Understanding tourists: Interpretations from Indonesia

Abstract

Most Manggaraian people on the island of Flores in Eastern Indonesia have only recently, been exposed to tourists visiting their island. This paper suggests that the host population has tried to understand tourists within the context of their experiences with foreigners over several centuries, and has created a space for tourists within their cultural world that is akin to special guests, including spirits. The argument illustrates how tourism cannot be understood as having an impact on a passive culture, but instead how local people create their own strategies for dealing with innovations, as well as maintaining a continuity with their past cultural ideas. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.