Chapter 6 - The Tourists and their Perceptions of Tourism in Ngadha
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Summary
This chapter explores tourism in Ngadha from the perspective of the tourists. The tourists’ values, attitudes and behaviour are not homogeneous. Although they are all cultural tourists, seeking the exotic Other, they vary in a number of fundamental ways. Following an examination of their variation, I discuss the factors that affect the tourists’ perceptions. Their attitudes to commercialisation and attending rituals are then discussed before I examine the tourists’ varying desires for social interaction and the factors affecting their behaviour management. The final section examines how the tourists have changed over the years I have been visiting the villages.
Some Tourists in Ngadha
Margaret
Margaret was in the first group I took to Wogo. She was an experienced tourist in her late fifties. Despite the problems she reports in her diary, she described her stay in Wogo as ‘the best bit’ of her ‘most fantastic trip’. She suggested that we rename Wogo as something else in our marketing material so that no one else finds it. ‘It’s such a special place it would be terrible if it was spoilt by tourists’.
Immediately surrounded by youngsters, we rather hesitantly got off the bus. With great ceremony we were ushered to sit on mats on the terrace of one of their splendid houses … Sitting like royalty on the platform ever increasing numbers of children and adults packed the compound in front of us. Fingers started pointing at cameras and then back at themselves. Having sought permission from Stroma we began to take photos. The youngsters clapped and cheered with delight every time the flash went off. Tea and coffee were made and passed around (eventually without sugar!!) They were amazed we don’t like sugar. I was longing to spend a penny but did not know where to go. The welcome speeches were going on and on. As we sat cross-legged on the floor we thought our legs would go numb.
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- Tourism, Culture and DevelopmentHopes, Dreams and Realities in East Indonesia, pp. 135 - 159Publisher: Multilingual Matters
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