(Massey University. Centre for Indigenous Governance and Development, 2006) Dombroski, Kelly
Tourism to Tibetan regions has become increasingly popular amongst Westerners
in the last few decades, as interest in Tibetan culture and religion has grown. This
interest in things Tibetan has combined with the literature on development and
tourism in indigenous communities to result in a conceptualisation of Tibetan
culture as a fragile cultural relic that must be preserved and protected from
outside influences. However, the indigenous Tibetan communities of Western
China’s Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve have told a different story of their
experiences with tourism and development. Mass tourism in Jiuzhaigou has in
fact been harnessed for community development and cultural revitalisation
through local women’s communal businesses. Yet their development and
empowerment has been to some extent bittersweet, as the women fear that their
decision to use tourism revenue to offer their children choice through the Chinese
education system may ultimately erode their traditional culture. The dilemma for
the people of Jiuzhaigou is similar to that for many indigenous groups: how can a
desire to preserve traditional culture be reconciled with a desire to empower the
next generation?
