ABSTRACT
Indigenous tourism could be a mixed blessing with a multi-faceted complexity of diverse issues ranging from socio-economic benefits to those of political rights. It could also determine the sustainability of the surrounding natural environment and Indigenous cultural heritage. While self-determination is to be respected and hegemony of any kind is to be resisted, social and economic development in the Indigenous communities requires support, knowledge and networks with the wider society. This chapter offers two case studies of entrepreneurial endeavors in Indigenous communities in Asia where there are attempts to develop their socio-economic status on their own terms, while conserving their own cultural heritage (self-gentrification), in response to gentrification pressure (as well as opportunities) coming from tourism development and associated modernization. The first case examines the intentions to engage in entrepreneurial activities in the tourism sector and the efforts to improve capabilities and provide resources to the ethnic communities in the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces UNESCO Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site in Yunnan province, mainland China. The second case of the Chi-mei community in Taiwan offers some insights on successful collaborations of an Indigenous community with national museums to develop tourism economy and entrepreneurship while enhancing the appreciation and conservation of Indigenous heritage.
