Destination change influences

A sustainable approach to tourism planning is not evident in many parts of Vietnam and Cambodia, as there is generally always a large negative impact on the environment, some social instability and even some economic loss.

I believe Vietnam as a tourist destination is in the development stage, as there is a bit of external involvement but the local community is still relatively involved. Whereas Cambodia is in the exploration and involvement stage, as many venturers and near-venturers are still discovering it as a great cultural holiday destination.  

Sociocultural Impacts

The concept of authenticity is a large issue in South East Asia, due to the enormous amount of souvenir knock-offs. The small amount of pure authenticity means there is a greater perception of everything being sold being of a contrived nature. The product is not authentic and is not perceived to be so. There is even an essence of denial, when a product is authentic but is not deemed to be by the tourist.

Many sociocultural impacts were evident during my travels. A boom in western tourists in South East Asia has lead to an erosion of local dialect and a disruption of local culture. It has however provided an improvement in infrastructure in some specific high-tourist areas, such as Siem Reap.

Environmental Impacts

Tourism in Vietnam and Cambodia has lead to many environmental impacts, mainly negative. The temples near Siem Reap are visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists each year, and the lack of conservation policies and visitor regulations means they are getting more and more decrepit with every tourist that visits. Halong Bay, although a recognised UNESCO World Heritage site is very negatively impacted by tourism, mainly by pollution from tourist junk boats and rubbish they leave behind. Thus there is a conflict between the tourism industry and environmental conservationists.

Economic impacts

Many positive and negative economic impacts were evident on my trip. Tourism has provided the people of Vietnam and Cambodia with a way in which to diversify their economic base since the recent wars and civil unrest that has ravaged both countries. The many jobs it has created however, can be argued to be ‘bad’ as they are reliant on seasonality and there is high competition between hotels and tourist attractions, thus leading to very low incomes.

Tourism industry breadth

The common elements in the tourism industry were obvious during my trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. The facilities and attractions (the hotels we stayed at, the museums, galleries, temples and churches we visited) were part of the product at the destination. Aeroplanes, taxis and trains enabled us to travel to and from our destinations and the many shop owners, hotel attendees and restaurant waiters were the human component of our experience.

Many places in Vietnam and Cambodia can be considered part of the primary tourism industry. This was most obvious at Halong Bay in Vietnam and the Temples in Cambodia, both of which rely completely on tourism for economic survival. The many hotels we stayed at are also part of this primary sector.

There were however, many examples of the secondary tourism industry, such as the banks we visited to withdraw money, the taxis we used for transport, the restaurants we ate at every night and the markets/stalls we bought food from.

This is a blog that follows my personal experience travelling around Vietnam and Cambodia and how it related to the study of tourism.