Knowledge dialogue through Indigenous tourism product design: a collaborative research process with the Lacandon of Chiapas, Mexico

Abstract

This research analyses an innovative process employed by indigenous entrepreneurs and employees to design new and imaginative products closely related to their cultural, social and natural heritage, values and resources. In the State of Chiapas, home to one of Mexico's largest indigenous population, where poverty has persisted for decades, government and international agencies have promoted the development of many indigenous tourism initiatives. However the employment of top-down strategies focused predominantly towards the provision of tourist facilities have failed to recognize the crucial role of tourism products and activities, thus sustaining and promoting stereotyped ideas of indigenous peoples. This paper will focus on the benefits of collaborative research and knowledge dialogue between scientific and traditional wisdom to overcome some of these limitations through the application of an Indigenous Tourism Product Development Model. Using a participatory research process with the management and staff of four indigenous (Lacandon) owned and operated companies located in the communities of Lacanjá Chansayab and Nahá (Lacandon Jungle) in Mexico, the paper also explores the capacity of this process to revitalize culture while fostering feelings of accomplishment, participation, cultural pride and creative confidence among the co-researchers.

Indigenous peoples and tourism: the challenges and opportunities for sustainable tourism

“…Contributors also posit research questions that are the outcome of direct collaboration with Indigenous peoples (Espeso-Molinero, Carlisle, & Pastor-Alfonso, 2016; Holmes, Grimwood, King, & the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation, 2016; Reggers et al, 2016;Whitney-Squire, 2016). Several papers were longitudinal ethnographic studies spanning many years (Fletcher et al, 2016;Holmes et al, 2016;Pereiro, 2016;Reggers et al, 2016) whilst others were conducted as more focused analyses of products and visitor markets (Abascal, Fluker, & Jiang, 2016;Espeso-Molinero et al, 2016;Higgins-Desbiolles, 2016).…”

“…The penultimate paper, Espeso-Molinero et al (2016), provides a fresh perspective on Indigenous product development arising from collaboration with the Hack Winik (the "True People"), members of the Lacandon Mayan community in Chiapas, Mexico. Chiapas is a state that is inhabited by over one million Indigenous people, mostly living in poverty.…”

“…These include insights into issues with Indigenous entrepreneurship and innovation (Chan, Iankova, Zhang, McDonald, & Qi, 2016;Espeso-Molinero et al, 2016;Koot, 2016;Siever & Matthews, 2016). Additionally, several contributors have explored new innovative opportunities to strengthen cultural identity by Indigenous control of the representation, branding or images presented in online marketing (Mkono, 2016;Seiver & Matthews, 2016).…”

Governance, Community Resilience, and Indigenous Tourism in Nahá, Mexico

“…The academic outcomes of the collaborative process have been returned to the community in the form of capacity building processes [93] and publications translated into local languages and disseminated among the locals [15,94], as well as video documentaries-screenings and photography exhibitions at the community center. Work was also carried out on the collaborative design of cultural tourism products [23]. The authors and all the researchers involved in the different phases of the project have always followed the protocols and rules established for committed indigenous research, based on models of respect, relevance, reciprocity and responsibility [95], and ownership, control, access, and possession (OCAP) [96].…”

Mobilising knowledge: an action design research case study of using technology to safeguard an endangered nature-based tourism attraction

“…To address the goals for sustainable tourism outlined by the UNWTO, and view the field of study as an applied social science, applied research methods such as action research and product design interventions have a valuable contribution to make. Some examples of the latter in sustainable tourism include Garc ıa-Rosell and M€ akinen (2013), Espeso-Molinero et al (2016), or in the case of Idziak et al (2015), 'applied anthropology' through the process of co-producing tourism development in villages in Poland. These product design interventions often benefit from a Design Science approach, championed by Font et al (2018) as a way to 'mainstream' sustainability in this sector.…”