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Introduction Methods History of Haw Par Villa Haw Par Villa, originally known as Tiger Balm Gardens, was created by a Chinese entrepreneur as a gift for his brother and business partner. The estate contained a private villa and a public garden full of various Chinese mythological tableaux. Following the parks commercialization in the mid 80s, the number of tourists visiting the park declined significantly. Significance of Tourism No other contemporary industry has had such a crucial and far-reaching impact on so many facets of society—Apostopoulous 1996:2 Tourism accounts for trillions of dollars annually in revenue, and yet the sociology of tourism has yet to flourish along with other sociological endeavors. In an increasingly service-based global economy, the societal implications of tourism must be understood for sociology to maintain its prominence as a viable means of understanding our world. Prominent Theories in Tourism Tourism only began receiving serious attention from sociologists in the mid 70s. Very little theory testing has occurred, which is why no single theory of tourism has emerged as a dominant lens through which to understand the institution. Theoretical work boils down to two separate fields of thought— tourism described as seeking authentic experience, and tourism as seeking stimulation from the atypical experience. MacCannell, from the authenticity school of thought, borrows heavily from Irving Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis. Results Methods of Data Collection This study employed a qualitative content analysis of online-accessible newspaper articles, web pages, and tourism review sites. I used a digital notebook program called OneNote to code and categorize eleven online artifacts. One-hundred and two distinct tags were used to flush out various themes. Sampling Online artifacts were difficult to acquire, so a convenience sample was employed, followed with a snowball sample in which sites which had been referenced were added to the initially-acquired sample. Evaluation of Methods Representativeness of online materials cannot be claimed due to the use of a non-random sample. Although I was the sole researcher conducting the content analysis, reliability should be relatively high on account of repeated analysis of the same documents, and a systematic coding process. Validity is dependent on the honesty of the online authors, along with their ability to recollect their previous experiences. Tiger Balm Gardens vs. Haw Par Villa The results of the content analysis show that Haw Par Villa, so named when operated as a commercial enterprise, was associated with low levels of satisfaction as a tourist attraction. Tiger Balm Gardens, the name of the same site when operated as a public amenity both before and after commercialization, was associated with greater satisfaction. Reasons for Decline & Suggestions for Improvement A reoccurring theme in the content was the exorbitant prices charged for a comparatively low-quality commercial theme park. International tourists found the technological aspects lacking in comparison to larger theme parks, and local tourists could not afford repeated visits. Concerned citizens have shown appreciation for the return of the park as a public amenity, and encourage the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to restore the various tableaux to their original condition. Implications Possibly the most interesting result of this study, the names “Haw Par Villa” and “Tiger Balm Gardens” were highly associated with commercialization and privatization for the former, and public ownership and philanthropy for the latter. MacCannel’s concept of authenticity as the pursuit of the tourist experience can be incorporated to explain why tourists, especially local ones, felt cultural disconnect to the commercialized product which was Haw Par Villa. The authenticity of Tiger Balm Gardens, an historically public amenity which resulted from the generosity of a time-honored denizen, was seriously undermined when the STB chose to commercialize the sites. Photos courtesy Doug Berkowitz Conclusion This study demonstrates that perceived authenticity of a cultural heritage site should not be overlooked when determining reasons for a decline in tourism. The quality:price ratio of this particular site was shown as a contributing factor to its decline in tourism, but an underlying current of discontent was identified in regards to the perception of the site as a part of Singapore’s distinctive history. The limitations of this study resulting from its methodology could be improved with onsite analysis of tourists’ perceptions. However, utilizing content analysis of online materials as a means of understanding tourists’ perceptions of a particular site has proven useful in identifying possible causal factors. Acknowledgements Thank you Professor Phua for your mentorship throughout my research. Thank you Professor Potuchek for your guidance in developing my methods. Thank you Professor Erb, University of Singapore, and Ms. Lui, University of Queensland, for your invaluable aid in tracking down literature on previous research on tourism in Singapore. Finally, thanks to Gettysburg College for the Mellon Embedding grant which helped me conduct this research. References Apostolopoulos, Yiorgos, Sella Leivadi, and Andrew Yiannakis, eds. 1996. The Sociology of Tourism: Theoretical and empirical investigations. New York, NY: Routledge. Chang, T.C. 2000. “Singapore’s Little India: A Tourist Attraction as a Contested Landscape.” Urban Studies 37(2):343-366. Chi-Wai, Lui. 2002. “Consuming Hong Kong: The Rise of Hong Kong as a Tourist City.” International Sociological Association. Conference Paper. Cohen, Erik. 1984. “The Sociology of Tourism: Approaches, Issues, and Findings. Annual Review of Sociology 10:373-92. ------ 2004. Contemporary Tourism: Diversity and Change. Bingley, United Kingdom: Emeral Group Pub. Ltd. Goh, Daniel P. S. 2008. “Pluralism to Postcolonial Multiculturalism: Race, State Formation and the Question of Cultural Diversity in Malaysia and Singapore.” Sociology 2(1):232-252. Graburn, Nelson H. H. and Diane Barthel-Bouchier. 2001. “Relocating the Tourist.” International Sociology 16(2):147-158. Holzer, Boris. 2000. “Miracles with a System: The Economic Rise of East Asia and the Role of Sociocultural Patterns.” International Sociology 15(3):455-478. Kim, Karen Chia Hwee. 1999. “Experiencing Sacred Spaces: The Negotiation of Authenticity by Tourists and Worshippers.” Department of Sociology National University of Singapore. Working Paper. LePoer, Barbara Leitch, ed. 1991. Singapore: a country study. Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. MacCannell, Dean. 1973. "Staged Authenticity: Arrangements of Social Space in Tourist Settings." The American Journal of Sociology 79(3):589-603. ------1976. The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class. New York, NY: Schocken Books Inc Urry, John. 2002. The Tourist Gaze. London: Sage Publications.