The presentation of Bushmen in cultural tourism: tourists’ images of Bushmen and the tourism provider's presentation of (Hai//om) Bushmen at Treesleeper Camp, Namibia

Abstract

This article examines images of Bushmen in Namibian cultural tourism from two angles: that of the tourists and that of the community-based tourism provider. By looking at the tourist activities offered at Treesleeper Camp, it will be shown that in host-guest encounters, tourists' images of (Hail/om) Bushmen interrelate with the images presented by the local hosts, and that tourists' perceptions and the images sought to be transmitted by the community-based local tourism provider are (partly) different. Tourists' quest for authentic Bushmen cultures often reflects the expectation of a pristine and exotic 'other' -an image that is derived from colonial views, anthropology, media and the tourism industry. But there are also tourists who are looking for Bushmen in a process of development. The community-based cultural tourism project of Treesleeper attempts to create awareness of Bushmen using their traditions to deal with current life challenges. The dual nature of the project is the starting point for showcasing the recreation of images as well as the tourism provider's ambivalence-in order to fulfil tourists' expectations -between the objectives to create awareness of the Hail/om Bushmen's cultural heritage and their contemporary life.

Authenticity and the contradictions of the “ecotourism script”: global marketing and local politics in Ghana

“…Driven by "consumer culture", "the 21st century is an age that hungers for anything that feels authentic, just as we lament more and more that it is a world of inauthenticity … despite our endless efforts to the contrary" (Banet-Weiser 2012, 3). The (supposedly) small scale of many ecotourism projects allows tourists to have a closer, more "personal" experience with nature and the ostensibly "purer", "simpler" people living near it, an experience often promoted as authentic (Hüncke and Koot 2012). Yet it is precisely through touristic commodification that these "authentic" ecotourism expressions and the actors who deliver them can acquire "global semblances" and thus become "inauthentic".…”

Authenticity, Identity, and Humanity: The Hai‖om San and the State of Namibia

“…Sizable numbers of Hai om and ǂAkhoe reside on commercial farms in central Namibia, while others reside in small communities and settlements in communal areas in the northern part of the country in five regions (Widlok 1999;Takada 2007;Hüncke and Koot 2012;Koot 2013;) (see Figure 2). Today, most Hai om pursue mixed economic patterns, combining farm labour in some cases with a small amount of foraging, agriculture, pastoralism, small-scale businesses including craft production, and wage labour in towns.…”

Analysis of The Four Pillars of Tourism Development Planning in The Tourism Areas of Kretek, Bantul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

“…Cultural tourism may be seen from two perspectives: tourist and local community. Tourist perception is influenced by image given by host, as tour provider [5].…”