1st Edition
Ethnic Tourism Impacts, Challenges and Opportunities
The book explores emerging themes, concepts, and issues in ethnic tourism, through examination of theoretical underpinnings and empirical research in various ethnic destinations worldwide.
It encapsulates cultural, environmental, and economic dimensions of ethnic tourism, which is a force of change in many ethnic communities and suggests means through which local benefits can be enhanced and costs reduced. This book presents a range of case studies from diverse well-known ethnic destinations which reveal the various outcomes and changes engendered by ethnic tourism, such as the commodification of ethnic culture, the exploitation of minority peoples by outsiders, and the impact of wider forces of modernization and national integration policies. It summarizes what has been done so far and suggests initiatives to increase the contribution of tourism to the economic development and quality of life of ethnic communities. It brings together a diversity of perspectives that are not currently readily available in one location.
The book will appeal to students, and scholars interested in social sciences, tourism studies, geography, anthropology, sociology and economics, as well as in applied disciplines such as planning. It addresses academic and professional audiences that are interested in tourism and its consequences, as well as those who are interested in ethnic, including indigenous peoples, and their circumstances.
Introduction:
- Purpose and Structure of the Book
Chapter 1 Ethnic Tourism Development
- The Nature of Ethnic Tourism
- Ethnic Tourism Research: Overview
- Tourism, Ethnicity and Ethnic Identity
- Authenticity and Commodification
- Stakeholder Theory
Chapter 2 Who are Ethnic Tourists?
- Building a Profile of Ethnic Tourists
- Case study. Tourists’ perceptions of ethnic tourism in Lugu Lake, China
- Case study. Ethnic tourism in Yiren Town in Chuxiong, China: Tourists’ Views
- Case study. Maori Culture on Stage: Authenticity and Identity in Tourist Interactions
- Case study. Diasporas
Chapter 3 Tourism and Ethnic Communities
- Ethnic Tourism and Host Communities: Community Benefits and Social Costs
- Case study. Poverty alleviation through ethnic tourism in Nujiang, China
- Case study. Tourism Impacts on Quality of Life in Indigenous Communities in Fiji
- Case study. The Impact of Tourism on Indigenous Communities in Québec, Canada
- Case study. Tourism’s Impact on Native Americans in the USA
- Case study. Ecotourism in Shanmei, Taiwan
Chapter 4 Tourism Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship and Tourism
- Case study. Managerial perceptions of an ethnic theme park: Yunnan Ethnic Folk Villages, China
- Case Study. Ethnic Minorities as Tourism Entrepreneurs in Izmir, Turkey
- Case study. Gendered practices of Akha micro-entrepreneurs in urban ethnic tourism in Thailand
- Case Study. Ethnic entrepreneurship in South African township tourism
- Case study. Marketing of ethnic tourism
Chapter 5 Government Policy and Planning
- Government Policy and Tourism Planning
- Case study. Chinese government policy and impacts on ethnic tourism development
- Case study. Ethnic stakeholders’ participation in tourism planning in Sapa, Vietnam
- Case study. Tourism development policies and planning in Ghana, Africa
- Case study. Co-management
- Case study. Engaging with communities
Chapter 6 The Future of Ethnic Tourism
- Ethnic Experiences with Tourism
- Impacts, Potentials and Possibilities
- Sustainability Models and Ethnic Tourism
- Looking Ahead
- Conclusion
Biography
Li Yang is Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Environment and Tourism, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. She has published extensively on aspects of tourism and heritage, particularly in western China, from planning and development perspectives, including (with G. Wall), Planning for Ethnic Tourism (2014). She has been involved in many research projects and has obtained university and governmental grants and awards.
Geoffrey Wall is Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Canada. He has explored aspects of tourism in many parts of the world, particularly Asia, has published widely on tourism for fifty years, and was awarded the Ulysses Prize for Excellence in the Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge in Tourism, by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
