A Study on the Dynamism of Tourization and De-tourization in the Age of Globalization

Keywords

Tourism　,　De-tourization　,　Globalization　

Objectives

The objective of this research project is to facilitate a new theoretical turning point for ever-diversifying and ever-expanding tourism phenomena from a cultural anthropology approach.
Since the 1980s, cultural anthropology has looked at the phenomenon of tourism. However, while researchers have achieved new theoretical developments in the sociology of tourism by linking tourism to John Urry and Scott Lash’s theories on globalization, existing state of tourism has not been adequately understood in anthropology, and tourism research in the field has been stagnant since the 2000s.
Today the forms of tourism are even more diverse: “dark tourism” that conveys the history of tragedies such as a war to the next generation, “migration tourism” that encourages visitors to think about migration, “eco-tourism” that educates visitors about the co-existence of nature and humans, “contents tourism” that facilitates interaction between works such as anime and their fans, and “regional culture tourism” that revives communities that have fallen into decline. Each of these had previously been completely separate cultural phenomena, but are gradually becoming included into the context of “tourism.”
On the other hand, phenomena that had previously been discussed within the context of tourism have come under restrictions and shifted away from that context due to factors such as environmental degradation and increasing conflicts between local residents and tourists.
This research project will define such processes under the concepts of “tourization” and “de-tourization,” and examine them in depth. Specifically, we aim to: (1) empirically consider in detail how cases within and outside Japan have been included in or excluded from the context of “tourism” and (2) build a new perspective on the basis of anthropology as a whole while taking a critical look at arguments on globalization.

Research Results

This joint research project was conducted over three and a half years from October 2019 to March 2023, with a one-year extension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the exception of fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2022, all research meetings were held via videoconference due to the spread of COVID-19 infection. In addition, the pandemic made it impossible for project members to conduct almost all of the overseas fieldwork originally planned. Accordingly, the project plan was revised, and using past research conducted by each member and the results of domestic fieldwork, which was partially possible, the following results were obtained by analyzing these cases using theories from anthropology and adjacent fields.
(1) Construction of theories on tourization and de-tourization
In contrast to trend toward “tourization,” which has conventionally been regarded as irreversible, this joint research project presented a new perspective of “de-tourization,” which involves the reduction, cessation, and repositioning of tourism. The relationship between these two concepts is not adversarial, but inextricably linked, like the two sides of a coin, with fluctuations and unevenness toward either side occurring depending on societal conditions. Tourism is a phenomenon which is related to, affects, and shifts according to the circumstances in society.
(2) Methodological renewal of the anthropological study of tourism
The study explored the current stagnation in the anthropological study of tourism by examining two areas: the sociology of tourism and mobility studies, which emphasize the construction of social theory, and tourism management and administration, which are both community-based and profit-driven, and examined ways to renew the methodology of the anthropological study of tourism. Two possibilities identified were: (a) obtaining information on not only short-term guests but also long-term hosts to further advance the “host/guest” theory by focusing on the interaction and relationship between the two, and (b) proactively utilizing ethnographic information that cannot be incorporated into social theory and does not generate profit in the phenomenon of tourism by drawing an auxiliary line of “de-tourization.”
(3) Potential for tourism as a “positive phenomenon” that counteracts social divisions
Amid growing attention to the negative effects of tourism, such as overtourism and environmental destruction, this research project presented an ethnographic case study in the tourism field regarding the ways in which tourism acts as a “positive phenomenon”. In particular, the study indicated that many of the connections and relationships that existed prior to the emergence of solidarity and community can be seen in incidental communication occurring in tourist destinations, and that such communication originates in a time and space distinct from the social divisions that currently exist.