Tourism the Mentawai Archipelago Surfing Industry

1. When examining the case of the Mentawai archipelago and the development of the local tourism industry through the promotion of the area as a surfing venue, it can be seen that instead of developing its own tourism industry by encouraging local entrepreneurship the local government in effect gave away the capacity for local resorts to flourish in order to encourage foreign investment.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Tourism: the Mentawai Archipelago Surfing Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This was done through legislation aimed at encouraging foreign investment through the privatization of capacity control which would see charter numbers limited, up market resorts favored with capacity linked exclusion zones, and small-scale local operations deemed unlawful (Ponting, McDonald, And Wearing 2005, p. 12). This limited capacity for local entry is similar to the case of the core and periphery system w hich is a predominant feature of neo-colonialism wherein the ability of former colonies to compete in the international market is hampered through their relegation into being resource suppliers instead of being end product manufacturers like their colonial power counterparts. While neo-colonialism does this through international laws, property rights and economic supremacy, in the case of the Mentawi archipelago this accomplished through local laws and legislation which was ironically pushed forth by the local government itself. Furthermore, the â€Å"dependence factor† seen in the case of neo-colonialism where former colonies are dependent on the manufactured goods of the colonial powers can similarly be seen wherein the local tourism industry is dependent on foreign companies and their chartered boat fleets, tour packages, and international promotional activities to bring tourists to the island albeit to foreign controlled resorts and establishments. 2. The term ‘trag edy of the commons’ applies to the Mentawai surfing industry through the exclusion of locals from being able to fully reap the benefits of their natural resources. Similar to what is seen in the case of the core and periphery system of neo-colonialism, Mentawi becomes a resource supplier instead of being an end product maker. The product in this particular instance takes the form of a locally owned tourism industry. Despite the richness and beauty of the local landscape and its ideal conditions for surfing, locals find it difficult if not impossible to sufficiently penetrate the local tourism industry due to the predominance of foreign owned resorts and establishments as well as local legislation which prevents small operations from flourishing.Advertising Looking for assessment on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More 3. a.) Promotion of the local destination to international consumers resulting in an influx of foreign income through the purchase of local products and the hiring of local workers b.) Development of numerous resorts resulting in more job opportunities for local construction firms and construction workers Solution: The main problem with the two factors that were listed is that while they do benefit locals they benefit the foreign owners of the resorts even more since a majority of the foreign income that comes from tourists goes directly to the resort owners. To prevent such an issue in the case of the Mentawai archipelago, limitations on foreign ownership should be implemented. This can be seen in the case of the Philippines wherein they adopted a 60/40 ownership scheme for joint ventures wherein the largest percentage of ownership would go to a local. This ensures that more foreign capital can flow into the local economy which would greatly benefit the Mentawai archipelago resulting in a better economic situation for everyone concerned instead of to just the forei gn owners as seen in the current case. Reference List Ponting, J McDonald, M and Wearing, S 2005, ‘Deconstructing Wonderland: Surfing Tourism in Indonesia’, Society and Leisure, vol. 28. No. 1, pp. 141 – 162 This assessment on Tourism: the Mentawai Archipelago Surfing Industry was written and submitted by user Aryanna V. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.