Cultural heritage, identity, and tourism in Mauritius: Moving beyond the tourist gaze.

摘要

Travel to the less developed world by comparatively wealthy individuals from developed nations has become a popular and even prestigious pastime, spurred on by the growing forces of globalization. Now, more than ever, it is possible for tourists to travel great distances in a matter of hours in their search for the "exotic other". Since more people are world travelers, it has become a challenge, almost a game of sorts, to find the most unique ecosystems and unusual cultural practices which demonstrate having located "the other". Regardless of the specific factors which entice tourists from abroad, tourism is believed by many governments of developing nations, including Mauritius to be a key to development.; This research examines how cultures deemed to be different are represented in and through tourism. The study is based on the view that the compulsion to experience the exotic "other" drives global tourism. Here, I question closely the relationships that shape internal visions of Mauritian culture, the ways in which these visions of history, culture and tradition come into being, and how they are portrayed to outsiders. This has been accomplished by examining the identity and ideologies of the Mauritian people and their relationship with the cultural environment, paying particular attention to how each has been articulated through tourism.