Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Community-based approaches are central to many tourism development
plans around the world and as Milne and Ateljevic (2001) emphasize,
“there is a growing realization that localized cooperations, trust and net-
working are essential ingredients in providing the right mix for success-
ful tourism development.” According to some of the home-stay providers
interviewed, the collection of waste in the villages in order to keep them
clean for tourists was organized since 2010. The ecosites in the region of
'Kyzylarai' are included in ecological zones by the official regional envi-
ronment office. A high level of awareness regarding ecological issues is
achieved through seminars conducted by KTA who organizes ecological
crafts-making workshops that participate in the revival of Kazakh tradi-
tions. KTA is also involved in the attribution of certification procedures to
the best guest houses in the villages, a process that makes the home-stay
providers more conscious about the different visitors' expectations and
activities while on the ecosites.
SUSTAINABILITY AND PROFITABILITY OF THE
ECOCULTURAL TOURS
Financial sustainability and the participation of different stakeholders are
crucial for the long-term future of ecocultural tourism. Graburn (1995)
argues that the need to provide financial gain can change priorities in cul-
tural tourism from education to entertainment as the desire for nostalgia
translates to profit. Although the principles of sustainability are financially
relevant, they may be perceived from a local perspective as imperialist and
orientalist views of development (Errington and Gewertz, 1989; MacCan-
nell, 1999; Tucker, 1997; Wallace and Russell, 2004). Milne et al. (1998,
p. 104) argue that “shifts in the structure and organization of the tourism
industry can change the relationship between the producers and consum-
ers of tourism products and how the meanings of the tourist experience are
negotiated by various agencies.”
The way cultural products are perceived is as much about the politics
of representation of the Kazakhstani culture from the host population as
about selling and sharing authentic cultural experiences with descendants
of Kazakhstani population who have been living in the villages since three
or four generations (Tiberghien and Garkavenko, 2010). According to the
deputy director of 'Nomadic Travel Kazakhstan' operator, the limitation of
the applicability of the notion of authenticity in Kazakhstani practices is
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