Mobility and modernity in Luang Prabang, Laos : re-thinking heritage and tourism

Russell Staiff, Robyn Bushell

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    27 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Numerous studies of tourism in Luang Prabang World Heritage site in Lao Peoples Democratic Republic are critical of the perceived impacts on heritage values of the city. Criticisms relate to the incursion of new buildings into the historic core, the loss of older dwellings, increases in foreigners renting and restoring properties as guest houses and restaurants and the movement of locals out of the historic core. Other criticisms relate to the effects on community support for the monastic communities that create the sacred and ritual geography of the city, the loss of community diversity within the World Heritage boundaries and increasing uniformity as the development of tourism continues apace. While our research does not challenge these observations it raises questions about the type of analyses and conclusions reached. Too often heritage, tourism and community are considered self-evident and bounded entities, with tourism something faintly alien that causes disruption to the urban fabric of Luang Prabang and, consequently, to the values for which it was inscribed. We propose a different way of conceptualising the relationship between heritage, community and tourism by examining the interaction between global, regional and local mobilities in the context of globalisation and under the aegis of modernity.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)98-113
    Number of pages16
    JournalInternational Journal of Heritage Studies
    Volume19
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2013

    Keywords

    • Luang Prabang (Laos)
    • community
    • heritage values
    • mobilities
    • tourism

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