What is the primary criticism of the “commodification” of culture in tourism?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

First, let's lay out the question and the answer choices to ground our analysis.
Question: What is the primary criticism of the “commodification” of culture in tourism?
Answer options:
- a. It increases visitor engagement
- b. It helps fund education programs
- c. It attracts global respect for local cultures
- d. It can reduce cultural practices to performances for profit

Now, evaluating each option in turn:
Option a: It increases visitor engagement. This statement describes a potential positive outcome of cultural commodification, not a primary criticism. Critics typically focus on issues like authenticity, power dynamics, and profit motives rather than merely engagement levels. Therefore, this option is not the central critique.

Option b: It helps fund education programs. While funding education can be viewed as a beneficial side effect of tourism and commodification, it does not capture the core criticism. The primary critique is usually about how commercialization alters meaning and integrity, not about funding benefits.

Option c: It attracts global respect for local cultures. This option suggests a prideful or positive consequence, which again does not align with the central critique. The dominant concern is not respect or esteem gained, but the transformation of cultural practices under market forces.

Option d: It can reduce cultural practices to performances for profit. This choice reflects the quintessential critique: when culture is packaged for tourists and monetized, practices may be stripped of their original meaning and used merely as marketable spectacles. This captures concerns about authenticity, agency of creators, and cultural commodification.

In summary, the criticisms commonly leveled at commodification emphasize the reduction of complex cultural traditions to marketable performances for profit, rather than positive outcomes like engagement, funding, or respect. The remaining options either describe potential benefits or mischaracterize the core issue, which is the instrumentalization of culture for economic gain.

What is the primary criticism of the “commodification” of culture in tourism?

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