Tourism and Ethnodevelopment: Inclusion, Empowerment and Self-determination

Ethnodevelopment is a well-established concept in the field of development studies. Despite its relevance to tourism initiatives and processes in the Global South, it continues to be an underutilised concept in the field.

This book bridges this gap, presenting an original conceptual framework to study the relationship between tourism and ethnodevelopment. It focuses on the processes of inclusion, empowerment, self-expression and self-determination to explore the effects of tourism initiatives on the identities, cultural resilience, livelihoods and economic opportunities of ethnic minority communities. Chapters explore a range of concepts and issues such as gender, authenticity, indigenous knowledge, tradition, the commodification of culture, community-based tourism, local entrepreneurship, cultural heritage, and tourism and the environment. Drawing on rich primary research conducted across South East Asia and South and Central America the book offers detailed evaluations of the successes and failures of various tourism policies and practices.

This book makes a valuable contribution for students, scholars, practitioners and policy-makers alike interested in tourism, development studies, geography and anthropology.

Ismar Borges de Lima is Professor of Regional Development and Population Studies at the Federal University of Southern and Southeastern Pará (UNIFESSPA), Brazil. He is also Director of the International Foundation for Research on Science, Nature and Tourism, RECINATUR, Brazil and Member of MULTIAMAZON/UERR Lab for Research in the Amazonian Basin. He holds a PhD in Geography and Tourism from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, and has held positions as a postdoctoral researcher and Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Business and Tourism, Southern Cross University, Australia.

Victor T. King is Emeritus Professor in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of Leeds, UK; Professorial Research Associate in the Centre of South East Asian Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK; Adjunct Professor in the Center for Ethnic Studies and Development, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Thailand; and Distinguished Visiting Fellow in the Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei.