Comments on: Tribal Villages: a glimpse of local culture or a freak show?

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:38:12 +0000

Thanks Dudeness. I’ve come across CBT programmes elsewhere and agree that they seem to be the best solution all round. Yes, a few might complain of the extra cost but I would rather see projects where money is channelled to the local community.

As to your last comment, well that’s the start of another debate. I think it’s closer to the truth than most of us would want to admit.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

By: dudeness

dudeness — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:19:24 +0000

Plenty of excellent homestay programmes now in N. Thailand – just spend a little time researching the best ones and these can be a brilliant way to have an interaction with a local community and, more importantly, for them to a) control the tourism that is taking place b) get their hands on your money. Check CBT-I out in Thailand – they’ve won a lot of prizes for their “responsible tourism” http://www.cbt-i.org/main.php?&lang=en.

I’m sure a few stingy backpackers might whinge about how much these programmes cost but one such homestay group in the south used a proportion of their income to successfully launch a campaign to preserve their fisheries and push out the factory ships, thereby ensuring the survival of their community.

We can’t have it all ways – demand “authentic” places to visit and then complain when these same places want to take control of their communities and regulate the number of travellers that visit.

Of course, ultimately, if you don’t want somewhere to change, don’t go there!

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:23:20 +0000

I agree with you Sherry. There’s no doubt that staying a while will be a better experience all round. The challenge remains for the majority who are on short itineraries and will only be passing through: is there is a value, for any side, to them stopping in these villages, especially the ones artificially created to cater for the tourism market?
Thanks for sharing the Ger to Ger link. If your great stories from Mongolia are anything to go by they should be highly recommended.

By: Sherry Ott

Sherry Ott — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:03:08 +0000

I’ve been to many villages all over Asia and I find that the best experiences are ones where you actually stay for a while. Any time you simply go to ‘look’ for a few hours or a day – then it is a ‘zoo-like’ experience and that’s terrible for everyone.
Stay and actually volunteer at the village, work with local volunteer organizations and make sure you go to remote villages; I did this in Nepal.
The organization I traveled with in Mongolia was the best I had ever experienced for seeing local culture but integrating into it as opposed to just ‘seeing’ it. Check out http://www.GertoGer.org, they were a finalist in the National Geographic Geotourism Challenge.
My best advice – pick your tour companies carefully and spend some actual time in the villages – it’ll be a more rewarding experience for everyone!