Investigating the roles of the indigenous tour guide

This paper extends the current research on the role of guides for particular niche markets. It investigates the roles of indigenous guides and compares them to tour guides and ecotour guides. Indigenous tour guides are unique in that they are part of the fabric of the site and interpret the value of the area within their own cultural context. This means the major difference in roles for indigenous tour guides is that the resource management role becomes focused on conserving local cultural values (both site and society) and interpreting the contemporary nature of Aboriginal culture. To conserve local cultural values, indigenous guides act as gatekeepers using a range of strategies, such as limiting the information given and directing access, which limits commodification of their culture. These findings have important implications for training both indigenous and non-indigenous tour guides as well as how other agencies promote Aboriginal owned tour businesses.