Globalized Jeju: Tourism and Turmoil

Jeju Island welcomes more than a million tourists to its beaches, resorts and UNESCO Natural World Heritage sites every month. The number has grown dramatically every year, from 5 million in 2005 to more than 12 million last year, driven by the economic confidence of a powerful domestic middle class and the package tours of China's nouveaux riche. The effect of the increase in visitors on the environmental and social stability of this island of 500,000 is dramatic and ongoing.  Ann Bush is a writer, teacher and activist from Berkley, California. Her work for The Jeju Weekly magazine has brought an articulate and insightful outsider’s take on the art, history and culture of the island. In this interview she discusses the value and dangers of tourism's economic benefits and the sanctity of cultural solidarity in the face of massive change. Her blog can be found at https://jejujive.wordpress.com/

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