Indigenous communities aren’t rejecting tourism – they just want to shape it themselves

Indigenous communities in Rio de Janeiro's favelas and the Arctic aren't rejecting tourism—they're reshaping it. A new study examined how residents of Rocinha and the Sámi people of Lapland responded when outside businesses profited from their places and cultures. Early favela tours operated as exploitative safaris, with jeeps and outside operators controlling the narrative and the money. Local entrepreneurs countered with their own walking tours, where visitors eat at neighborhood restaurants and hear community history firsthand. In Lapland, the Sámi parliament issued detailed ethical tourism guidelines, protecting both cultural practices and the land itself. Rather than reject tourism outright, per The Conversation, these communities practiced what researchers call temporary shapeshifting—stepping into the role of market-makers while remaining residents. The lesson: sustainable tourism requires local communities at the center, shaping how their places are represented and who profits.

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