Running head: CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Cultural Differences Institutional Affiliation Name Date CULTURAL DIFFERENCES 2 Cultural Differences Question: Discuss 4 cultural differences that may have prompted the Toraja communities to resist the threats posed by tourism. The Toraja ethnic group which is indigenous to the Sulawesi mountainous region of Indonesia came into the limelight in the 1970s when the Tana Toraja Regency reopened and made the community an icon of tourism in the nation of Indonesia. The Toraja community rose to fame because of the rich culture and sites they possess. For example this community is widely known for its funeral rituals, their burial cliff as well as their curved architecture. The increase in the number of tourists visiting the region saw the community engage in various activities that were aimed at captivate the tourist but which undermined the authenticity of their culture such as adapting their sacred funeral ceremonies to meet the tourist needs. However, even though the open door for tourism was good for the nation, the negative effects to the community’s cultural practices caused a resistance that even some communities rejected all sorts of tourism. They held that the commercialization brought about by tourism watered down their culture to their detriment as well as that of the tourist who did not get an authentic experience. This paper aims to look at the cultural differences which made the Toroja community reject tourism and the threats ...
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