Even though we currently face a global pandemic, it is still an exciting time in cultural tourism, as people are looking for more authentic and immersive travel experiences. The capacity of tourism as an effective tool for realizing sustainable development is starting to come to fruition and continues to evolve and grow. Indigenous and developing communities around the globe have strong potential to offer tourism experiences unique to their cultures’ that would be hard to replicate with any authenticity or conviction outside of their setting. This is the potential competitive advantage that Indigenous and developing communities have over popular leisure tourism destinations. 

 

It will take a leap of faith into somewhat new territory to develop a truly authentic destination experience. Like all tourism ventures, Immersive Tourism in Indigenous Cultures is multi-faceted and faces challenges to create destinations that are sustainably profitable and offer broad economic opportunities. Unique to Indigenous tourism is the need to protect and strengthen community culture. Economic development in the tourism sector of indigenous communities offers opportunities for entrepreneurship, job creation and new facilities to help serve the community better, generating pride and economic growth. 

 

Care must be taken though. As much as we champion the virtues of tourism, we have seen the ill effects it can have on communities large and small. While we set out to raise economic prosperity, we can just as easily create situations that negate, or further marginalize the people it was supposed to help in the first place. I have seen first hand what grassroots community organizations can accomplish on their own, but from time to time they need assistance. Our support should not only include our expertise in tourism, but also guidance on how to protect themselves from tourism and its long-term effects. As an example, tourism corporations and monopolies should be regulated and focus shifted to maximizing opportunity and profit for local entrepreneurs, cooperatives, and associations, or finding ways for land and house values to remain stable and affordable for locals with availability remaining viable.

 

If we are to look at sustainable or regenerative tourism as a real and earnest initiative, we need to focus on other areas of community development and work with local government, NGO’s, and local grassroots community organizations to accomplish the overall goal.  

 

In February of 2020, I started a rough concept of what a multi-phase indigenous tourism destination might look like from what I have gleaned over the years (PDF below). While still in an unpolished state, I believe it represents what I am capable of.