Analysing Non-Existent and Existing Tourisms in Eastern Siberia among the Evenki, Even, Koryak and Itelmen

Abstract

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Siberian indigenous villagers and nomads have often struggled to find enough income to sustain themselves. Some natives think that ethno-tourism can be a source of income, but there is currently little tourism in Siberia. In the circumpolar Arctic, tourism is presented as a source of economic development. The Russian Federation’s Official Plan for Economic Development to 2030 also includes the growth of tourism; to this end, Russia has mobilised specialised taskforces. What will be the economic, social and cultural consequences for native communities? What forms of tourism will be beneficial for them? What perceptions do Siberian natives have of tourism? This transdisciplinary paper compares non-existent tourism, as it is imagined, desired, or deplored by native townspeople, villagers, and nomadic herders of the Sakha-Yakutia Republic and Amur region, with existing ethno-tourism experiences in Kamchatka. Based on ethnographic material collected from 1994 to 2016, the paper used participatory fieldwork, hypothesising performed by indigenous co-researchers and an anthropologist, and classical anthropology. It analyses existing and non-existent tourisms on the economic, social, cultural, and administrative levels.