Tourism - hero or villian?

The final question is finally here. Is tourism the culprit for the commodification of the cultures and traditions of Argentina?

Both yes and no are correct answers to the question, to certain extents. 

I agree that tourism, to some extent, played a part in commodifying the cultures and traditions of Argentina. When a country look to develop their tourism sector, they do everything possible in order to attract the different forms of market out there in the world, to an extreme where tourism sites no longer wait for people to come, but rather go all out to grab visitors arrivals. Just like many designers out there in the world, tourism sectors change its original looks just to accommodate the needs of consumers. Unfortunately, this happens to Argentina.  Places like Mar del Plata and the La Rioja have been marketed to the outside world that they have forgotten the purpose that each site has been granted due to its naturally appearance and features.  Places that have never allowed entry to visitors before now do as visitors arrival naturally means gain of income as these people generally will spend.

However, there is a no to the question. And in fact, on the contrary, tourism can help to preserve the authenticity of the culture and traditions of Argentina. With popularity of cultural tourism rising rapidly, government of Argentina will do its very best to preserve these culture and heritage in order to “sell” to the consumers. 

As the saying goes, “to lose is to gain and to gain is to lose”, the right way to view the problem is rather find the right balance in determining the worth of sacrifices compared to the gain. If managed correctly, cultural tourism can flourish in Argentina without any commercialisation, dilution or artificial creation of the cultures and heritage.