Making ecotourism sustainable: refocusing on economic viability. Lessons learnt from the “Regional strategic action plan for coastal ecotourism development in the South Western Indian Ocean”

Ecotourism has become the focal point of a wide range of private and public sector development initiatives in the countries of the Western Indian Ocean. The 2008 “Regional Strategic Action Plan for Coastal Ecotourism Development in the South Western Indian Ocean” aimed at both a strategic assessment of current achievements and the development of recommendations for policy action. Drawing on the research data initially gathered for this report, the article demonstrates the importance of fostering criteria for ensuring medium and long-term economic viability in the assessment of sustainable ecotourism development performance, both at micro- and macro-economic levels. The arguments are presented in the form of eight lessons learnt, and the article approaches the question of economic viability at the different levels of enterprises, projects and products, and in terms of public policy and planning.     

The tourism of Indian California: A neglected legacy

California's heritage attracts a large portion of the tourism market, and has an even greater potential. Yet, in contrast with the southwest where Indian cultural resources are actively promoted, California's Indian heritage is almost totally neglected. The purpose here is to review historic and current factors limiting California Indian tourism development; to examine roles of California Indians vis-a-vis governmental agencies who present the Indian heritage; and to suggest how domestic tourism models might be revised to better accommodate tourism goals. Tourists, middlemen, and hosts share significant aspects of culture such as history and language in domestic tourism. Their lifestyles and usual environs, however, may contrast as urban versus rural. Recommendations are presented for increased co-directorship of the California Indian heritage and more availability to some tourist types.     

The new economy as a gateway to leisure travelling: experiences of highly skilled Indian professionals in Europe

This article investigates India’s professionals’ tourist mobilities during on-site assignments in continental Europe. The concept of experiential cultural capital is introduced to highlight the sociocultural symbolic significance of experiences of travelling for leisure enabled by one’s professional career. The study (conducted between 2007 and 2013) is based on ethnographic research online and in-depth face-to-face interviews with 76 Indian expatriates working in the information, communication and technology (ICT) sector in Brussels. This complementary approach of online and offline research enabled the observation of practices of status distinction, which deepened the understanding of Indian professionals’ tourist mobility. The data of the lived experiences of leisure travelling enabled by professional career trajectories illustrate practices of capital accumulation. In addition, they show how India’s youth, inscribed in new economy sectors, such as the ICT sector, seize the volatile opportunities offered by changing global economic and political conditions. Moreover, this research indicates how occupational identity is intertwined with particular practices of leisure travelling as the organisational culture might influence leisure opportunities. Therefore, by participating in and managing this symbolic resource of tourist mobility, professionals signal their economic success to their family and peers in order to be recognised as such.     

Tourism and the changing photographic image of the great lakes Indians

Photography has been an indispensable component of tourism in Western cultures. Whether taken by tourists or by commercial photographers, pictures constitute an important window through which tourist ideology can be analyzed. Drawing on a sample of over 600 post cards issued between 1900 and 1970, this study traces the emergence and widespread adoption of Plains Indian imagery in pictures of Great Lakes Indians. The analysis focuses on some of the ways in which photography and tourism have articulated in reinforcing as well as advancing a stereotyped image of the Indian in the western Great Lakes.     

Community non-participation in homestays in Kullu,Himachal Pradesh,India

An upsurge in popularity of homestays has provided newer economic opportunities to remote Indian Himalayan communities. Despite the benefits homestays offer, their acceptance by mountain communities is fraught with challenges. This qualitative research study has listened to and given voice to homestay scheme non-participants, community members from 15 villages in the Kullu region. Through thematic analysis, rational, understandable reasons leading to decisions not to engage are identified: socio-cultural; practical and apprehensions. Reasons include an inability to comply with certain guidelines of the scheme, inadequacy in sanitary infrastructure, gender roles, complex socio-cultural issues and also home model issues, which all condition the scheme implementation. The concept of 'deliberate non-participation' is advanced which extends previous typologies of community participation. Further theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed along with recommendations for future development of the homestay scheme.     

Managing tourists and politicians in India

This article describes one approach to matching the needs of foreign tourists and local communities in India—ldstar circuits” (a way of routeing tourists around a collection of sites) and condominium hotels (a way of allowing locals to participate in providing a range of tourist services). Also discussed are some of the problems that arise when Indian politicians consider tourism projects.     

The anthropological analysis of tourism: Indirect tourism and political economy in the case of the mamainde of Mato Grosso,Brazil

Aspelin, Paul, “The Anthropological Analysis of Tourism: Indirect Tourism and Political Economy in the Case of the Mamainde of Mato Grosso, Brazil,” Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. IV, No. 3, January/February, 1977, pp. 135–160 --Tourists do not always directly descend upon a host culture but, in some cases, may only indirectly contact a people or an area. A particular example of this is presented as the type case of “Indirect tourism,” defined as a situation wherein indirect contact between tourists and host is maximized at the expense of direct contacts. Data for the Mamainde Indians (a dialect group of the Nambicuara of Mato Grosso, Brazil), studied in 1968–1971, illustrate that tourists could show they “visited the Indians” without directly bothering them at all, simply by purchasing Mamainde artifacts from Indian agencies located in the provincial capitals. This field data is analyzed in terms of cultural, economic, and political factors. Some models of cultural contact, provided by the Brazilian anthropologists Robert Cardoso de Oliveira and Darcy Ribeiro, are discussed and modified in the light of this field data, resulting in a generalized model of cultural contact now also suitable for the anthropological analysis of tourism. Tourism, as one form of cultural contact, is placed clearly within the general domain of political economy and the ethics of decision-making regarding the tourist industry are discussed for these types of cases.     

关于旅游带动经济发展问题的思考

本文试图以笔者多年从事旅游现象基础研究所获知识,对改革开放中旅游带动经济发展的问题进行一些有益的探索。本文首先回顾经济在改革开放中扮演的角色及有关问题,然后对“旅游适度超前发展战略”和“旅游是经济发展增长点”加以评论,最后以旅游现象中几个基本特征为据。阐释笔者对旅游与经济发展关系的认识。     

Facilitating public participation in tourism planning on American Indian reservations: A case study involving the Nominal Group Technique

Tourism is frequently cited as a tool by which American Indians can strengthen the economies of their reservations. However, successful tourism development on such reservations requires effective tourism planning, and effective tourism planning requires public participation in the planning process. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) has proved to be a useful group process in the tourism field but its application to tourism planning on American Indian reservations has been unexplored. This article helps to fill this knowledge gap by reporting on an NGT workshop conducted on the Lake Traverse Reservation of the Sisseton–Wahpeton Oyate (people, nation) in North and South Dakota, USA. Rich information on tourism development possibilities for three lakefront properties was obtained. Possible success factors are discussed and suggestions for conducting similar future workshops on American Indian reservations are advanced.     

California Resident Motives for Gambling at Indian Reservations Versus Las Vegas

The casino gaming sector has become a lucrative part of the hospitality industry. California Indian casinos have expanded to now compete with casinos in Las Vegas, but more California residents gamble in Las Vegas casinos. Little research has been conducted to reveal why California residents travel to Las Vegas to gamble at casinos when California Indian casinos are closer. Thus, this study focused on what motivates California residents to gamble at California Indian casinos as opposed to those who gamble at Las Vegas casinos. A total of 300 online surveys were used for data analysis. First, exploratory factor analysis was performed to find the underlying dimensions of casino motivations. Second, independent-samples t-tests were conducted to compare the perceptions the two groups have of casinos. Then, one-way ANOVA tests were implemented to find differences between casino motivation factors and six different demographic variables. This study will help both California Indian and Las Vegas casinos to assess their services and more effectively market to California residents.     

Carving and tourism: A maori perspective

Maori retained high levels of self determination under the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, although much of the subsequent history of the 19th century involved attempts both formal and informal by the colonial powers to subvert the Act. Therefore, while tourism has brought significant economic advantages for some tribes (iwi), and promises economic returns for others, Maori are insistent that they retain control over the process. The paper describes some of the significant impacts of tourism on Maori culture, but it is concluded that the truths of tourist impacts are plural, and can only be understood within an understanding of Maori cosmology. As such, Maori are adept at distinguishing between the signs and symbols of tourist artifacts.     

Representative dissonance: India’s Self and Western Image

Western media have often been criticized for portraying Third World destinations through a colonial prism via images of primitiveness and exoticism. Contrastingly, some destinations have begun to resist those representations with media campaigns of their own. The purpose of this study was to critically construe the differences between ways that India is represented in American tourism media and how it is represented by the Indian government itself. The findings revealed that these two representations are different in ways that reflect the colonial nature of international tourism and the postcolonial stage of India’s nationalism. Moreover, the study of representative dissonance is proposed as a tool for understanding the conflicting ideological forces that shape destination images.     

Postcolonial perspectives on colonial heritage tourism: The domestic tourist consumption of French heritage in Puducherry,India

This ethnographic study explores postcolonial Indian perspectives on the production and consumption of the former French colony Puducherry as a destination for colonial heritage tourism, asking: how does colonial heritage capture the imagination of domestic visitors, and what are the rationales amongst local residents and authorities that promote this destination for its colonial heritage? It demonstrates how the use of Puducherry's French legacy is a postcolonial phenomenon which has been a product of Indian interests. A central argument is that we need to investigate the postcolonial complexities of restaging colonial heritage in tourism without assuming a simple dichotomy between tourists from former colonial powers and formerly colonised countries, which has often formed the baseline of postcolonial tourism research.     

长三角与环渤海区域旅游合作条件对比研究--兼论环渤海次区域旅游合作道路选择

本文从区域旅游角度对长三角和环渤海地区旅游合作条件进行对比分析，认为两个区域都具有经济圈的背景支撑、旅游业发展水平高、资源优势度大、旅游合作尝试早等共性；差异性在于区域内部均衡性、空间结构和旅游合作阶段等方面。试图从区域客观属性来解释环渤海区域旅游合作进展缓慢的问题，并针对环渤海区域特点．提出了该区旅游合作应走次旅游合作向区域一体化合作过渡的道路。     

Environmental-Economic Measures of Tourism Yield

A focus on ‘tourism yield’ is an important aspect of business strategies to maintain and enhance destination competitiveness. Ideally the notion of ‘tourism yield’ should include tourism's environmental and social value to a destination in addition to economic value. This paper attempts to develop measures of economic and environmental yield. It first describes how measures of economic yield may be estimated and presents results for Australian inbound tourism. Environmental yield estimates are then developed for the same visitor markets. A hybrid approach is employed, combining input-output analysis with an onsite audit for tourist accommodation. The relevant environmental impacts include those on energy use, water use, greenhouse gas emissions and ecological footprint. The findings reveal that, for some inbound markets, simultaneous achievement of relatively high economic and environmental goals is not possible, and that economic-environmental tradeoffs may be necessary. The results have implications for all destinations which use notions of ‘tourism yield’ to inform their marketing strategies.     

Tourism in Russia: background and structure

As Russia transforms itself from the largest partner in the command economy that was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to the largest member of the post Cold-War Commonwealth of Independent States, political, social and economic structures and institutions are undergoing rapid and fundamental change. Included in this is tourism, its role and how it is organized. This paper provides a snapshot view of the official structural arrangements for tourism in Russia as of summer 1997. It is hoped that the paper will prove useful for scholars as they track these changes over time. The paper commences with a brief geographic, demographic and economic profile of Russia, turns to a discussion of the function of tourism in the former Soviet Union and goes on to examine the structural arrangements for tourism. The paper concludes with some observations about the problems and prospects of tourism and some suggestions for further research     

Foundation of the Indian Ocean Tourism Organisation

An International Forum on the Indian Ocean Region was held in Perth, Western Australia in June 1995. One of the major related outcomes of the forum was the foundation of a new regional tourism body, the Indian Ocean Tourism Organisation (IOTO).     

A comparison of the moderating effect of tourism reliance on the economic development for islands and other countries

Tourism is usually one of the top industries in most countries, especially islands. However, there is some question as to whether there is a negative potential impact if a country relies too much on tourism as a means of economic development to the detriment of other industries such as manufacturing and agriculture. The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating effect of tourism reliance on the relationship between tourism development and economic development for regular countries and island economies, including “small island developing states” (SIDS). This study uses quantile regression on panel data from the WDI database from 1995 through 2014 for all of the countries that report tourism and economic data. The findings demonstrate that tourism reliance does have a moderating effect on the relationship between tourism development and economic development for all countries, but mainly at higher levels of economic development.     

成都市"农家乐"演变的案例研究--兼论我国城市郊区乡村旅游发展

本文通过对成都市“农家乐”经营模式、经济效益以厦对农村社会文化的影响等方面的演变轨迹的勾勒,分析了我国城市郊区乡村旅游的发展。研究发现,成都“农家乐”已朝着规模化方向发展,娱乐服务设施逐渐与度假村趋同;与此同时。在外来投资者的竞争下,本地农户经营者的效益普遍下降,“农家乐”经营的“飞地化”特征日渐突出。创新开发模式。加强政府对“农家乐”的引导和规制。成了城市郊区乡村旅游可持续发展的重要保证。     

社会资本对生态旅游收益与居民环保意识关系的调节效应

生态旅游社区居民是否具有环保意识,是当地生态旅游能否可持续发展的关键因素。因此,如何培养社区居民的环保意识是当前面临的重要挑战。有研究表明,经济收益能够作为激励因素增进居民的环保意识,然而这种激励方式的有效性却受到了另外一些学者的质疑。基于文献研究,文章提出社会资本在生态旅游收益和居民环保意识之间具有调节作用的假设。实证检验结果表明,社会资本是一个调节变量,正向调节生态旅游收益与居民环保意识之间的关系。该研究结论对于生态旅游实践具有重要的管理启示。