Name of winner: Li Ho Yeung Topic: Hongkongers as Globetrotters travailen(v.): to suffer or labour That was the word travel in Middle English. Few of us would know travelling was deemed a toil in the Middle Ages; now most of us associate travelling with positive things, from personal gratification and economic advancement, to inter-cultural interaction and preservation of traditions. But even in this day and age, against the backdrop of globalisation, is travelling all good? What is the impacts of people travelling so often, and to every corner of the globe? Since this question delves into a global phenomenon, this essay takes a macroscopic perspective, exploring the economic, social and cultural impacts of travelling across the globe on both host countries and home countries, yet with a special discussion on the case of Hongkongers. To start with, why do we travel abroad? The major reasons include business trips, oversea studies and above all, tourism. These reasons result in largely Page 1
the same, but subtly different impacts. There is no doubt all travelling activities benefit the economy. To host countries, the large influx of tourists (those on business trips and on studies spend less in general, so the discussion on the economic aspect will focus on tourists) contributes substantially to the region's economy. In fact, in 2016, the worldwide revenue made by tourism reached USD$1,260 billions. The economic significance of the large number of travellers worldwide is indisputable, and that is not just limited to dollars and cents received by various industries and the government. Travellers also generate employment. A large number of jobs are in the tourism and related industries, from the hospitality sector and transport sector, to the catering industry and the cultural industry. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), one in ten jobs in the world are generated by tourism in 2016. Globetrotters on business facilitate the communication between regional branches of multinational corporations and between different companies worldwide. Corporate representatives can discuss significant matters face-to-face and sign various documents. Business communication can raise profits and both the host and home economies usually benefit. Potential income from tourism also induces the governments of host countries to improve infrastructure, especially transport infrastructure. Tourism needs to be supported by well developed infrastructure. An efficient transport network is essential for tourists to travel to a myriad of places in a short period of time, Page 2
usually within a week. Governments will therefore devote large sums of money to invest in infrastructure, which is especially important to the economic development of LEDCs, both in the short term and in the long run. Nevertheless, contrary to conventional wisdom, LDCs as host countries reap less economic benefits than the more developed countries (MDCs). The most crucial factor of this is the leakage effect. Impoverished regions usually lack the capital to develop tourism, considering the costs of infrastructure. Multinational corporations, in view of this, offer to finance the tourism facilities such as hotels and resorts. An export leakage arises when profits are transferred to the country of origin of these multinational corporations, which is why LDCs as host countries usually obtain less economic benefits than MDCs, and also one reason why home countries economies progress as well. Regarding the travelling activities of Hongkongers, they do not actually benefit the economic advancements of LDCs much. Among the top destinations of Hongkongers, only the third is an LDC, Thailand, popular with 30% of Hongkong tourists. This, coupled with the leakage effect, sheds light on the fact that tourism by Hongkongers does not benefit the LDCs that much, even if we just take into account the economic aspect. The social costs of frequent international travels are high. Travellers' activities may result in a deterioration of the locals' living environment in the host societies. Locals living near tourist attractions will experience the most disturbance. This is especially evident in sites with historical or cultural value. UNESCO world heritage site Lijiang Ancient Town in China is a case in point. Page 3
As the heritage site was overwhelmed with tourists, many of the indigenous could not bear the disturbance and consequently moved out. This illustrates the impact of travellers on the living environment of locals in the host societies. Society and culture is intricately linked. In host countries, not only does travellers' activities cause nuisance to locals, they also lead to a loss of cultural authenticity. Cultural commodification is serious. Traditional festivals and rituals may not suit the modern lifestyle, even dull to some. These social practices have been handed down from generation to generation just because the people valued them, regarding them as part of the construction of their ethnicity. The culture is therefore retained. However, considering the enormous profit that could be derived from tourism, the locals introduced commercial elements to traditional festivals and rituals, to attract visitors. For instance, Hong Kong's Cheung Chau Jiao Festival has been quite commodified. The 'festival' used to be held every ten years, but now held every year. In fact, 'da jiao' is a traditional Chinese ritual believed to dispel plague, but no a 'festival', which is why the Chinese name of the 'festival' does not contain the Chinese equivalent of 'festival'. Hong Kong as a host city also sees the loss of cultural authenticity. When the meaning of the festival has already been distorted to commercial activities, thanks to consumerism, how can it not lose its cultural value? Nonetheless, as far as the activities of Hongkong globetrotters be concerned, they mainly have positive impacts on the economies, societies and cultures of Hong Kong as well as the host country. Since the most popular destination of Hongkong travellers is Japan, whose people have an exceptionally high Page 4
consciousness of preserving their unique culture. In fact, the cultures in MDCs are less likely to change much due to invasion of foreign cultures since the people tend to pursue quality of life on a metaphysical level. Hongkong globetrotters, especially those stay overseas for years of study, bring foreign cultures to Hong Kong and contribute to the healthy interaction between Hong Kong and foreign cultures. Page 5