Resetting tourism post-COVID-19: why Indigenous Peoples must be central to the conversation

Abstract

There has been a proliferation of academic articles asserting that COVID-19 presents an opportunity to transform tourism. However, the impact on Indigenous Peoples and their involvement in a tourism reset has not received in-depth consideration. In this paper, we analyse the vulnerability and responses of Indigenous Peoples to the COVID-19 pandemic and explore the merits of an Indigenous rights-based approach to the reimagining of post-COVID-19 tourism. Indigenous Peoples are in a position of vulnerability in respect of COVID-19 due to several factors, not least because they are often in a socio-economically disadvantaged position as a result of colonialism and neoliberal policies. Meanwhile, they have been the subject of tourism interest, with versions of their culture offered up as part of tourism products, for many decades. In many contexts, Indigenous people have moved away from traditional livelihoods to dependence on the tourism sector, deepening the impacts of the loss of tourism on Indigenous communities. Our analysis confirms the need for Indigenous People's wellbeing to be explicitly considered when reconstructing tourism post-COVID-19. This paper asserts that Indigenous voices are critical so that Indigenous aspirations are realised and can inform more resilient development for Indigenous Peoples in the future.