Boracay is a small island in the Philippines that is known for its beautiful white sand and tranquil blue-green waters. Originally, it was inhabited by indigenous people known as Atis, or Negritos by the colonial Spanish. This island had formerly been untouched and relatively undisturbed by the colonization; the people primarily concentrated on fishing and the farming of coconuts in order to make a living, however this changed when a German writer visited the island and published a book chronicling his time there. From this point on, many tourists swarmed to the island in hopes to experience the serenity of Boracay.
Now that it is seen as a tourist attraction rather than the home of the indigenous, many changes have taken place in order to suit the desires of the tourist rather than the needs or wants of the Atis. Before Boracay was recognized for its beautiful beaches, it failed to spark the interest of any other visitors--the culture was nothing spectacular. It is important to notice this fact because it allows one to realize that Boracay has become completely manufactured for the Westerner to relish and appreciate. The culture and lifestyle of the Atis served no purpose to the interests of the tourists so it was gradually fabricated into something novel that would better suit the tourists tastes. Now the island has become completely overrun by foreigners.
The depressing fact of the matter is that the Philippines has used this popular tourist attraction as a way to obscure the inner turmoil the government is facing and the general poor state that the country is in. The picture above is a sand sculpture that is very popular and seen quite often on the beaches of Boracay, however many people fail to realize that these sculptures are typically made by small children. I have seen this myself where a small child begins working on this amazing, gigantic sculpture all in the effort of gaining attention from the tourist and in the hopes of receiving tips. Still, the tourists choose to ignore the sad reality of what tourism has done to the home of the indigenous.
I've never heard of Boracay, but I think it is interesting that what we would criticize a country for we don't realize we have a direct impact on (child labor etc). When the country attempts to cater to the tourist certain demands are made and certain "authentic" features of a country are destroyed.
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