Tourism in indigenous territories: development and sociocultural impacts in Nova Esperança Indigenous Community “Pisasú Sarusawa” (Rio Cuieiras-Amazonas)

Abstract

Indigenous tourism in Brazil takes place in different territories, and not only in those that are officially named by the Brazilian State as Indigenous Lands. Specifically, in the rural area of Manaus, Amazo-nas State, within the Puranga Conquista Sustainable Development Reserve, the Nova Esperança Indigenous Community has as practice Community Base Tourism (CBT). Based on the assumption that sociocultural impacts are under the light of tourism development, the objective of this research was to analyze how the tourism model relates to sociocultural impacts in the context of the Nova Esperança Indigenous Community. The research has a qualitative approach and was developed with bibliographic, documentary and field research. In the field, 21 semi-structured interviews were con-ducted, socioeconomic questionnaires and participatory observation were applied with insertion for two consecutive months in the community. The qualitative analysis occurred through the triangula-tion of the data. The results indicate that the tourism model in Nova Esperança advanced from a practice of only receiving the tourist and waiting for him to buy the local handicrafts, to a model of internal management that allowed the appropriation by the indigenous people of the flow of tourists, handicrafts, lodging and other technical and financial operations. Seven main sociocultural impacts were identified: economic benefits; pride; relationship with intermediary agents; collective lifestyle; cultural commercialization; traditions and customs; and beliefs. Indirect impacts related to tourism have also been identified.