Abstract
Indigenous cultures are disappearing globally. This study explores how cultivated tourism has benefited Indigenous communities around Taiwan, identify substantial and present concerns with the practice, and provide suggestions to improve the benefits of Tribal tourism. Taiwan’s education system enables discrimination against Indigenous people, while Indigenous living conditions are obstacles for cultural preservation. Therefore, a new type of tourism, cultural tourism, addresses the negative impacts of commercial tourism and makes tourism an educational platform to promote the genuine respect of Indigenous cultures. The hopes offered by Indigenous tourism are as follows. Tribal tourism can create job opportunities within the communities; Indigenous tourism promotes greater cultural preservation; Indigenous tourism creates opportunities for other ethnic groups to understand Indigenous lives; Indigenous people gain confidence through ownership of Tribal tourism; Indigenous tourism improves the education of children in the villages. However, vivid stories shared by the Tribal communities demonstrate the concerns of Indigenous tourism. The concept of customer first can further denigrate Indigenous people; the traditional performances can worsen the objectification of Indigenous people; different cultural expectations for concept of time and efficient organization can perpetuate the discrimination against Indigenous people; the Indigenous tour guides’ self-doubt and unfamiliarity with their own traditions can continue racial misunderstanding. The paper summarizes the community-based methodologies for Indigenous tourism: combining cultural tourism with cultural curricula of local schools, turning commercial tourism into cultural tourism as a platform for social education, as well as supporting Indigenous tourism by reinforcing multicultural education.
Presenters
Loreina HsienGraduate Student, Education/Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Critical Issues in Tourism and Leisure Studies
KEYWORDS
Indigenous Tourism, Cultural Tourism, Ethical Tourism, Social Education, Indigenous Culture
