Tourism and Indigenous People
BA (Hons) Tourism Marketing
Year 3
1.0 AN INTRODUCTION According to the United Nations definition of indigenous people, they are “descendants of those who inhabited a country or a geographical region at the time when people of different cultures or ethnic origins arrived” (United Nations, 2011a). It is estimated that there are about 370 million indigenous people around the globe in over 70 different countries. They keep their own political, social, economic and cultural qualities and also their unique traditions which separate them from other major societies in which they live (United Nations, 2011a). Nowadays, when tourists interact with indigenous cultures it is seen to be restricted to a master/servant encounter and sometimes is seen as an unoriginal representation of these people‟s long-established and cultural lifestyles (Hinch & Butler, 1996). Hinch & Butler (1996) go on to say that “factors within the external environment may have particularly strong influences upon the outcome of indigenous tourism”. These influences which they mentioned included the economy, culture, physical environment, socialdemographics and politics (Hinch & Butler, 1996, page 12). The economic considerations to take into account are very important for tourism – the development of the economy through the tourism industry has actually been implemented as an approach to promoting economic independence for indigenous people (Hinch & Butler, 1996). It is known that for over the past two decades tourism impacts have been defined under three main headings – economic, environmental and socio-cultural.
Within the context of tourism, this report will deal with indigenous people through issues they come to deal with during their everyday lives. From positive impacts which can come in the form of monetary benefits for them through tourism activities and an increased sense of pride for their culture, to more pressing issues, which include exploitation of their traditional knowledge and
Year 3
1.0 AN INTRODUCTION According to the United Nations definition of indigenous people, they are “descendants of those who inhabited a country or a geographical region at the time when people of different cultures or ethnic origins arrived” (United Nations, 2011a). It is estimated that there are about 370 million indigenous people around the globe in over 70 different countries. They keep their own political, social, economic and cultural qualities and also their unique traditions which separate them from other major societies in which they live (United Nations, 2011a). Nowadays, when tourists interact with indigenous cultures it is seen to be restricted to a master/servant encounter and sometimes is seen as an unoriginal representation of these people‟s long-established and cultural lifestyles (Hinch & Butler, 1996). Hinch & Butler (1996) go on to say that “factors within the external environment may have particularly strong influences upon the outcome of indigenous tourism”. These influences which they mentioned included the economy, culture, physical environment, socialdemographics and politics (Hinch & Butler, 1996, page 12). The economic considerations to take into account are very important for tourism – the development of the economy through the tourism industry has actually been implemented as an approach to promoting economic independence for indigenous people (Hinch & Butler, 1996). It is known that for over the past two decades tourism impacts have been defined under three main headings – economic, environmental and socio-cultural.
Within the context of tourism, this report will deal with indigenous people through issues they come to deal with during their everyday lives. From positive impacts which can come in the form of monetary benefits for them through tourism activities and an increased sense of pride for their culture, to more pressing issues, which include exploitation of their traditional knowledge and
References: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/IndigLRes/rciadic/national/vol4/203.html. Accessed on: 6/10/2011. 13. ETC (2005) ETC Group Website, Ottawa. [Online] available: http://www.etcgroup.org/en/issues/biopiracy