Aboriginal Tourism in Venezuela: Walking Lightly on the Land

Every year, thousands of travelers head off the "beaten path" in search of local atmosphere and cultural enrichment in exotic locations. Under the right circumstances, the meeting of foreign tourists with local inhabitants can result in much goodwill and mutual appreciation. At its best, tourism of this kind creates a kinship among cultures. At its worst, however, tourism disrupts indigenous communities and, because of the increased development and traffic, adversely affects the sustainability of local environments.

Such has been the case in the tropical jungles of Amazonas, in southern Venezuela, which some 60,000 indigenous people call home. Insensitive tourism operators there have herded throngs of foreigners through native villages without permission. Unwelcome visitors have poked through private homes, trampled through sacred places, and disrupted religious ceremonies, leaving in their wake a stream of litter and a sense of violation on the part of the local inhabitants. Not surprisingly, the Amazonians have been reluctant to share their world with "outsiders."

Birth of ORPIA

As their lands and communities disintegrated under influences beyond their control, Venezuelan Indians were challenged to find a way to survive and prosper in the modern economic world without destroying their traditional culture or their fragile environment. In 1993, representatives from all 19 Amazonian tribes held the First Congress of Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon in the state capital of Puerto Ayacucho to address the key issues affecting their lives. The Congress resulted in the creation of ORPIA: a democratic organization, under the direction of Guillermo Guevara, with a mandate to support, defend, and promote indigenous peoples' interests.

While reviewing the long-term economic options available to their communities, ORPIA leaders met with Canadian embassy officials in Caracas. The Canadians recommended that tribespeople look into nature-based tourism or ecotourism, an activity that would let them capitalize on their traditional knowledge of local geography, flora and fauna. In Canada, nature-based tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the aboriginal economy, employing more than 8,000 people annually. In 1994, the industry generated more than $250 million in revenue.

Aboriginal Tourism Workshop

Previously, a few Amazon villages had tried organizing tourist camps, but lacked the necessary contacts and operational know-how needed to succeed. To assist ORPIA, the Canadian Embassy organized a week-long workshop on Indigenous People in Ecotourism, held in Puerto Ayacucho in March 1994. Funding for this event was provided by three Canadian government departments as well as IDRC and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

For the workshop, IDRC arranged the participation of a delegation from the Canadian National Aboriginal Tourism Association (CNATA). CNATA shared its experiences in ecotourism with 70 Amazonian Indians, led by Guillermo Guevara. The CNATA presentation included a 17-minute video, The Stranger, the Native and the Land, and a 100-page training manual, both of which had been translated into Spanish. The Canadians stressed the importance of community participation in the organization and planning of tourism activities. They also urged indigenous communities to establish and enforce ground rules by offering tourists controlled access to their lands, and to insist on a fair share of the profits.

Impact Studies

The workshop convinced ORPIA that properly managed tourism could greatly benefit local indigenous communities. With help from IDRC, the aboriginal organization is investigating the cultural, environmental, and economic impact of current and potential tourism activities involving indigenous peoples in the state of Amazonas. Meanwhile, CNATA has promised to provide further guidance and support, as the Venezuelans establish an ecotourism infrastructure.

CNATA's president, Barry Parker, is confident that the Amazon Indians will succeed. "They have the three critical resources for nature based tourism" he concludes: "a wealth of traditional knowledge, a largely untouched environment, and beautiful people."

Lauren Walker is an Ottawa-based writer and editor.

Resource Persons:

Barry Parker, President, Canadian National Aboriginal Tourism Association, 875 Bank Street - 2nd Floor, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 3W4, Canada; Tel: (613) 567-7566; Fax: (613) 233-4329

Guillermo Guevara, Chief, Organización Regional de Pueblos Indigenas de Amazonas (ORPIA), Av. Orinoco, Urbanizacion Los Urios, Puerto Ayacucho, Estado Amazonas, Apartado Postal No. 24, Venezuela; Tel: (58-048) 21-2063

Links to explore ...

Related IDRC articles and publications:

Tourism, Biodiversity, and Culture: Toward a Sustainable Ecotourism Strategy Ecotourism has the potential to help preserve and enrich local indigenous cultures and could play a key role in the development of more sustainable human societies.

Yucape Project: Economic Development in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula Researchers in Canada and Mexico are helping a Yucatán rural cooperative launch ecotourism and other industries in an economically depressed community.

Ecotourism in Northern Thailand Ecotourism may become an important tool and source of revenue for biodiversity conservation and rural development in Thailand.

Ecotourism in the Himalayas: The Nepalese Experience Conservationists in Nepal are starting to reverse the legacy of more than 20 years of intensive, environmentally destructive tourism.

Additional resources:

Ecotourism: Paradise gained, or paradise lost?

Eco Travels in Latin America

Ecoventure (Ecotourism-related web sites)

Venezuela: General Information

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Updated September 22, 1997. Copyright: International Development Research Centre. Please send your comments to editor of Reports.