring, hegemony, cultural commodification and governance push Vedda towards novel livelihoods altering their cultural values whilst automobilities, image, cultural commodification and geopolitical mobilities challenge their inherited temporalities.