“To what extent could tribal tourism benefit both the local population and the tribal tourist?”
Tribal tourism, also known as ethnic or indigenous tourism, has become increasingly more popular in
the past few years. It can be defined as ‘a tourism activity in which indigenous people are directly
involved either through control and/or by having their culture serve as the essence of the attraction’.
(Sijer, 2019) Many tourism firms have been set up in the last decade to offer tours of tribal
communities. The issue with these firms is that they manage their firms using unethical business
ideas such as the unique selling point and they are unconcerned about the social implications it
leaves on the tribes. While tourism may appear to be beneficial to society, it has social and
psychological effects for indigenous people that are more harmful than helpful. Interactions
between indigenous tribals and tourists have had far-reaching effects throughout history. Health
risks, contamination of culture and objectification are only several of these consequences. (Potnis,
2016) However, while there are many negative aspects, there are also economic benefits which
should be exploited. Nonetheless, the negative aspects of tribal tourism seem to outweigh the
positive aspects and therefore it can be posited that tribal tourism is threating a way of life and
should be prohibited.
First and foremost, there are severe health risks caused by tribal tourism. It is not uncommon for 70
to 80 percent of a tribe to die during the first ten years of interaction as a result of new diseases.
Remote tribes have no immunity to diseases brought in from the outside world, and even an
ordinary cold can wipe out an entire tribe. Measles is a very typical fatality for these uncontacted
communities, but tuberculosis and many other diseases, which we have the means to treat, are also
very problematic. (Perryer, 2019). One of the consequences of a disease that affects a whole tribe, is
that very few people will be spared. Therefore, because the disease affects the entire tribe at once,
no one will be able to hunt or collect food, and even if they do, no one will be able to prepare it. As a
result, in addition to being sick, the tribe will have no one to look after or feed them. This poses a
serious threat to the group's capability to survive without outside assistance and thus threatens
their way of life. (Lightman)
Tribal tourism, also known as ethnic or indigenous tourism, has become increasingly more popular in
the past few years. It can be defined as ‘a tourism activity in which indigenous people are directly
involved either through control and/or by having their culture serve as the essence of the attraction’.
(Sijer, 2019) Many tourism firms have been set up in the last decade to offer tours of tribal
communities. The issue with these firms is that they manage their firms using unethical business
ideas such as the unique selling point and they are unconcerned about the social implications it
leaves on the tribes. While tourism may appear to be beneficial to society, it has social and
psychological effects for indigenous people that are more harmful than helpful. Interactions
between indigenous tribals and tourists have had far-reaching effects throughout history. Health
risks, contamination of culture and objectification are only several of these consequences. (Potnis,
2016) However, while there are many negative aspects, there are also economic benefits which
should be exploited. Nonetheless, the negative aspects of tribal tourism seem to outweigh the
positive aspects and therefore it can be posited that tribal tourism is threating a way of life and
should be prohibited.
First and foremost, there are severe health risks caused by tribal tourism. It is not uncommon for 70
to 80 percent of a tribe to die during the first ten years of interaction as a result of new diseases.
Remote tribes have no immunity to diseases brought in from the outside world, and even an
ordinary cold can wipe out an entire tribe. Measles is a very typical fatality for these uncontacted
communities, but tuberculosis and many other diseases, which we have the means to treat, are also
very problematic. (Perryer, 2019). One of the consequences of a disease that affects a whole tribe, is
that very few people will be spared. Therefore, because the disease affects the entire tribe at once,
no one will be able to hunt or collect food, and even if they do, no one will be able to prepare it. As a
result, in addition to being sick, the tribe will have no one to look after or feed them. This poses a
serious threat to the group's capability to survive without outside assistance and thus threatens
their way of life. (Lightman)
