Ecotourism Impacts on Indigenous Peoples

This week’s review references case studies to explore the multivaried effects of ecotourism on Indigenous peoples.

Posted on August 4, 2025 in Reviews of the Month

Ecotourism Impacts on Indigenous Peoples

ed. by Wayne A. Babchuk and Robert K. Hitchcock Lexington Books, 2025
282p bibl index, 9781793643841 $115.00, 9781793643858

Babchuk (Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln) and Hitchcock (Univ. of New Mexico) have compiled an extremely important collection on the intersection of two inextricably linked bodies of work that are rarely explicitly considered within the literature—ecotourism and Indigenous peoples. As the authors note, “Indigenous peoples have been considered to be highly vulnerable to visits of tourists,” which is likely due to their dependence on the land, difficulty adjusting to changes, and lack of political power in pushing back against tourism (p. 2). Topics covered among the 12 contributing authors include matters such as societal impacts, Indigenous identity, ecotourism challenges, traditional knowledge, cultural learning, changes in livelihood, and global health pandemics. The case study approach in each of the 10 chapters paints a rich picture with and of Indigenous peoples’ voices in Bolivia, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, the US, Honduras, Australia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka, providing readers with the opportunity to experience some of the most interesting Indigenous populations across the globe as they begin to understand and empathize with them. Libraries with collections focusing on tourism, cultural heritage, indigeneity, and geography should have a copy of this text.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates and graduate students.
Reviewer: K. M. Woosnam, University of Georgia
Interdisciplinary Subjects: Environmental Studies, Native American Studies
Subject: Social & Behavioral Sciences – Anthropology
Choice Issue: Aug 2025

Ecotourism Impacts on Indigenous Peoples

This week’s review references case studies to explore the multivaried effects of ecotourism on Indigenous peoples.