What is the country known for?

Brunei is a country best known for its sultan who was the richest man in the world until overtaken by Bill Gates. They are also well-known for its natural resources, which are petroleum, natural gas, and timber. 

Brunei currently is one of the few countries in the world that has more than half of its total land area as permanent forest reserves. This is a wise move because the forests are seen as an investment area for ecotourism as this small oil state moves towards economic diversification. 

Brunei is also famous for their Mosque. One of the most famous attraction in Bandar Seri Begawan, the Omar Ali Safiudeen Mosque. The mosque displayed the Malay architecture, a tall, shimmering white building with huge gold minarets and domes. Inside the building is pure white with golden Islamic/ Malay motifs and Arabic calligraphy. The blue and red stain glass and the green prayer rugs covering most of the expansive white marble floor make it complete. Around the inside perimeter were exotic gold lanterns. Around the center were huge chandeliers with the bulbs that looked like white candles with Malay-style gold domes where the flame would be.

In addition, according to some hotel sites, some of the tourist attractions are:

Tamu Kianggeh

Tamu Kianggeh is a market located on the banks of the Kianggeh River. ‘Tamu’ means marketplace and here you can find a large variety of local produce from wild herbs to local delicacies. The Tamu is also a good place to shop for local souvenirs and handicrafts. It is open from the early morning till evening.

The Royal Regalia Building

The Royal Regalia Building in the heart of Bandar Seri Begawan houses a collection of royal artefacts and was built to celebrate the 1992 Silver Jubilee of the Sultan’s accession to the throne. Visitors can view ceremonial regalia which includes the royal chariot, gold and silver ceremonial armoury, traditional jewel encrusted coronation crowns and a replica of the throne used by the Sultan on state occasions. 

The Merimbun Heritage Park

The Merimbun Heritage Park is a sanctuary for flora and fauna that visitors can enjoy and scientists can research. The country’s largest lake, Tasik Merimbun, is located inside. Nature enthusiasts and birdwatchers will enjoy exploring the many trails in this park that provide an awesome view of the wildlife and greenery.

Disneyfication

Disneyfication is a term that is designed to describe a society that has an increasing similarity to the Disney Theme Parks. It is also known as Disneyization. In another word, disneyfication is used to describe a society that is dedicated to themes, merchandising, huge consumption and emotion based labour. In terms of physical places, be it streets, towns or whole cities, it is primarily used to define a wholly unoriginal ‘soul-less’ place. 

There is hard any disneyfication in Brunei, partly because it is a strong culture country, hence not easily influenced to be disneyfied. One of the few example is the themed amusement park, Jejurong Amusement Park. One will be able to spot fastfood outlets in this amusement park or the city, just like any other parts of the world.

Another example is that the tribe would wear their costumes to perform for the special events just like then Disney characteristic. However, Brunei do not cultivate these habits of performing for tourists.

Other disneyfication include merchandising and hybrid consumption.

Fortunately, Brunei chose not to step on to it, and thus would not be tied down by Disneyfication.

Changes brought about by the growth of tourism...

In the past, Brunei only integrates aspects of Arab, Indian, Malay and Chinese styles of cooking. This adds up to one of the most interesting and delicious local cuisines in Asia, delighting visitors every time they come to Brunei. At its heart, though, the food in Brunei most resembles Malaysian and Chinese cooking.

However, as the number of tourist increases, the Brunei people actually serve European dishes. In hotels, guests will find typical European dishes along with Chinese, Indian and Malaysian fare. Fast food junkies of another kind can also be chosen from all the big name Western chains. 

Due to the fact that alcohol is prohibited in Brunei due to the Islamic social laws, there is no traditional beer or alcohol. Non-Muslim visitors are allowed to import a small amount of alcohol, but cannot drink it in public. In my opinion, sooner or later, the Brunei people may start seeing tourists drinking in the public. This may causes a change in the socio-cultural of the place.

Ecotourism is the the main focus of Brunei’s tourism in the past and is expected to remain the focus in the future as the Brunei government recognises the increasing concern for environmental issues and the subsequent boost in demand for ecotourism worldwide. Brunei has therefore been aggressively promoting its image as an ecotourism destination worldwide in magazines, television and through other media channels, using the Borneo cachet to evoke images of a tropical paradise in the heart of an exotic island. However, when there are more tourists coming in, pollutions occurs. The growth of tourism may destroy the ecotourism there.

Commodifying cultures and traditions

Commodification refers to turning an idea, value, item, belief into a commodity for the purpose of profit. Differences in cultural and religious values exert a considerable influence on the process of commodification. 

Barbie - Original American Style

Based on a study in USA on the issue of the commodification of Islam, I have found out that Barbie doll, which is America’s famous cultural icon, is now transformed and being associated with religious value of the Islam. Muslims are criticizing Barbie for subverting female piety, decency and morality. This emerging phenomenon has created an increasing demand for the morally acceptable hijabi doll. 

Indeed, there are issues and concerns on whether these hijabi dolls which are transformed from Barbie dolls are categorized as decent and moral, and whether it would exert an influence on young Muslim girls. However, putting aside the issue, Barbie dolls have indeed been commodified as the new Muslim dolls, with clothing and accessories which are accepted by the Muslims. 

Hijabi Dolls - Commodified Islamic Dolls

Hijab, simply refers to veil and these Hijabi Dolls are being packaged and marketed by entrepreneurs as “Islamic Dolls” or “Muslim Dolls”. Through this, a new meaning for doll has emerged, changing an innocent toy into a powerful symbol for religious correctness and piety. 

The dolls are also symbols which bring up a necessary debate on the significance and implications of religious commodification. 

Personally, I feel that different countries have different culture and traditions, and should not be criticized by others. Commodification is hard to avoid, as more and more scheming traders are coming up with more items to be commodified. Nonetheless, if one country is strong in his own culture stand, commodification would not cause much of an influence to them.

References

http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Brunei-Darussalam.html 

http://www.spainexchange.com/guide/BN-religion.htm 

http://www.historyofnations.net/asia/bruneidarussalam.html 

http://www.mapsofworld.com/brunei/society-and-culture/traditions.html 

http://www.bruneipress.com.bn/brunei/brunei.html     

http://www.flags-flags-flags.org.uk/brunei-flag.htm 

http://www.traveldojo.com/brunei/food-drinks/ 

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0107361.html 

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107361.html?pageno=2 

http://www.jadedragon.com/travel/brunei01.html 

http://www.historyofnations.net/asia/bruneidarussalam.html 

http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Brunei-Darussalam.html 

http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,MRGI,,BRN,,49749d48c,0.html 

http://news.brunei.fm/2010/06/03/survival-of-indigenous-peoples-heritage-culture-under-threat/ 

http://www.spainexchange.com/guide/BN-language.htm 

http://www.euromonitor.com/Travel_And_Tourism_in_Brunei 

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