Ethnic tourism: A framework and an application

Ethnic tourism is employed by many countries to facilitate economic and cultural development and to assist in heritage preservation. Although a substantial literature is devoted to the impacts of ethnic tourism, little research has been done on planning ethnic attractions or related management issues. This paper addresses this gap by examining the socio-cultural issues associated with ethnic tourism and exploring planning strategies for its development based upon empirical research in a well-known tourist destination in China – Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province. A conceptual framework is developed and employed to compare and evaluate the perspectives of four key stakeholder groups (government, tourism entrepreneurs, ethnic minorities, and tourists). Tensions are identified that are endemic to ethnic tourism and cannot be eliminated but they can be understood, planned for, and managed.