Analysis of the social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts of indigenous tourism: a multi-case study of indigenous communities in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Indigenous tourism does not yet figure on the agenda of public tourism policies in Brazil, neither is it regulated. There are, however, various tourism initiatives in indigenous areas throughout the country, mainly in the Amazon region, where most of Brazil’s Indian population is concentrated. Considering tourism can lead to both positive and negative consequences the objective of this work is to analyze the social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts of tourism on Indian communities in the Brazilian Amazon region. A survey was carried out that comprised forty questions that were answered by Indians from the communities. The study revealed that tourist activities have proved to be sustainable in their social, cultural and environmental dimensions, according to the opinion of the local inhabitants. However, the result for economic sustainability was not representative, perhaps because the communities receive a reduced number of visitors because of their incipient infrastructure.