Authenticity and Commodification of Cultural Events for the Maldivian Tourism Industry

Authentication and commodification of cultural events for the tourists has been practiced for a long time. These practices have had both positive and negative effects on the host community and its cultural heritage. Tourism deals with experiences sold to tourists which has had to be authentic. Therefore, this paper aims to look at the authenticity and commodification of cultural events presented for the benefit of tourists throughout the resorts in the Maldives and its implications on authenticity of cultural products offered to the tourists. Authenticity played a wide role in tourist experiences and repeat business for the destination. Commodification on the other hand is a byproduct of making the events authentic in order for it to be presented to the tourists since these events cannot be presented in its original form or length. Hence, the events are ‘staged' for the benefit of the tourists because cross cultural encounters drive authenticity of the tourism experience and create more business to the destination.