Tourism And Indigenous Heritage In Latin America

Following the surge of regional multiculturalism and indigenous political mobilization, how are indigenous Latin Americans governed today? Addressing the Mexican flagship tourist initiative of ‘Magical Villages,’ this book shows how government tourism programs do more than craft appealing tourist experiences from ideas of indigeneity, tradition, and heritage. Rather, heritage-centered tourism and multiculturalism are fusing into a strategy of government set to tame and steer indigenous spaces of negotiation by offering alternative multicultural national self-images, which trigger new modes of national belonging and participation, without challenging structural political and social asymmetries. By examining contemporary Mexican tourism policies and multiculturalist ideals through policy analysis and ethnographic research in a mestizo municipalcapital in a majority indigenous Nahua municipality, this book shows how mestizo nationalism is regenerated in tourism as part of a neoliberal governmentality framework. The book demonstrates how tourism initiatives that center on indigenous cultural heritage and recognition do not self-evidently empower indigenous citizens, and may pave the way for extracting indigenous heritage as a national resource to the benefit of local elites and tourist visitors. This work is of key interest to researchers, advanced students, and critically engaged practitioners in the fields of Latin American studies, indigenous studies, social anthropology, critical heritage studies, and tourism.

Cultural tourism has become an important source of revenue for Latin American countries, especially in the Andes and Meso-America. This book analyses its effects and the processes of cultural change it provokes in local societies.

History shows that travellers sought to experience the unfamiliar and exotic cultures and traditions of Indigenous peoples, with early examples of Indigenous tourism in the United States, Canada, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and countries throughout Asia and Latin America. Similarly, contemporary travellers demonstrate a desire to seek out opportunities to experience Indigenous peoples and their cultures. Thus, we are witnessing worldwide growth in the awareness of, and interest in, Indigenous cultures, traditions, histories and knowledges. Engagement in the tourism sector is regularly advocated for Indigenous peoples because of the socio-economic opportunities it provides; however, there are a range of cultural benefits including the maintenance, rejuvenation and/or preservation of Indigenous cultures, knowledges and traditions for Indigenous peoples who choose tourism as a vehicle to showcase their cultures. Consequently, tourism is regularly acknowledged as a means for facilitating the sustainability of tangible and intangible Indigenous cultural heritage including languages, stories, art, dance, rituals and customs. Importantly, however, the history of Indigenous peoples’ engagement in tourism has provided a range of examples of the threats to Indigenous culture that can accrue as a result of tourism (i.e., cultural degradation, commercialisation and commodification, authenticity and identity, among others). This book presents an exploration of the intersection between tourism and Indigenous culture. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Heritage Tourism.

Develop the untapped possibilities of this potential tourist El Dorado!Given its size, location, cultural attractions, and natural beauty, South America gets far less of the international tourist dollar than it deserves. This valuable book identifies and explores the major issues that influence and shape tourism in South America. Tourism in South America includes original empirical research into the image people have of this varied continent, the factors that draw people to visit South America, and the fears, lack of knowledge, and negative images that can keep tourists away.Tourism in South America examines current practices and suggests alternative models of development. Its informative discussions range from cultural tourism to sustainable tourism to developing human resources. The original empirical research in this volume offers unique insights, and reference notes are included.The reader will encounter varied points of view in Tourism in South America. You can expect to: view Australian travel industry perspectives on Latin American tourism explore the impact of tourism on the Argentina's Patagonian Coast examine the environmental tactics that Mexican and Jamaican hotel companies employ survey the recreation preferences of hikers in a Colombian National Park ponder the implications of performing traditional dances for modern tourists in the AmazonTour operators, hotel managers, local tourism boards, and others seeking the attention of tourists will profit from the new strategies and original research presented in Tourism in South America.

Cultural Heritage Management and Indigenous People in the North of Colombia explores indigenous people's struggle for territorial autonomy in an aggressive political environment and the tensions between heritage tourism and Indigenous rights. South American cases where local communities, especially Indigenous groups, are opposed to infrastructure projects, are little known. This book lays out the results of more than a decade of research in which the resettlement of a pre-Columbian village has been documented. It highlights the difficulty of establishing the link between archaeological sites and objects, and Indigenous people due to legal restrictions. From a decolonial framework, the archaeology of Pueblito Chairama (Teykú) is explored, and the village stands as a model to understand the broader picture of the relationship between Indigenous people and political and economic forces in South America. The book will be of interest to researchers in Archaeology, Anthropology, Heritage and Indigenous Studies who wish to understand the particularities of South American repatriation cases and Indigenous archaeology in the region.

This book considers the recent growth of tourism in transitional societies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Research in Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru reveals that tourism often takes up where social transformation leaves off and may even benefit from the formerly off-limits status of nations that have undergone periods of conflict or rebellion.

This is an issue-based book that discusses the responsibility or otherwise of tourism activities in the geographic context of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Tourism and Indigenous Peoples is a unique text examining the role of indigenous societies in tourism and how they interact within the tourism nexus. Unlike other publications, this text focuses on the active role that indigenous peoples take in the industry, and uses international case studies and experiences to provide a global context to illustrate best practice and aid comparison. First published over ten years ago the editors, Butler and Hinch, have thoroughly revised and updated the text to bring together a new collection of contributions and case studies from recognised international authors and those with first hand experiences in this area. Divided into five main sections, the text looks at this topic under the following headings: * Involvement: Uses case studies to discuss and compare such as ‘campfire’ programmes in east Africa, and the employment of indigenous peoples as guides, amongst other cases, * Turbulence: Host guest relationships, conflicts on communities and contrasting strategies and results of tourism in indigenous villages in South Africa * Issues: Discusses issues such as authenticity, religious beliefs and managing indigenous tourism in a fragile environment * Progress: Looks at tourism education, tourism and cultural survival and examples of the policy and practice of indigenous tourism. * Conclusions: Five contributions from indigenous people on North America, Australasia and Europe to discuss implications and experiences. Each section uses international case studies from, for example, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal, Namibia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia and South America.