Download Haw Par Villa Theme Park - The Cupola: Scholarship at Gettysburg

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
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