Customer Reviews

Bali: Cultural Tourism and Touristic Culture

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I found this book to be a very thoughtful, objective view of an issue that is much more complex (and interesting) than might at first seem apparent. Even for those who know the island well, you will learn more about the rich and complex history/culture of the Balinese. I thoroughly enjoyed the book from start to finish. This is not just a book for anthropologists and scholars. It is a book that would be appreciated by anyone who knows and loves Bali.

This is a collection of essays about the history of tourist development in Bali. Scholarly format but quite readable.

Being very interested in this topic, I stayed with the text from cover to cover, but there is a lack of "meat" until the penultimate chapter, which bears the same title as the book. Picard comes to no conclusion or evaluation in the first three quarters of the book, and although I now I feel well-educated in Bali's tourism history, I was always a little frustrated as I tooled along. He does eventually come out with his findings, and I suppose I should be thankful that this serious study is as easy to read as it is. Nice one-color illustrations throughout.

Anyway, this is a good reference book for the following people:

-anyone studying the effects of tourism on a native culture

-anyone considering doing business in a third world country

-Bali fanatics

-travelers who seriously question their impact on ANY society they visit

-travel agents

The surprising and well-argued conclusion to the conundrum of "if I pay to visit this temple/buy this clothing/camp on this mountain/photograph this maiden, am I spoiling or helping these native people?" is not as simple as one might imagine. It is rather touching in an unexpected way. A worthwhile read.