EQUATIONS, an Indian NGO enters its 17^th year of experience and existence in critiquing tourism issues in India. It is challenged by several concerns on the horizon today, a scenario that is likely to persist and extend in both magnitude and implications as we enter the 21^st century.

Towards a critique of tourism

In the context of neo-colonisation

• tourism has to be viewed in the context of a development model which has a political character;

• tourism development has taken place along with increased elitism, authoritarianism, militarism and various forms of State repression in different parts of the World: all of these are threats to the culture, economy and empowerment of communities:

• tourism development along with globalisation process threatens the sovereignty of a nation (in the broadest definition of nation)

• tourism eulogises a certain consumptive and luxurious lifestyle which is unsustainable by any means:

• tourism promotes net outflow of capital to global market economy especially to the so-called developed nations.

• tourism is based on the objectified view of the world where beaches, sanctuaries and so on are seen as objects of pleasure which negates the sanctity of the objects as well as of possible meaningful relationships between peoples' and their environments.

EQUATIONS seeks a world where wealth, resources and benefits are much more equitably distributed between North and South. Our vision of tourism fits within that framework. While there is no one transposable model which will work in all situations, we are working toward tourism which:

• bring economic benefits directly to all segments of the host community, particularly including women and indigenous peoples;

• is subject to local, democratic control, so that communities are making their own decisions about how tourism should be permitted and regulated;

• is integrated into other community activities, so that it is culturally appropriate and sensitive to the inequalities between hosts and guests;

• enriches both host (economically, developmentally and in terms of control) and guests (culturally, re-creationally).

This is in contrast to many current tourism models, which are imposed from the North, require the extensive use of imports, are overly commercialised, and reinforce inequities rather than challenges them.

EQUATIONS sees tourism not as a means to bring Southern communities into the Northern mainstream, but rather as one of the ways to work toward a more just world.

The varying roles that EQUATIONS plays includes advocacy, centre for information resources, educator watchdog, helping hand, publisher and producer of materials.

Contact: K.T. Suresh, Equations (Equitable Tourism Option) 198, 2nd Cross, Church Road, New Thippasandra, Bangalore - 560.075 India
Tel/ Fax: +91.080.528.2313
E-mail : -info@equitabletourism.org
Website: www.equitabletourism.org

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