When the word Miami is said, just about everyone begins to picture palm trees, the beach, and a variety of different people. Miami is frequently referred to as the “Tropical Playground” as well as the “Celebrity Playground”, both titles implying only a time for fun. The mass tourism that occurs because of this image of paradise and glamour is without a doubt a major factor in the city’s money flow, crime rate, and culture (Clery). The city of Miami has marketed itself in such a way that it is becoming more influential in the globalized world than ever before. This can be seen with the increased connections to Latin America, Europe, and the other states of the country. Miami’s image of paradise beaches and luxury living call out to people of very high income. The increased amount of people moving into the city with high income has had many effects on the rest of the population. Celebrities are also making their way to Miami and are contributors to the images and perceptions of this city. As a former resident of Miami, the meaning of place will be explored from a personal view and from the view of my non high-income family.
With more people of high income in the city, Miami’s money flow has also been affected. More money is being invested in tourism and people of higher income are making more investments in the city by buying property, cars, setting up their own business and hiring people to work for them. More marketing is being targeted at tourism and these people of high income, and less attention is being put into the lower class category of citizens. The increased job opportunities are attracting people from all over, and thus, leading to overpopulation. An overpopulated city is cause for very crowded schools, which is taking ...
... middle of paper ...
...bination of a better opportunity in the country, as well as being in a community with beliefs and culture similar to their own.
Miami’s infamous art district with painted murals and contemporary sculptures is also a major part of Miami’s culture (Farago). Since Miami is a huge compilation of many cultures, and the people are mostly recently immigrants, new art styles are constantly arising and many cultural artworks as well. This mixture of culture and creativity is being utilized as tools to further enhance Miami’s social and economic development (Clery).
To conclude, Miami is frequently referred to as the “Tropical Playground” as well as the “Celebrity Playground”, both titles implying only a time for fun. The mass tourism that occurs because of this image of paradise and glamour is without a doubt a major factor in the city’s money flow, crime rate, and culture
... they too can experience the life of a Florida Cracker turned millionaire family of Florida.
“Jamaica’s a country of great dichotomy. On the one hand you have a tourist industry with great beaches and resorts, but on the other you have such great poverty and the violence that goes along with that.”(Michael Franti) In this paper, I will talk about the geography, the history of Jamaica, the people that live there now and that lived there in the past, the lifestyle of the society, and the society, like the government and economy.
Steven Gregory’s book entitled The Devil Behind The Mirror is an ethnographical study of the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is in the Caribbean, it occupies the Western half of an island, while Haiti makes up the Eastern portion. Gregory attempts to study and analyze the political, social and cultural aspects of this nation by interviewing and observing both the tourists and locals of two towns Boca Chica and Andres. Gregory’s research centers on globalization and the transnational processes which affect the political and socio-economics of the Dominican Republic. He focuses on the social culture, gender roles, economy, individual and nation identity, also authority and power relations. Several of the major relevant issues facing Dominican society include racism, sexism, and discrimination, economy of resort tourism, sex tourism and the informal economy. The objective of Gregory’s ethnographic research is to decipher exclusionary practices incorporated by resort tourism, how it has affected locals by division of class, gender, and race, increasing poverty and reliance on an informal economy.
... motivation for wealthy individuals to return to the inner-city core but it also provides impetus for commercial and retail mixed-use to follow, increasing local revenue for cities (Duany, 2001). Proponents of gentrification profess that this increase in municipal revenue from sales and property taxes allows for the funding of city improvements, in the form of job opportunities, improved schools and parks, retail markets and increased sense of security and safety ((Davidson (2009), Ellen & O’Reagan (2007), Formoso et. al (2010)). Due to the increase in housing and private rental prices and the general decrease of the affordable housing stock in gentrifying areas, financially-precarious communities such as the elderly, female-headed households, and blue-collar workers can no longer afford to live in newly developed spaces ((Schill & Nathan (1983), Atkinson, (2000)).
...me engaging in the environment that surrounds them, which only adds to its misery. There are plenty of residents who have lived in Florida their entire lives and have never ventured into the Everglades . At the same time, how can someone like Chaz, who has traveled into the Everglades , “not be dazzled” by its stunning beauty? (250).
hope of finding a higher paying job. In most cases, the immigrants are young men who
During my visit to the Pérez Art Museum Miami, I did more than just observing beautiful artworks. With the guidelines provided I could appreciate and study also the hidden meaning of some of the pieces I had in front of me. Some of them were easier than other ones, due to previous knowledge I had, but all of them made me examine them in a critic way that enriched my cultural heritage.
Daniel Murphree, “Perpetuating a Mythical Paradise: Transnational Visions of the Colonial Floridas,” Terrae Incognitae 37 (Jan. 2005): 41-52.
Gentrification is designed to improve the quality of life for the residents, but the fact is that it pushes out old residents to welcome in young and wealthy citizens. To analyze the demographic even further, gentrified neighborhoods in New York City have seen an increase in white population despite a city wide decrease. As Kate Abbey-Lamertz of the Huffington Post states, “The report notes that change is driven by educated people moving in, rather than by existing residents becoming more educated.” These changes are being driven by a millennial demographic who can afford the changed aesthetic. The influx of millennials are pushing out families whose lifestyle can’t keep up with the changing demographic. Even though these changes have been occurring for almost thirty years, and the city hasn’t made the changes needed for people who need low income housing. New York City’s gentrification must be slowed in order for people in low income housing to catch
During a recent visit to Jamaica, I observed a number of resorts that themed their golf courses and pools after the old sugar plantations of the island. As the sun-burnt American and British children splashed among the recreation of the 'old mill', local Jamaicans in floral uniforms served drinks to the adults lounging by the pool. The association between the plantation and the modern resort did not appear to disturb the tourists relaxing in the sun. And why should it? This is a different time. The Jamaicans, of whom 91% are descendents of plantation slaves, live and work freely on the Island. As I walked along the beaches which were quickly eroding due to the coastal development by such resorts, I watched the Jamaican employees sweep the seaweed into small piles and carry them off the beach in order to maintain the postcard view of the ocean that the tourists traveled there to see. It occurred to me that something more was at work there. The way in which indigenous cultures, peoples and their land have been commercialized and commodified for the enjoyment of pleasure seeking tourists must have roots somewhere. I began to wonder in what way the acceptance of past exploration and conquest by Europeans of land and people created a justification for today's exploitation of indigenous cultures and environments through tourism and other such devices as transnational corporations and trade.
California is full of beauty, a beauty that is constantly glamourized, and falsely advertised. There is a constant battle against the stereotypes presented in the media, which have created a false image of this massive state. The media presents an insufficient amount of information about California that impedes the outsiders to fully understand the beauty of this state. The media focuses on the tourist attractions of California, like, beaches, Los Angeles, Hollywood, and San Francisco. Although these attractions are appealing, the spotlight should also highlight the impoverished cities, the cultural and geographical diversity. The diversity here in California is clearly visible, which is something that is not clearly seen all over the United
One of such reasons would be for religious freedom. People can also move to other countries in search for opportunities. In particularly, in the United States, there are many employment opportunities, which people can find and work. Many people from other nations strongly believe that migrating to America will offer them employment opportunities. Next in the list of reasons, includes survival reasons. Whereas some argue that immigration is not good and has the potential of harming the United States, others people believe that immigration is good and has to be encouraged. Whereas Jacoby answers “yes” to the question of “Does Immigration Increase the Virtues of Hard Work and Fortitude in the United States,” Krikorian objects Jacoby’s idea and instead, argues that immigration is depletes the resources of a country. In the article “Five Myths about Immigration,” Cole argues that the United States has received and benefited from many immigrants since 1800s. In Booth’s article entitled, “Immigration Threatens America’s Unity,” he says that before the late 1900s the greatest immigration wave contributed to a bitter backlash (epitomized by the return of Ku Klux Klan and Chinese exclusion, which targeted blacks, Catholics, immigrants, as well as
But by night, they recline over rum and cigars, tipping generously, listening to hotel salsa and reminiscing about the cold war. Many of the new American visitors to Cuba, whose numbers have surged since a diplomatic detente in December, are old enough to remember life before the internet and relish a few days in one of the world’s last Facebook-unfriendly bastions. What tourists find quaint seems stifling to many Cubans themselves. Since the relaxation of some restrictions on American visitors, tourism to Cuba has risen with bolstering foreign exchange. Cubans are now borrowing whatever they can to spruce up accommodation in a city where hotels are now booked up weeks in advance. According to Omar Everleny, a Cuban economist, over 18,000 private rooms have become available. That is the equivalent of 31 new hotels the size of the 25-storey Habana Libre. This activity is expected to boost economic
According to the ‘World Tourism Organization’ (UNWTO), the tourism industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, as it is estimated that by the year 2020, 7.8 billion people (roughly a quarter of the world’s population) will embark on a foreign trip (Bennett & Gebhardt 15). The Caribbean is said to be the most economically dependent on this industry, as the ‘Caribbean Tourism Organisation’ states that the industry forms the “economic backbone of most countries in the Region”(“Caribbean Tourism Industry” 1), implications for what tourism’s affect on the region have arisen and have prompted further research into matter. Since the 1970’s research regarding tourism in the Caribbean has attempted to determine the social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts of tourism. Much of the research has found that there are in fact many negative adverse affects, and Jackson’s article asserts that, “Governments often commit money and other resources to support the growth and development of tourism and often turn a blind eye to its negative impacts” (574). The reason why tourism looks attractive (and thus turn a blind eye) to these Caribbean countries is because of “its potential to foster GDP growth, to create employment, to increase foreign exchange earnings, and attract capital investment” (Daye, Chambers, and Roberts 2). This paper will overview such impacts by first discussing a case study conducted in Jamaican resort town, Ocho Rios, with Sheere Brooks discussing the observed social, cultural and economical consequences of Jamaica’s reliance on the tourism industry and will finally look at tourism in relation to capitalism, with Robert Fletcher suggesting in his article that the tourism industry (and more specifically...