The Cost of Tourism

Laos is a country where there are few true sights to see. Unlike other South East Asian countries where tourists go for specific reasons, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the stunning beaches of Southern Thailand, and the fascinating history of Vietnam. Laos doesn't have that draw, but it still manages to attract millions of tourists every year. Laos for many people is the old South East Asia, a place where you can get away from the masses and enjoy life as it was 50 years ago. But all that is changing. With so many tourists coming here, you're almost guaranteed to find Westerners on any rural bus or in any town or village that is listed in a guidebook. Laos being such a small country, its no wonder it difficult to see the true, old Laos. But why is that something that we want? Tour companies boast of home-stays in traditional villages and guided tours to remote villages. But this makes me uncomfortable. Scenic villages and traditional houses are charming to look at, but they are horrible to live in. Pretty girls working in the fields look quaint and colorful on postcards, but a day's backbreaking labor in the sun in barely sufficient to provide them with basic subsistence. How can we go into these villages with our expensive cameras snapping away photos to share with our friends back home just to impress on others how well traveled we are? Look at the exotic places I've been! It makes me really uncomfortable. These poor and marginalized communities are being besieged with the values, images, and materialism of affluent society and have inevitably begun to desire the same symbols of status. What effect does our presence truly have on these communities? Many would argue that it brings money into places where subsistence farming was once the way of life, allowing families to pull themselves out of absolute poverty and to send their children to school. While this is true, I also believe the presence of Westerners has a negative impact as well, one that is much deeper, hidden from the eyes of tourists, but one that is destroying communities.

Everyone has the right to pursue a better, easier life; one in which your children can grow up to be more successful than you. But where do we draw the line? How much culture, tradition, and values is it ok to sacrifice in the name of convenience and household goods like satellite TV and video games? Is it really worth ostracizing your teenage child to the city in hopes of him sending enough money home in order to buy the latest gadgets? Is it ok to keep children home from school to help run the guesthouse and restaurant that caters to the new influx of Westerners on your tiny, remote village? All this is obviously beyond the control of any single person, village, or nation. It's global urbanization that we need to somehow curtail. I'm not sure what the answer is or if there is an answer. Maybe we just need to find a way to live in this new world, a world that is getting smaller and smaller; a world where remote, untouched lands are disappearing. Tread lightly is my best advice.