How does tourism affect the sociocultural aspects of the local community? : A Minor Field Study in Bali

Sammanfattning: The tourism industry is growing rapidly worldwide. In 2016, Bali, Indonesia, had a record year in tourism, and the industry is continuously growing. One can argue that tourism is a culture exploiter and disrupts traditional culture. Nevertheless, it can also revitalize culture. Since the tourism in Bali is based on the Balinese culture and traditions, the writers wanted to acquire a deeper understanding of how the locals look upon - does tourism affect their cultural traditions and can residents preserve their local culture? A qualitative method was used for this study. For the collecting of data the writers conducted semi-structured interviews. The result of the study was, according to the Balinese, that people in Bali have become more money oriented due to the development of tourism and that some ceremonies have lost their spiritual meaning. In addition, the writers found that the locals are continuously working on preserving their culture but the challenge is to preserve what is actually authentic Balinese.