The international practice of tourism has proven that this phenomenon brings a plethora of benefits for both tourists and the places they visit. The scholarly dimension provides enough extent of evidence to discuss the theme from different angles. In particular, the topic of tribal tourism through the lenses of local communities and tourists might be relevant to analyze. Below, this topic will be explored from the perspective of benefits for all the involved parties.
It seems rational to claim that usually, tribes are in lack of various resources – starting from the knowledge and ending with such vital aspects as food or water. When people from civilized countries and regions come to visit them, these tribes are provided with the opportunity to enrich their sources of existence. For example, when individuals come to visit tribes that are in a situation similar to the one described above, they tend to feel emphatic about the mentioned tribes and shed light on the problems faced (Africa Business, 2019; Mack, n.d.; Roy, 2019; Wu et al., 2018). In the modern world of social media and free informational flows, a plethora of related issues can be addressed expediently. Moreover, by communicating and interacting with tourists, natives can become more open to the “outside” world and accept the benefits that it can give.
Thus, there is a visible point – tribes may be positively affected by tourism as they get the possibility to develop and obtain many essential goods. Such a state of affairs shows that there is another perspective – the tourists’ one. In order to reveal all the significant aspects regarding tribal tourism and provide a more in-depth rationale, it seems reasonable to turn to the analysis of this side of the topic.
The greatest interest among tourists is caused by such elements of the culture of the people as art, science, religion, history. The study of the art of peoples, including folk art, is an integral part of tribal tourism. It is in the monuments of art that the present and past of the people, the unique features of their spiritual life, are revealed. Folk crafts and art are of particular interest to tourists since they are associated with the way of life and work of the people. With the cultural traditions and customs of peoples, they provide an opportunity to present the origins and originality of the local artistic culture (Khan, 2021). The life of the people has always been associated with the energy of nature, which provided accessible material and ways of processing it, served as a source of the content of art, influenced its motives and emotional structure. In the hands of folk craftsmen, the simplest materials – clay, metal, bone, iron, flax, wood – were transformed into works of art. For centuries, the best forms, compositional schemes, ornamental patterns, color combinations characteristic of these people have been selected and polished in folk art.
History is the most culture-intensive potential of any region. Most tourist destinations respect history as a factor in attracting tourist flows. The presence of unique historical sites largely predetermines the successful development of tourism in the region. Acquaintance with history and historical sites is the strongest tourist motive (Khan, 2021). Since the historical heritage of the region needs to be promoted to the tourism market, tourism organizations are collecting and disseminating information about the historical potential of the area. The historical resource is closely related to the cultural and natural heritage.
Consequently, the following conclusion suggests itself: tribal tourism is objectively based on the preservation and use of the national natural and cultural heritage and traditions of the region, area. Due to this, tribal tourism is based on the unique resources of the site, actively contributes to the preservation and rational use of the cultural, historical, and natural heritage of the region (Khan, 2021). Each region and area have a unique cultural and natural heritage, and tribal tourism is aimed at how to use all this wealth for tourism purposes. It reveals the uniqueness of the region and creates a system of rational and careful attitude to the natural and cultural heritage of the area, comprehends the deep meaning and content of a particular people.
Tribal tourism can be considered as a phenomenon of world culture that leads to the disclosure of many features of civilization. Using specific examples, one can get acquainted with both the level of development of certain historical epochs and civilizations and with the degree of improvement of various spheres of human life and activity (Chong & Balasingam, 2019). During the passage of any round, there is an acquaintance and development of the “alien” socio-cultural space; each tourist, even on a subconscious level, conducts a comparative analysis of the attitude to nature, society, and an individual, both in a “stranger” and in his or her own community (Khan, 2021). Tribal tourism contributes to the process of acquaintance, definition, and exploration of national traits. What is more, traditions and principles of a culture may be distinguished with the help of tourism.
Here, it may be said that tribal tourism is ethnic tourism with the participation (involvement) of representatives of the indigenous population. For the development of programs for the development of this direction in tourism and the organization of specific routes in the places of residence of indigenous minorities, the preparation stage is important. It is necessary to collect all available materials, documents, programs, and plans for the development of tourism in the project areas; consider the socio-economic situation of the site; assess investment opportunities for the development of sustainable ethnic tourism and form a package of investment proposals in the form of a database (Khan, 2021). Further, it is necessary to study the demand for services of ethnic tourism and create a partner network of various organizations interested in the development of tribal tourism.
In addition, a set of marketing studies should be carried out to assess the possibilities for the development of sustainable ethnic tourism by national communities. It is necessary to determine the degree of readiness and capabilities of the indigenous communities to use the potential resources of ethnic tourism and develop in their territories (Khan, 2021). Naturally, it is impossible to implement a project without appropriate specialists, which necessitates the training of qualified specialists in the field of ethnic tourism from among the local population.
To conclude, the topic of tribal tourism was discussed, with relevant evidence provided. The rationale was focusing on the benefits of this phenomenon for both local communities and tourists. It was proven that tribal tourism leads to significant outcomes. However, it is essential to arrange it appropriately, addressing any arising issue and demonstrating a convincing degree of preparation.
References
Africa Business. (2019). How local tribes can benefit from tourism. Web.
Chong, K.Y., & Balasingam, A.S. (2019). Tourism sustainability: economic benefits and strategies for preservation and conservation of heritage sites in Southeast Asia. Tourism Review, 74(2), 268–279.
Khan, M. A. (2021). Capacity building trough heritage tourism. CRC Press.
Mack, C. (n.d.). Can tribal cultures and communities benefit from tourism. Responsible Travel. Web.
Roy, H. K. (2019). Tribal cultural tourism: A sustainable tourism resource in Arunachal Pradesh. International Journal of Engineering, Science and Mathematics, 7(2), 123–130.
Wu, S.-T., Chiu, C.-H., & Chen, Y.-S. (2018). An evaluation of recreational benefits and tribal tourism development for aboriginal villages after post-disaster reconstruction – a case study of Taiwan. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 24(2), 136–149.