>Mandelbaum Verlag

ETHNO-TOURISM - INTERCULTURAL MEETING BETWEEN EQUALS?

"Ethno-tourism" is a unique way of travelling. It specifically leads tourists to "alien" and "aboriginal" cultures (be it the Himba in Namibia, the Akha in Thailand or the people living in the austrian Alps) and spotlights the local inhabitants as objects of curious interest. In the process, the visited are shown as exotic as possible, to fulfill the expectations of the visitors.

This phenomenon goes back to the age of journeys of explorations where rumours about "noble savages and barbarians" spread through travel accounts, pictures and later photography.

The book is based on secondary literature as well as case studies from Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe. It offers an analysis on the complex relationships between travellers, locals and the tourism industry. Points of discussion are the participation of the locals, marketing, the construction of secluded "tourist areas" and the socio-cultural and socio-economic impacts. Sometimes, even among scientists, the line between being an explorer and being a tourist, is a thin one. In the end a question comes up: Who are the savages in ethnotourism?