Living on the edge
Annals of Tourism Research, 33 (2):
508-524 (2006/4)Abstract
This study examines the role that tourism plays for residents of Tap
Mun, an island off the northeast coast of Hong Kong which is in its
last stages of decline. Once it was a vibrant fishing and farming
community, but today its economy is reliant on tourism. The majority
of enterprises provide only a marginal income and most workers are
seasonal. Yet, this business provides the residents with the economic
rationale to remain on the island, and in doing so, enables them
to retain their existing social networks, sense of place, and connection
to their ancestral homes. Thus, the net social benefits of pursuing
subsistence-level tourism outweigh the limited economic gains.
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