Factors influencing Indigenous engagement in tourism development: an international perspective

ABSTRACT

Indigenous tourism products, attractions and activities can offer a point of difference for tourism destinations, and consequently the role of, and opportunities for, Indigenous people in providing these tourism experiences have been recognised increasingly by government and industry alike. This paper reviews and discusses the factors influencing successful Indigenous tourism development and provides a global comparison of best practice to inform future decision-making processes in achieving sustainable Indigenous tourism development. Data was derived from interviews with key government and non-government organisations, and Indigenous tourism organisations and operators were analysed as a means of critically engaging with the sustainability problematic of Indigenous tourism development. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis of international case studies focusing on Indigenous accommodation provision was carried out to complement the research, as were observations during site visits. By offering a framework for the Indigenous tourism development process, we contribute in a positive and flexible way to the complex, and evolving, discourse on Indigenous tourism practice. It is argued that the effectiveness of governance structures and the level of involvement of Indigenous stakeholders as well as the selection of legislative and policy instruments are key to ensuring a more sustainable approach to Indigenous tourism development.

从国际视角探索影响本土参与旅游业发展的因素

摘要 本土的旅游产品，景点和旅游活动能够给旅游目的地带来许多不同之处。因此，本土居民在旅游体验中起到的作用和意义逐渐被政府和相关产业所关注。本文回顾且讨论了影响本土旅游成功发展的因素，并提供了全球“最佳实践”的对比来体现未来实现可持续本土旅游业发展的决策过程。文章的数据来源于对重点政府和非政府组织的采访。本土旅游组织及经营者则被认为是批判性分析本土旅游可持续发展问题的关键。此外，一项由现场景点观察得出的，针对本土住宿规定的国际案例综合分析将用于支持本文的研究。通过提出本土旅游发展过程的框架，本文得到了一个积极并灵活的方法以解决复杂、变化莫测的本土旅游议题。其中治理结构的效果，本土利益相关者的参与程度，以及立法和政治手段的选择是确保发现更多针对本土旅游发展的可持续方式的关键。

KEYWORDS:

• Indigenous tourism development
• land title
• land management
• governance and policy arrangements
• Indigenous accommodation

关键词:

• 本土旅游发展
• 土地业权
• 土地管理
• 政策治理安排
• 本土住宿

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Our notion of authenticity refers to a genuine, local Indigenous cultural experience (see Hodgson, 2007; Lane & Waitt, 2001; Chambers, 2009; Ramkissoon, 2015).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Campbell Fletcher

Campbell Fletcher is a government relations and policy manager at Tourism Western Australia and a Curtin University Adjunct Professional Fellow.

Christof Pforr

Christof Pforr (PhD) is course coordinator for tourism and hospitality within the School of Marketing at Curtin University (Australia). His main research interests include tourism policy and planning, sustainable (tourism) development, health tourism (medical and wellness), coastal tourism and geotourism as well as destination governance with a specific focus on network management and network analysis

Martin Brueckner

Martin Brueckner is a senior lecturer at the Centre for Responsible Citizenship and Sustainability within the School of Management & Governance at Murdoch University. His current research interests include industry–community relations; corporate social responsibility and corporate governance; sustainable communities; regional sustainability; and politics and political economy of sustainable development.