Indigenous tourism as an instrument to avoid conflicts between Arctic development and indigenous resilience

Abstract

Over the last decades, tourism has experienced continued growth and deepening diversification to become one of the fastest-growing economic sectors in the Arctic. As a new phenomenon, Indigenous tourism is closely linked to sustainable development and encompasses a growing number of northern indigenous peoples and specific methods of interaction with nature and society. This research aims to focus on indigenous tourism as an effective tool for balancing emerging economies of the Arctic region and sustainable or resilient development of the Arctic aboriginal peoples who have been inhabiting this region for thousands of years. It suggests that Indigenous tourism and activities encompass several tools to prevent conflicts, reach decisions, raise environmental awareness, and teach sustainable values. This idea is relevant for all Arctic states where development is justified mainly by economic perspectives, not indigenous resilience. The topic is also appropriate for the global community because sustainable development is understood as the only possible future where people must correlate economic, environmental and social dimensions and prevent conflicts within those. The paper describes one Arctic region in the Russian Federation – the unique and intriguing Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. The author believes that this region, with its distinct opportunities and features, is a prime example of how indigenous tourism can be used as an instrument to avoid conflicts, taking into account sustainability factors, guaranteeing the interests of the indigenous population, and expanding the tourist experience towards sustainable values.