Professional Documents
Culture Documents
http://www.urban-island.org
RAB, 2004
CONTENT:
1. Introduction
5. ABOUT TOURISM
5.2. On Ecotourism
6.3. Case study: Island Rab Croatia; from Roman municipium to tourist destination
1. Introduction
This project has been ensambled after a 2-year experiment in a form of cultural
activism that started on the web ( http://www.urban-island.org) in 2004. as apeal to
public to encourage long-term thinking and holistic solutions to environmental and
social issues on the island Rab by facilitating a public conversation about the future
of the island. Project has been closed in Spring 2007 and it has been archived in
form of this paper.
Project is in the field of social sciences and humanities on the theme of tourism
development in Mediterranean through the example of small croatian island of Rab.
Paper analises sustainable and non-sustainable development practices,
management, policies and specially impacts of Tourism, with emphasys on
impacts to environment and resources because of irresponsible planning.
The results of this study can be applied in formulating strategies in shaping the
organisational model of tourism, to contribute to promoting the diversification in
tourism and encourage responsible management of development strategies. It
advocates the application of principles of responsibel development and sustainable
functioning in tourism and in general. In addition,these results take into account the
numerous links and relationships existing in the immediate and broader environment
and focus on achieving business efficiency and service quality of world-class and
European standards without jeopardising the environemnt or local population.
2. POSTCARDS FROM THE PAST
CULTURE :: the ability to comprehend the world and share our understandings
through symbols among ourselves, human understanding and action that comes
from what we learn as members of society.Just as Architecture, people are also
monuments of their own time.
This part deals with the evaluation of the past, with emphasis on impact of tourism on
tourism -based contemporary environments and researches records on lived
experience in such environments. The evaluation of the impact of tourism on different
groups is the next goal yet to be researched. Speciall intzerest is taken in the issue
of ownership.. By ownership I mean the amount of investment or responsibility or
voice a participant has in the making of and the final production of an environment,
not excluding legal ownership issues of 'transitional societies' and/ or 'tribal'
sage rights. Legends, custums and myths are integral part of the research.
As Rab- born and Rab resident this work started with the question “What do I know
about my ancestors, the islanders and their way of life, culture, perception of
the world, reality before 100 years and longer?“ to continue to further question on
how do we identify and relate to heritage.
"We travel, initially, to lose ourselves, and we travel, next to find ourselves."
-- George Santyana, The Philosophy of Travel
Man is most unusual being in the natural history of Earth. Other spieces are faster, stronger and
better addapted to their environment both through their physical bodies and through instincts but
only man has the responsibility over himself, other spieces and over the natural God's order. God's
creation ought to be loved and respected, because He created it with love.
We have the ability to comprehend the world and share our understandings through symbols among
ourselves. Anthropologists, specially of american academic background named this ability of
humans 'Culture'. In this sense culture represents human understanding and action that comes from
what we learn as members of society, while Tradition is defined as agreed behaviour and
transmitted custums and beliefs among the generations. In my society ( croatian) in everyday
speech the term culture corresponds both to civilisation and tradition, thus arrising the question
whether we can distinguish between culture and tradition.
Therefore hereafter in my writings these terms often overlapp in meaning.
Preservation of the natural chain of order over frenzic progress of the modern savage or modern
predator as well as changes that the human civilisation will have to pass through just to survive,
actualise again the questions of the aspirations of man and society. However, let's first let see what
tradition / eg. culture is, then how much do we have it today and then whether the people anywhere
can posses it ( hence aquire), loose it ( hence asimilate in other, or asimilate the other’s culture) ?
Some of these thoughts can be disturbing as they shake the accepted general formula of a society.
These learned formulas define our place within one own commune as well as relate societies
between each other ( melts down to domination of the cultures unfortunately).
3.1. THE SPIRIT OF PLACE, IDENTITIES & CULTURE - the land of our ancestors
An 18 ct. widely appreciated traveller and explorer Alberto Fortis in his book 'Journey through
Dalmatia' after seeing the landscape honors the Rab islanders as being lazzy, forgeting ( not
knowing) that these 3000 thousands during his stay were just black plaque survivers of once rich
and numerouse population of 15000 that exported silk and gold to his beloved Serrenisima in 15ct.
He was amaised that they did not exploit the quars sand and admired a fine material for sculptures
and furniture in Lun's thousand year old olive threes ( Lun on island Pag was once under Rab
jurisdiction). It is not to take offense that this hired explorer and researcher of natural resources
percieves land only as a potential, a container of goods.
Dalmatia must thank this foreighner for a warm human describtion of european monsters; Morlachs
- the residents of the dalmatian hinterland, for describing genuine village life in times when literate
and rich gownsman have looked down on peasants just as black suits do today.
One can relate only to other and different. We create/ learn and transmitt culture because it helps the
community define itself in the world. I can only imagine Fortis's surprise if he, outside the roman
towns, unexpectedly came accros culture similar to his own or superior to it.
Even better, what if he in highland countryman then recognised what contemporary europeans and
world nations see in tibetan folks today.? Recognition is in the foundation of laurel and honor, but
also of the trade. Morlachi are uneducated and coarse, but warm and generouse aborigines,
sometimes romantic freebooter unimportant on the broader scale. Although descendents of the
Morlachi live, of whom many wear fancy suits and drive expensive cars, culturally Morlachi do not
exist any more, just the same as there is no more Samurai in Japan regardless the gene -pool.
Just as other societies in film industry, we have created the hybrid supstitutes of the lost too; from
etno villages, folk- groups to variouse historical events.
Interesting observation is given by Susanna Paasonen in her work Free Tourists in the Land of
Plenty? from cyberdiscourse towards politics of location; "As a term, identity implies similarity to
and difference from something, identifications as well as defining what one is not, or does not want
to be. This also holds true for nationalities, which are precisely about marking people as internally
connected and coherent collectives that are separate from other nations.
Nations and nationalities are attached to images, landscapes, cultural products, famous people and
common knowledge definitions that condense them into easily consumable packages. Since these
packages can always be given new and different meanings, the logic of condensation is applicable
in most encounters."
Thinking about it; are there really any cultural diversities in modern world?
Maybe, if we agree that subcultural groupations ( from national to culturological movements: punk,
new age, variouse cult-groups..) represent cultures. There is more difference among these
groupations than between modern japaneese and american, or french, or german or italian or any
other on national levels.
The coexistance of different cultures implies recognition and keeping of the distinctive values for
any particular culture, acceptance of differences among various cultures through the respect for the
other and self, not their standardisation.
Modern world is despite all the talks about cultural diversities & multiculturality, in reality devided
only into tribal-communal under the impact of globalism and modernist cultures eg. slow time
cultures and fast time cultures. The globalisation of the world parralels with the globalisation of the
ideas and realms, globalisation is just uniformisation ( standardisation?) of the world.
Where is Croatia in all this, how and how much do we think of ourselves as the world- citisens, how
much do we care about our own culture and how do we relate to global/ modernistic world and then
again, how much do we know about our own culture/ tradition, is it present in reality ( life), how
much of it is truely ours (in sense that culture defines perception of the world and modus vivendy
accordingly), how much already got changed by all past and future integrations and then, could we
by analisying and sectioning of the history and traditions, accomplish anything in regard to
recognising present day phenomena?
To deepen the absurd arrising from these unanswered questions further, let me pinpoint to a
fascinating croatian trend in which the junkfood generation of the electronic age and mass-media
nowdays lobby for the pig slaughtering, wine christening and cheese with cream 'rights', lifting
these folk shared practice to the piedestal of national cultural heritage.
See online http://www.sirivrhnje.org
We are 'selling' our heritage. It is no wonder that the heritage as such does not matter, it ceased to be
integral part in lives of most of us anyway. Our ancestors built stone hedges that created the lace
landscape on the hills and in wine yards, while this generation builds motorways and apartment
houses.
In the spirit of omnipresent desire for material growth of modern societies, usefullness of ethnicity
traces, monumets and own cultural identity as merchandise is self-understandable, as these values
are directly connected with our consumer everyday lives.
Just as we were selling "just" sun and sea ( read: natural beauties) before, that resulted in coastal
and island environment degradation, nowdays we are importing "cultural products and cultural
tourism strategies" and are destroying our own heritage and identity for the sake of branding
ourselves.
Experiencing 'that something' became the goal and the purpose of the tourist endevours that ceased
to be solely holidays. Hence, creating 'that something' became an motivational imperative for the
proffesionels in tourist industry...
Both what we call tradition and culture were originally fully embeded in the folk lives,
a way of living. Now culture is highly institutionalised, classified and ready for use in 'cultural
tourism'. At the same time traditions are put up as scenes or "reconstructed".
Present day medieval days are nothing but a carneval fake, and an entertaining one, although there
are places on Earth where people still live like in Middle ages..
And that is the Mirracle on Earth; that for time travelling you do not actually need vivid
imagination, but rather a particular location and the knowledge to recognise.
And again a thought from the beginning; what is tradition / eg. culture?
How much do we have it, can we posses it ( hence aquire), loose it ( hence asimilate in other, or
asimilate the other culture)?
Cultural tourism has been heralded as the saving grace but what exactly are people touring? What is
worth seeing and what isn't? At the artificial events such as Rapska Fjera for expl. in order to fully
understand the event and its purpose, we should be looking at the side effects such as distorting
tradition, mercantilisation, presentation of the functionaries too.
Tourism is largly based on the artificial and created imagery and that determines where the tourism
industry will go later. When something is made into an image through tourism, it automaticly
becomes important. Not only does it speed up processes that are already in play, such as the
political prejudices but also creates new monuments and things that would not normally be a tourist
attaction.
Not only does it alter the enviroment around the attraction, it also alters the idelogical enviroment
creating thus a new form of visual language. Touris theory has it that the destination, in order to
maintain its attraction for visitors, needs to maintain its appeal through commercialising the past
and offering imagery of what tourists want to experience, because at the destination it is the image
of the place that the tourist consumes, not the reality of day-to-day life of the host destination.
"The tourist consumes difference. But the production of cultural difference is not infinite. It is not
"merely" imaginal. It is rooted in languages, landscape, architecture, custom, taste, smell. It is very
physical. The more it is used up or taken away, the less remains.“
- The Caravan of Summer by P. L. Wilson
5. ABOUT TOURISM
Tourism is today a key sector of globalised neoliberal capitalism, the world’s biggest industry,
propeling the economies of industrial developing world. Tourism is seen promising sector, a
pacemaker for globalisation, even as the engine for development in the 21st century.
Although advertised as ideal development tool and the catalyst for economic growth, the
competition for resources with tourist has actually reduced the standard of living for many. With
large profits being made from the global industries ( transport, tour operators and hotelier chains,
banking sector) no wonder tourists are being persuaded that the best way to 'help' the not so happy
population worldwide is to continue to holiday on their shores.
Tourism viewes places as an aggregate of tourist attractions, looking for the cultural differences and
local identities, directed towars the past to heritage not the future. It is a machine that transforms
temporariness into timelessness, ephemerality into monumentality.. It is the ground where cultures
overlap or fractalise. Namely, not only do tourists travel but their objects, culture and imagery too.
There are also appearing the kind of behaviours on the holidys not tipical or tolerated in their
domicile society (voayerism, aggressivity, debauchery -for expl. butt throwing, or morally corrupt
consumerism typical for sex industry).
As “tourism” per se declines in specificity, of universalising the tourist gaze – people are much of
the time “tourists” whether they like it or not.
( read Globalising the Tourist Gaze - (2001) by J. Urry ).
The past distinction between tourism and other aspects of culture become increasingly blurred, but
touristic modes of staging, visualization and experience become increasingly central to other areas
of social life.
Furthermore, these dedifferentiating trends are often linked directly to the expression, consumption
and experience of ethnicity, both one’s own and others’. The activity of tourists is purposive and
oriented towards the experience of difference. However, difference is experienced in a
domesticated, packaged form, and it is primarily aesthetic, structured and evaluated by aesthetic
criteria. While tourist is defined by having a home to return to, contemporary time transforms home
too into becoming increasingly experienced in a touristic mode.
Impacts of Tourism are Environmental, Socio-cultural and Economic, but both the Tourists and the
Hosts mutually shape the realities they share! Places are dynamic and depend upon performances
both by ‘hosts’ but especially by ‘guests’.
Tourism and media have became the outmost tools for the global mercantilisation of the world ( the
imperialism through tourism?) but there comes the ‘end of tourism’ within a much general
‘economy of signs’. Everything becomes a brand: destination, "living" cultures and everyday life,
art and history, heritage, ethnicity or any particular group...
Because of its impacts, in the contemporary society tourism should be monitored from the
standpoints of economic, cultural and environmental sustainability not only as a separate new age
phenomena.
Tourism requires constant guidance, maintaining perspective in order to guard against the
temptation for short-run economic gain to eclipse the larger matters (environemnt, materrial and
immaterial heritage, vices) of a healthy culture.
Tourism is the biggest industry in the world. Every eight person in the world works directly or
indirectly in the industry. The big industry also shows big potential and eco tourism is one way to
turn the desire for travel into a beneficial tool for sustainability.
Tourism generates an annual revenue of almost $500 billion. And it is growing fast, with airline
arrivals expected to double by 2010. According to the World Tourism Organization tourism is
accounting for 10.4% of global GDP, 11.2% of world exports and 7.6% of all employment
( estimated 200 million people). Also, very indicative is that 80%of travellers come from just
twenty countries of the world. In global economy, tourism is privileged characteristic of the world's
Minority ( 'developed world' as its own end).
- Tourism is being marked as the fastest growing and one of the most profitable industries in the
world, with unparalleled opportunities for the economic development of local communities.
- Arts, culture, heritage and the environment are being marked as vital for strong economies,
communities and individuals.
- Initial motivation for travel shifted from courage, curiosity and trade to personal
selfish reasons
5.2. On Ecotourism
Eco tourism is presently a trend in the tourist industry, with lots of contradictions under that hat
used as an advertising labeled on various travel products... Spa, wellness, eco, active or cultural
tourism.
In developiong and 3rd woorld countries Eco tourism is not as productive yet, except where funded
from abroad. In communities where most say they cannot afford it and look on it as new fashion
trend, entertainment for young unemployed aspirants// Change Enthusiast. Seems it is up to tourist
to push it as the new branch requirement, what can be locally perceived as pushing too far.
The question is whether it is OK that the consumers ( eg. tourist) decide for locals what's good for
them. The push for sustainable tourism has to come from two places: the tourist, who realises the
damage he or she is doing and the host population living in tourism-dependent countries, who
simply refuse to stand responsible for the damage they also produce due to the environmentaly
harmful practices. Both have to insist ( to the governments and the industry as a whole) that tourism
be truely sustainable and also adjust their own behaviour practices.
The problem here, of course, is that people generally don't think let alone act this way.
Interesting article:
Ecotourism - hope and reality:
http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=1143§ion=10
Truth is that MEDITERANEAN is getting old, tired, losing its population and depending on highly
seasonal income. That small island in Dalmatia does not have infrastructure because no one but few
elders is permanently living there...
How sustainable it is to built all that on an island that will loose permanent residents in a year or
two? An other point is that noone helps locals but just decides for them and swears full mouth in
natural resources preservations, sustainability, ecology etc.
Elders are left to themselves because their fisherman/ shepard offspring cannot live of natural
resources any more and have left for cities ... Ecology/ sustainability themes is oftenly distorting the
facts for their own ends to ensure enough preassure ( above article published through WWF) or for
completely other reasons ( real estate buying, investments... or some other 'development' project).
Purposivenes as basic postulation is outside the site.
It is interesting that proclaimed eco orientations and drafts actually have opposite effests and that in
fact very few eco-tourism orientated organisations or agencies or hotels have really something to do
with true ecology and sustainability they advertise. Ecology in general seems to be something as of
a market product agressively pushed towards really eco-non-needy communities which do not
polute as much as the societies that sell them ' the issue'. Ecology is asserted as the requirement of
the modern era. Similar is happening with the issue of the new technologies …
Transitional states and ex- russian countries as the most needed ones, should be cases to observe the
environment issues and be investment targets, as they are in most need of environmental
technology, but this is not happening, why?
Another interesting observation: Institutions like UN & UNESCO declare and focus on ensuring
that tourism becomes a major force for sustainable cultural and natural resource conservation
and development. Similar as to their commitments to world peace so, here my question:
are the outcomes regarding the environmental issues mirroring the peace - war situation(s) in the
world?
5.3. Community responsible travel
There are noticed significant increase of 'entrepreneurial trend', both among the domestic and
foreign 'entrepreneurs' who are engaged in 'alternative business practices'. Both tourists and locals
are attracted by this trend of "unconventional means" but what is actually going on is that they are
unconscious or consciously, supporting black economy ( tax evasion, social and other dues that
keep the communities going) and parallel markets, thus actually achieving erosion of the whole
communities.
Caution: recently popular "Community owned" tourism ventures are very often simple mask for
very selfish motives by all non-transparent parties involved. Unfortunately, in corrupt societies
where official community institutions get corrupt it is even harder to achieve and maintain
responsible market.. Some very good points about the Socio-Cultural Impacts of Tourism, special in
Advice for Tourist, can be found here: http://www.trentu.ca/anthropology/anth409h/advice.html
In light of the research of tourism impacts on cultures, communities and individuals, I was struck by
the tourist industry campaign in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, & Maldives after the big tsunami, where they
choose the add slogan in form of the plea to tourist to come back ASAP!
-http://edition.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/01/06/tsunami.travel/
what just illustrates the dependancy on the whole lands on this ‘industry’.
In present form, tourism produces tourists and tourist servants/ slaves overwhelmingly consuming
natural resources and whole cultures.
Travel and tourism represents both directly and indirectly 74.1 percent of the gross domestic
product of the Maldives and 10.8 percent of Sri Lanka, according to figures from the World Travel
and Tourism Council. See this article related to the subject and latest tsunami tragedy:
http://www.theallineed.com/news/0412/312796.htm
In general, tourism is becoming similar to showbiz and fashion, in the papers of the trade it is
usually very hard to distinguish between relevant market analysis reports and propaganda leveled
papers and the Disaster situations like the Asia Tsunami show just how contradictory the reality can
be and how important/ powerful the tourism is.
" it amazes me how the word 'sustainable' gets thrown around so easily, as though it is just
something we can wake up one morning and start applying to any economy. i don't understand how
'sustainable' & 'economic growth' can be used in the same phrase. it is oxymoronic. 'sustainable'
means to provide for the needs of the present without sacrificing the needs of the future. 'economic
growth' means using more and more resources to build an economy. true, those resources can be
both tangible and intangible (ie. in the real world and in the communication/information world),
but complete economic growth requires the success of many industries together. it will always
involve the extraction of resources that are not replaceable. with tourism, unless we find some way
to make planes and cruise ships run on air, big resorts to use composting toilets and solar power,
unless tourists start cooking their own food communally and demanding locally grown organic
produce, unless we stop buying kitchy little mass produced souvenirs and clothing that's made
dirt cheap, unless we stop exploiting human resources in low income countries, unless everyone has
equal opportunity to travel, and unless we provide total protection to the forests and beaches and
oceans and mountains, there is no way it can ever be sustainable. that doesn't mean we shouldn't
search for ways to lessen our impact within the industry. just please let's be honest and not call it
'sustainable'. maybe 'minimized impact' would be more honest, at least it doesn't cater to
the warm fuzzy feeling that we are somehow accounting for more than the needs
of the next five to ten years in our resource use. i think the search for the ever
elusive 'sustainability' is an important one that we may never attain, since the advent
of agriculture we have veered off in a direction such that 'sustainable' and 'human'
may not ever be able to be properly used in the same sentence. however, it doesn't
hurt to try. we may not get there all the way, but maybe we can come close.
on ecotourism: has anyone here seen what is considered eco-tourism?
ha! i've worked in the industry for enough years to laugh at any stats that come out
showing how great the growth of that industry is. when 20 zodiacs running on huge
high-horsepower motors surround a couple of whales minding their own business
just so a bunch of people who think they're doing something beneficial can get their
kicks is called eco-tourism, it's pretty obvious how the meaning of the term has been
lost somewhere along the way. "
"Tourism is now an object lesson in the way the powerful societies of the West treat the planet and
its resources: we are bumming off the planet and bumming off its poorer people. Dissatisfied with
the lives we have created for ourselves at home, in spite of our historically extreme levels of
consumption, we feel the need to escape and return to countries whose people still enjoy a simpler
attitude towards life. We fail to question the paradox at the heart of this choice which we might
encapsulate in the phrase: if you?re so rich, how come you ain?t happy?"
- online: http://www.sustecweb.co.uk/past/sustec13-3/Travel/Broadens.htm
- The MYTH for the incoming destinations outside developed Western sphera
Tourism generates foreign exchange, as well as employment and government revenues through
taxes, developes the region through hotel construction and in the operations of accommodation
entities throughout the country. Tourism stimulates production of goods and services in a wide
range of sectors and sub-sectors, e.g. construction, furniture and fittings, agriculture, fisheries,
food growing and processing and light manufacturing, health water, education, handicrafts, as well
as transport, telecommunications and financial services.
The best and most profitable export tool. The dispersion of tourist assets throughout the country
creates pockets of economic growth in each of the regions. The development of the tourist industry
is a national priority. Government should therefore provide the necessary resources.
The safety and comfort of visitors is a high priority. Passenger facilitation should be enhanced to
encourage the influx of tourists. The pursuit of sustainable tourism development should be a major
focus of Government activities in the sector. Existing barriers to growth of the industry
should be removed; educational training of the population, development and expanding
infrastructure capacities, encouraging international financial institutions, acquisition of land for
tourism development, encouragement of private investment in the tourist industry...
Characteristics:
Croatian example
"In Croatia tourism is accounting for around 5.5% of employment and generating just over 30% of
total exports of goods and services. Originally, the tourism sector was developed to maximise
foreign currency receipts rather than profits. Although it provides a market for other sectors, such as
food processing and retail trade, it remains a relatively low value-added industry.
In 1999 "hotels and restaurants", the category in the national accounts that best captures the
industry, accounted for only 2.6% of GDP, less than half its share of employment. Tourism has been
held back by the low quality of hotels and other infrastructure, most of which dates back to the
earlier period and was aimed at mass package tourism."
"Although tourist arrivals collapsed when war broke out in 1991, the current account of the balance
of payments recorded a surplus in 1993- 94 because imports were subdued in view of the depressed
state of the economy. However, since 1995 the country has run persistently wide current-account
deficits. Even though the tourism sector recovered after the end of the war, this was insufficient to
offset the sharp increase in the trade deficit. "
- inserts from the
http://www.intracen.org/worldtradenet/docs/networking/country_papers/paper_croatia.pdf
strategy of development:
"If you fly along the coast you will see a lot of land that is not in use," says Ruskkovic.
"We have located forty two locations that would be excellent for golf courses, and we are now
working on ownership issues." She states that only a few of these locations are government owned.
"We are on a good path towards making a deal with people who are owners of land and give them
options. They can leave the land and come into a joint venture. On land that is not used- the owner
will have to pay the tax. That will make it so that it?s much better for them to construct a golf
course rather than to leave it as empty land."
- published by International Reports:
http://www.internationalspecialreports.com/europe/01/croatia/privatized.html
Conclussion:
People exploit Nature and other creatures and other people as if they own them,
using them for their personal goals and selfish caprices.
Although we can, Man, in the full meaning of the word, does not have the right to Nature's
destruction. Change of attitude is needed.
How many times did I hear the question: " Are you from Rab? " ( - in relation to you Londoner / or
any place really that you might be from) - and how do I answer this question. How do you define
yourself; through your ancestors, do you hold on to place, way of life, your job? Do you percieve
yourself as the member of the same culture as your ancestors and how, what was similar, what
different, what preveils? Hence, can you explain the missunderstandings between the grandsons and
their grandparents ( even better; their grand- grandparents) only by generation gap eg. 'new times'?
Not only that the times change, people and cultures change too. In fact, cultures are constantly in
the state of migration; they get merged, overlaped, transmitted, ravaged, invented...
And what defines culture? Space, people and time.
In modern era ( 20/ 21.st ct.) cultural borders are erased in favour of dualism ( us modern and them
primitive, or vice versa?) - Is it that simple? With exception of cults who use it for self-
reinforcement, people everywhere are aware of the myths and the legends, but will not structure
their every day lives around the re-enactment of the rites and rituals of the times past.
Another thought specially regarding present day life on island Rab; tourism has a great role on
cultural changes, modern theorists ( see literature list ) say that the validity of tourist experience
(eventuality) influences the time, the space and the identity of participants ( fox hunt, polo,
wimbeldon, walk-abouts, carnevals, folk pig-slaughter custums) and I am going to dissect Rab
tournament games and Rab medieval fest.
Reviving history
Rab Fjera is a medieval festival fair, with the presentations of the of the "medieval life on Rab" that
started 2001, after 9 years of Rab crossbow revival.
During the 3 days ( from 25th to 27th July each year); people dress up in costumes and have kind of
open air workshops of the "medieval life"... It is comprised of open air markets, crafts workshops,
happenings on the town streets and culminates the last day with the crossbow archers tournament
and the fireworks.
Visitors can see traditional crafts; pottery, painting, fishing, coinage, stitching, basket weaving,
carpentry, sculpting or learn the secrets of trade from the florists, honey makers, herbalists or even
from the cross-bow archers who will explain the technique and the history of the crossbow.
In a small gallery just off the square on the Upper street one can see the traditional island household
from the past; women rippling wool, weaving, grain grinding, bread making and hear traditional
gang song. If you never heard those, you might get hypnotised...
Bellow the town is held a fisherman's and pirates party and at the same time the streets are run over
with ladies, gentleness, medieval guards with prisoners, knights and of course tourists. So, it was
fascinating to see the town transformating itself and it was fun to see people having fun :-) and I did
lots of pics; see it here:
http://community.webshots.com/album/10489376AONwHaACkK
The festival culminates with archers tournament on the main square and the fireworks.
If you want more details about Rab and this event look at
http://www.kristofor.hr/english-archers.html
'Rapska Fjera' comes into being in certain contexts, for certain audiences, purposes and platforms. It
is among the first tourist attractions of its kind that are currently booming all over Croatia. To name
just a few of these popular event productions in tourism; Moreska on Korcula, Djurdjevacki Picoki,
Varazdin Baroque evenings ...
Most are based on some historical event or legend, but these events are nothing more than
embodied and symbolised, well presented invented identities. Actually in each of these examples,
we are looking at the commodified copies seeking to exploit the commercial potential of the
tradition within the destination. I am sure you can find similar examples in your surroundings.
The chronicle says that Rab had its communal festivity days with archers tournament in the middle
ages (14 ct.) to celebrate its patron saint. The archers tournament is recommenced in 1995. as tourist
attraction and is presented as local traditon since...
I doubt we can talk of tradition here, as presented in the tourist advertising. Fjera is addition on this
group staging medieval - reneissance times. Forged or to be polite; revived tradition, because
historical authenticity does not validate contemporary events, let alone identities.
This kind of historical staging shows fragments of past using munuments and historical artefacts as
proof of authenticity. One is sure only in fact that medieval days happened in medieval times. So
why are those events staged?
Answer is simple; for its commercial value.
The most important question for us is whether are we going to embrace this event as our identity,
just as scotish did accept 'their' kilts. The members of the archers club and the active festival
participants enjoy their staging convinced that they make very important role in island promotion.
Some of them identified with their characters, some make strong social bonds, others use fiera as a
great tool to promote own businesses. Most islanders lack deeper background understanding or are
simply ignorant ( 'not my business') to be critical. Many aprove 'because it is good for the tourism'.
Having seen it for the 3rd or 4th time one gets bored.
Regarding the relations, we are no different from holidaymakers, we are all a mass of bystanders
expected to spend couple of bucks on drinks or souveniers, to take pics and spread the word
further... It seems that in contemporary society we all are becoming tourists / exhibition -goers.
It is interesting to note that these archery revival concept goes back to 80-ties and it would be very
interesting to elaborate on why it wasn't possible to go forth with these events at that time ( social
changes and collapse of federal state say some, is it?), who skidded then and who is pushing now,
why the games started when they did ( broader historical context and trend- hype of the decade),
why the San Marinezi had to initiate it for us ( cultural exports?) and another good question; should
Fjera and the tournament have got present shape or some other ?
Answers lay in the myths about past system and tourism traditions that function as concsience
redeemer and hence a new reality in a cultural sense.
They create a shared community of meaning which creates the basis for thought and action in
attempts to fix the 'identity crisis'. Urban/ cultural Reality is anyway only human playground, not
just 'selected' ones performing for the passive masses. Currently it seems many are satisfied and
"Rapska Fjera" already won the Prize last year in Dubrovnik as the best croatian tourist product
( our mind-product !?), although is going on this summer only for a 3rd time. Also, similar festivals
are booming accros the contry, all grounded in some "historical facts", stories or legends. But
certaint compromises perhaps shouldn't be done ( as for expl. the re-designing of the Rab folks
costume) no matter how much easier it is to use it then in tourist animating.
On the other hand; folks dresses changed in time anyway, don't they? Underlying unease,
accompanied Nostalgia, popular fascination with this kind of festivals and the story-telling how
"it was better before" told by the participants are all understandable and fitting; people are
remembering the world that does not exist. In all this arquing it is just questionable to what scale
should we re-invent history, reanimate events, and recycle stories, legends and historical facts. But
if we like the new patchworks that much to embrace it as truely ours, why not? We will fit nicely in
the globalised culture of the modern entertainment world that enjoys the comodity in exchange
for space; cultural and physical.
This is an example how tourism uses history the same way biologist use science in zoo. There are
other too; Disneyland, Gardaland, dutch mini town and other theme '-lands', phenomens take
various shapes: from staging "Calvary" to street basketball fest... Today, tourism is responsible for
both the celebration and the loss of distinct cultural identities.
Rab Fiera is just an incomplete experiment, seemingly profitable but with which so called
organisers actualy don't know what to do... ( because it is not of their creation?).
Will Fiera outgrow current level of alleged authentic medieval market and flashy pageantry?
Hardly. There is no consistent plan for it and the 4th Fjera 2005 shows that it becomes something
completely different of that what is talk about in its' presentation.
1 pancacke with nutella 10 kn, 3 slices of chees 20 kn, a glass of deluted wine 15 kn.
Then some jewerly, all kinds of souveniers that have little to do with the theme...
Rab cake souvenier and the wine in plastic bottles.
Then some gents from the reneissance, baroque and the ladies from the 19ct. in he crowds of
tourists and a couple of 'medieval' lepers.
European MIDDLE AGES festival, 27th - 28th August 2004, HORSENS - Denmark:
http://www.horsensmuseum.dk/midd/midd_en.htm
Knightly Castle. The Reconstruction of the Middle Ages" 7th international festival
http://english.pravda.ru/culture/2002/07/25/33170.html
Problem with the tourism is that this industry viewes places as an aggregate of tourist attractions,
looking for cultural differences and local identities to package them as products. At the same time,
the tourist as partial observer most oftenly cannot keep track of historical transformations,
authenticity or origin.
He can be critical only when it comes to personal comfort.
The tourist is a model of modern man; seeking to get close to the roots of civilisation and own self
by visiting and looking at packaged versions of the past.
Culture provides orientation in the world we inhabit. Tourism migrates cultures and changes
traditions. The pre-modern world has not disappeared, it has just been turned into zillions of tourist
attractions but the mass of the tourist globalisation supersede cultural diversity and standardise
tourist experiences and the experience of the perception of the world through the global World-
Culture. Through its 'needs', the industry oftenly creates monuments, events and custums, reshapes
the environment to be touristically validated. The growing volume of tourism also speeds up the
process of monumentalization. Inherited architectural and artistic styles, political prejudices,
religious myths and traditional customs are no longer meant to be transcended but touristically
consumed without consideration.
Heritage tourism, eco tourism, cultural tourism, volunteer tourism are just self-pretend cleverly
labeled modern tourist products, invented just as all other before them ( exotic travel, adventure
travel ...).
Philosophy of sustainable travel is among the most popular issues nowdays; sensitivity to local
communities, tourists ( replacement word travelers, visitors) as a powerful force in preserving and
restoring the destinations they frequent.
Ecotourism focuses on the conservation of natural habitats and the promotion of local economies
without exploitation or overdevelopment.
Community-based tourism aims to channel tourist dollars into the local economy by emphasizing
tours and cultural programs run by members of the host community, often to the benefit of
disadvantaged groups.
Volunteer tourism range from conservation to humanitarian projects. All is about getting involved in
the communities visited and sometimes the real question is whether to visit at all...
As an example, see this volunteer tourism project: http://www.crtp.net/
We are going towards the stage of Total tourism which transforms drug dealers shooting at each
other or any other social phenomena in an exciting tourist scene and use it as 'product content'.
Everything is allowed, everything is possible.
Also, everything is subject to mercantilization, including the most marginal or banal.
However; "the stories about the failure in the development of the so-called 'backward countries
show not only an exterminating cultural and economic neocolonialism, but also the poorness of
western culture, which identifies 'good life and 'standard of living' with the production and
possession of things.
Not all commercial goods which increase the GNP, are objective goods for persons, for society and
for nature, but in many cases they partake of an evil or are one (detriment to health, exhaustion of
resources, control systems...). The same can be said of 'services'.
Freedom cannot confine itself to choosing among some given options, but, mainly,
it must allow to create new options." - Martí Olivella.
5.7. BUY A TICKET TO HEAVEN - The Tyrany of Happiness
"Those transient in paradise surely have a right to expect friendliness from those blessed enough to
inhabit; locals are part of the product, and as such have very definite and circumscribed roles thrust
upon them. Discrepancies are opened up by a refusal to perform, or at least to maintain a level of
presumably manic happiness. This is a common problematic; countries which have employed
tourism as a development strategy often rely on their citizen’s ability to stage a foisted notion of
tradition and collective psychology." - Gavan Titley, Global Theory and Touristic Encounters, 2000
Commercial presence of history in the present time is no proof of authenticity nor any kind of
orientation mark for the modern individual for whom the only history is the yesterday's news.
Modern man changes homeland for the world.
Tourist towards himself and to other, but instead walking through the world he is sightseeing it as
the big amusement park or endless museum in which his discretional look falls equally on identity
or difference. Tourism is not just a travelling way for the domicile population to spend their free
time.
Tourism as the modern phenomena is the condition of the modern humanity - we are all tourist
building Planetary society. This fatal Tourism is becoming Supreme Good, stalking itself wioth the
epithet of cosmopolitanism and yet it does not carry that very basical readyness of 'I' to live
the World with other people.
In this light, it is a true queastion whether there can be any Sustainable tourism at all, because it
ought to contain this coexistance of diversities, with the emphasys on the guests not to expect or
demand of hosting communities to replicate his reality and expectations. If you are concerned about
sustainability/ diversity and endangered spieces you might be asking yourself whether you ought to
travel to Amazonia or Nepal at all.
But it is not necessary to worry yourself too much, the young generations there are already far more
interested in Madonna, Harley Davidson and possibility of fast and good 'western' lifestyle than in
environment/ culture/ identity protection.
It is no surprise that in search of our own distinctivness we pile up testimonies, documents, pictures
and all possible visible signs of what once was. That has nothing to do with the genesis. We are
puzzling out what we are in the light of what we are not any more.
Introductory reading; The City in the Age of Touristic Reproduction by Boris Groys
The tourist and the city dweller become identical.
Translated from German by Nastasa Medved.
url: http://artefact.mi2.hr/_a02/lang_en/write_groys_en.htm
Synopsis:
- devastation of the landscape, cultural heritage without heir
- tourism impacts and challanges, few charactgeristics of the turistic building;
- seaside construction on terrains with easy access, oftenly in fields
- dying of the historical towns, popularity of the new settlements
- individual building; disappearing of traditional roofs ( "kupe"),
appearance of 4 confluence roofs, cheep material usage; most common concrete,
balkonies constructed in simple concrete deck, metal fences, plastic windows,
typical unbalanced add ons on the houses, copycat models
- unproportional construction and installation of the infrastructure; problematic
public illumination, setting up of electric, telephone wires, fuse plants,
variouse antennas, air conditioning exterior units etc..
- old seaside towns - museums without residents, cultural sanctuary trend
Development explosion
Space best records the lapse of time. In our adriatic environment everything has been signed in
stone, concrete and asphalt. The relations between new construct and the historical i.e. natural
ambience along the adriatic coast and on the islands voice the fact that the croatian mediterannean
cultural heritage nor the general environment preservation, despite UNESCO titles, are not integral
part of our present culture.
Croatian coast is far from "Meditteranean as it once was"as advertised by the National Tourist
Board. Coast and the islands are degraded. Old urban kerns detoriate or get devastated and around
them blossoms the unplanned settlement buildings without infrastructure, clear purpose and
of course without any taste or architectual imagination.
Term "Apartmanisation" reacently used in the media actually stands for suburbian dormitories along
the shores. Urban design is both a product and a process, here definitely highly influenced and
shaped through Tourism, but it seems that the potential of a harmonic townscape and the
satisfaction of the population has been lost somewhere along the way.
The croatian tourism mainly stands for "tourism for all".
The private accommodation sector also started to show its' "headaches", because at the destination
the tourist consumes the image of the place, not the reality of day-to-day life of the host destination.
Tourism became the El' Dorado land for the national 'grey' economy and its 'financial wizards' as
well as for the global tour corporations, supported by the officials because of corruptive or short
term financial interests. The main feature of croatian ( as many other) tourism industry is that the
'emitive' markets with the minimum expenses or investments earn far the highest income ( 4x- 5x),
putting often impossible challanges to local infrastructure.
It is also very interesting that the development crediting in the destinations is most oftenly done
through the foreighn banks with much higher rates.
It is clear whose industry tourism propels and no wonder that in the general globalisation of the
world ( except in few alternative groups), there is no open dialogue neither locally nor
internationally on this subject.
Croatian tourist trade currently does not maintain the survival of small local craftmens workshops
of all kinds, small specialised shops, characteristic entertainment catering, nor the full employment
or actual existance for the local population that is burdened by high taxes, considerably higher
livery prices, bad communications, lack of possibilities and hence increasingly selling property.
Also, the kind of tourists in 'private accommodation' changed drastically in the last decade, from
long term visitors who stayed for weeks ( usually 3 weeks) with the local families, befriended with
locals and explored the island to short stay tourists who save on cheep accommodations with the
locals and bring their own holiday supplies ( from toilet paper to food and beverages).
This on the other hand led to the explosion of cheep tourist building.
We are only yet to go through american example of town replica's and theme resorts
(“Disneyfication” ), booming of golf resorts and mega marina's.
In better cases we will get programms of built environmental landscape bubbles ( parks, camps) for
sustainable development in overall non-sustainable regions.
Our space and landscape is under peaceful urban Invasion, vastly already devastated.
However people happily travel so fast on the highways to their relax- resorts and fail to see the the
devastated landscape along the way or the devastated landscape on their destination ( because it is
not percieved as such).
Environment changes of aestetic value are under dictum of the fast consumer values, nice ilustrative
examples are cruise- liners in Adriatic.
In notorious obsession with 'touristic progress' it is little thought of long term impacts of ever
multiplying presence of ships and yachts in the Adriatic. The full impacts of their pollution not only
on the marine life but on the coastal area as well as the noise pollution, have yet to be investigated
and evaluated.
The Mediterranean Monk Seal has disappeared from the Adriatic just arround the first explosion of
nautical tourism. The cumulative impacts on life of less sensitive marine spieces and underwater
flora & fauna needs to be assessed. Some of other serious but overlooked pollution issues with
cumulative effects that cause grave environmental derangement; light pollution, chemical pollution
( cumunal waste, pesticids and other toxics, air pollution...), physical pollution with non-degradable
or slowly decomposable elements...
With all this urban changes in the landscape, we are also loosing our identity orientations. Through
this excessive building and its infrastructure the whole settings have become non mediterranean and
we still continue to behave as if this space is limitless.
Energy environmental exhaustion is also mirrored in aestetical landscape infringement. This is not
the land of our ancestors any longer.
When the expatriats return after long years of absence, they see this the best;
either their birthplace is in wreck or changed so much that they can hardly orientate. Same goes
with the people because the destruction of the heritage leads to the memory loss in the identity and
we have all these 'new identities'...
Change of Identity - not necessarily such a bad thing, only, is it possible in a way we want it? If we
know what we want..
Croatian tourism has taken a wrong turn. It is also questionable whether such an industry should be
a main corner-stone of any state economy.. However, in finding suitable solutions sometimes the
right questions give the right answers.
"If the three pillars of sustainable development — public welfare, economy and environment — are
to be effectively built into tourism, the contradictions of current tourism strategies must be
recognised and understood."
- from the paper “Red card for the tourism?“ - DANTE,
Die Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Nachhaltige TourismusEntwicklung
6.3. Case study: Island Rab Croatia; from Roman municipium to tourist destination
This chapter document the impacts of Erratic development, negative impacts of Tourism,
environmental, social, cultural and economic changes.
Pure tourist orientated advertising ( essays, photographs, guides...) portray nice landscapes rather
then the territory ‘as is’. When abroad- orientated, east Adriatic coast is oftenly presented
romanticly,mostly through just tourist advertising, seldom through issues of possible ecological
incidents.
Most of the problems listed here specifficaly for island Rab have to do with with poor space
planning, economical and communal issues and reflect the local authority competency problems.
They are also tipical problems of other places along the croatian coast.
Overview:
geo- hazard, construction on agricultural land, abandoning traditional farming and crafts, loosing
traditions, environment devastation, destroying coastal zone, submarine and underground waters
and water springs, growing exotic plants and introduction of invasive animals in environment,
undue urbanisation, bad space planning, for years unsolved communal problems, waste disposal
( let alone recycling!) not resolved adequately, non existant waste water and sewerage, unsuficient
traffic communication, burdening of the whole system due to the seasonal overload, great amount of
public services and public servants as the main yearly employment resource, generally rich
community, careerism, elitism, club -lobbying, self-centrism of local and government institutions,
poor social sensibility or co-operation, covetousness, isolation, identity blackout, identification with
homo – consumer.
Conclusion:
We need to learn to live within our own limits, respecting phisical boundaries and natural cycles of
growth, dying and renewal, understanding that with the usage all energy, material, space and time
ware out ie. decrease.
7. REFERENCES and Literature:
Croatian:
- Marasović, T. Kulturna baština, St. 2002
- Maroević, I. Sadašnjost baštine, Zg 1986
- Prelog, M. : Djela ‘Prostor i vrijeme’, GZ, Zg 1991
- Domijan, M.; Rab- grad umjetnosti, Zg 2001
Kristina Maskarin, 1968, croatian, travel agent and a tourist guide ( kristofor travel
http://www.kristofor.hr) and a new genre artist ( http://www.rabinfo.net/atelierK ).
Kristina works in digital media combining multidisciplinary approaches.
Contacts:
personal:kristina_tina@yahoo.com
travel related: info@kristofor.hr
art-related: info@rabinfo.net