Tourism Dollars and Sustainable Land Use vs. Loss of Culture at the Gocta Falls
This Slate story and the accompanying video are pretty interesting. They tell of a remote village in Peru whose people had been living in the shadow of a huge waterfall that no on else in the world knew about. Once it was “discovered” in 2005, tourism has become popular and the village has changed in many good ways - more people employed, making more money, etc. (Scroll down for the Big Question after the video.)
Question: While the villagers are better off financially and are taking better care of the land, part of their culture is now gone. Originally, they believed that the waterfall would enchant them and that mermaids might make them disappear if they visited it. Now, that’s gone. What else might change within their culture due to new tourists? Is it presumptuous to even raise the question? I make no judgment myself but am wondering what others think: good, bad, or both?
