Ancestral Homes: Indigenous Peoples Are Pushing for Tourism Alternatives That Respect Community, Culture and the Land

Vivanco, Luis A., Alternatives Journal

With the UN's declaration of 2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism (IYE), debates over the role of tourism as a tool for "sustainable development" have gained new urgency. Often described as a novel method to unite nature conservation and economic development in poor communities of the global South, the clarion call of ecotourism has been widely accepted by multilateral development and environmental agencies, lending banks, and the tourism industry. But, concerned about the far-reaching consequences that tourism development can have on their cultural integrity, land rights, and self-determination, indigenous peoples have been particularly vocal in their calls for a fundamental review of conventional and so-called "alternative" forms of tourism like ecotourism.

As a profit-driven industry, tourism tends to view landscapes and people as consumer products to be bought and sold. Especially when imposed from outside the community, tourism's negative impacts can include disrupted lifestyles and ecosystems, poorly distributed or inconsistent profits, the pressure to turn cultural traditions into products, …

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Publication information: Article title: Ancestral Homes: Indigenous Peoples Are Pushing for Tourism Alternatives That Respect Community, Culture and the Land. Contributors: Vivanco, Luis A. - Author. Magazine title: Alternatives Journal. Volume: 28. Issue: 4 Publication date: Fall 2002. Page number: 27+. © 1998 Alternatives, Inc. COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group.

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