Justine GAGNON, Département de géographie, Université Laval, Canada
In the last two decades, indigenous tourism has undergone rapid development both in terms of activities and research. There has been great interest in supporting this form of tourism experience, not only from indigenous organizations but also from government agencies and the tourism industry as a whole. Tourist activities, however, have many geographical impacts and these can be particularly acute in indigenous territories. Yet, when tourism encourages the protection and revitalization of local landscapes, practices, and knowledge, it can initiate a process of empowerment and self-recognition that mitigates its negative impacts. There are many examples of indigenous communities around the world who chose to limit or turn away from extractive activities in their ancestral lands, investing instead in heritage and tourism as a means to generate economic revenue while achieving cultural and environmental sustainability. The creation of an international network that connects these local initiatives and supports best practices is testimony to this shift. Such long-standing efforts have compounded over time: the year 2020 was to mark a new phase of consolidation and visibility for this type of offer.
Unfortunately, this momentum was brought to a halt with the advent of covid-19. Our presentation explores the impacts of the pandemic on Indigenous tourism, which are at once negative and positive. While the economic losses to the sector are undeniable, certain social and environmental gains are also notable : some stakeholders have taken the worldwide crisis as an opportunity to re-center indigenous values of care and guardianship as core tenets of a shared tourism vision for the future. The pandemic can be seen as a means to decompartmentalize indigenous ethics of land and resources to place them at the center of tourism economics. Drawing on case studies in Canada, we will discuss what this means for tourism in indigenous territories, but in tourism landscapes as a whole.
Mots clés : Indigenous tourism|Covid-19|Environmental ethics|Guardianship|Sustainability
A103213CD