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Cultural tourism at a crossroads: Authentic Indigenous experiences, commodification and critical dialogue
WebinarOnline

Cultural tourism at a crossroads: Authentic Indigenous experiences, commodification and critical dialogue

  • 09:00–09:45 UK time45 minutes
  • Online, on Zoom, inside ScholardemiaRegister, then join on this page from 08:50. How to join
  • Convened by Prof. Eugenia WickensOrganised by Scholardemia

This webinar asks how cultural tourism can respect Indigenous authority, consent and the right to control what is shared.

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About this event

Speaker update, 2 October 2026: Speakers and the chair will be announced once confirmed.
Cultural tourism can support heritage continuity, community income and dialogue between visitors and hosts. It can also detach sacred practices, knowledge and historical narratives from the Indigenous communities that hold authority over them. This webinar places Indigenous self-determination at the centre of destination governance. It examines who decides what may be shared, how cultural material is interpreted and represented, and whether commercial activity reflects the priorities of cultural custodians rather than the expectations of external operators.
Panellists will challenge universal definitions of authenticity and consider how they can restrict living cultures or reward performances designed for outside approval. The discussion will examine free, prior and informed consent, intellectual property, control of images and recordings, fair remuneration, visitor conduct and the right to protect sensitive knowledge. It will recognise that Indigenous communities are diverse political and cultural entities with different governance structures, development aims and views about tourism. Consultation alone will not be treated as evidence of meaningful authority.
Participants will gain a practical framework for evaluating whether partnerships embody reciprocity, accountability and continuing consent. They will learn to examine ownership, contractual power, revenue distribution and access to remedies when agreements are breached. The session will also consider how tourism organisations can support community-led interpretation without imposing external measures of success. Its central question is whether Indigenous peoples retain genuine authority to make decisions about cultural representation, commercial participation and the future development of their lands and heritage. This places cultural authority above externally imposed measures of commercial success.

How to join

This webinar runs on Zoom. You join it here on Scholardemia, where the meeting opens inside the page with the chat, questions and polls beside it. You do not need a Zoom account or a Zoom link.

  1. RegisterFree, with your Scholardemia account.
  2. Come back on the dayThe room opens at 08:50 on Friday 11 June. We email you reminders with the Join button 24 hours and 1 hour before.
  3. Press JoinSign in with the same account. The meeting opens here, with questions, polls and the group chat beside it.

Use an up-to-date Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox. Allow sound when your browser asks, and use headphones if you can.

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Cultural tourism at a crossroads: Authentic Indigenous experiences, commodification and critical dialogue

WebinarOnlineSession 27 of 29

This webinar asks how cultural tourism can respect Indigenous authority, consent and the right to control what is shared.

  • 09:00–09:45 UK time08:00 UTC
  • Online, on Zoom, inside Scholardemia · 45 minutesRegister, then join on this page from 08:50. How to join
  • Convened by Prof. Eugenia WickensOrganised by Scholardemia

About this webinar

Speaker update, 2 October 2026: Speakers and the chair will be announced once confirmed.
Cultural tourism can support heritage continuity, community income and dialogue between visitors and hosts. It can also detach sacred practices, knowledge and historical narratives from the Indigenous communities that hold authority over them. This webinar places Indigenous self-determination at the centre of destination governance. It examines who decides what may be shared, how cultural material is interpreted and represented, and whether commercial activity reflects the priorities of cultural custodians rather than the expectations of external operators.
Panellists will challenge universal definitions of authenticity and consider how they can restrict living cultures or reward performances designed for outside approval. The discussion will examine free, prior and informed consent, intellectual property, control of images and recordings, fair remuneration, visitor conduct and the right to protect sensitive knowledge. It will recognise that Indigenous communities are diverse political and cultural entities with different governance structures, development aims and views about tourism. Consultation alone will not be treated as evidence of meaningful authority.
Participants will gain a practical framework for evaluating whether partnerships embody reciprocity, accountability and continuing consent. They will learn to examine ownership, contractual power, revenue distribution and access to remedies when agreements are breached. The session will also consider how tourism organisations can support community-led interpretation without imposing external measures of success. Its central question is whether Indigenous peoples retain genuine authority to make decisions about cultural representation, commercial participation and the future development of their lands and heritage. This places cultural authority above externally imposed measures of commercial success.

How to join

This webinar runs on Zoom. You join it here on Scholardemia, where the meeting opens inside the page with the chat, questions and polls beside it. You do not need a Zoom account or a Zoom link.

  1. RegisterFree, with your Scholardemia account.
  2. Come back on the dayThe room opens at 08:50 on Friday 11 June. We email you reminders with the Join button 24 hours and 1 hour before.
  3. Press JoinSign in with the same account. The meeting opens here, with questions, polls and the group chat beside it.

Use an up-to-date Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox. Allow sound when your browser asks, and use headphones if you can.

Convenor

Prof. Eugenia Wickens

Convenor

OTS Academy

United Kingdom

Professor Eugenia Wickens edits the Journal On Tourism & Sustainability (JOTS) and the Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Education (JTHE), and chairs Scholardemia webinar sessions. Her research covers tourist experience and typologies, tourism routes and rural development, volunteer tourism, and event and cultural tourism. Formerly Reader in Tourism at Buckinghamshire New University, she has helped plan tourism education in Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Serbia, Greece, Ireland and Turkey.

Scholardemia profileORCIDGoogle Scholar

Organised by Scholardemia.

Committee

Organising Committee

Operational leadership and event delivery team.

Prof. Eugenia Wickens

Convenor

OTS Academy

United Kingdom

Professor Eugenia Wickens edits the Journal On Tourism & Sustainability (JOTS) and the Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Education (JTHE), and chairs Scholardemia webinar sessions. Her research covers tourist experience and typologies, tourism routes and rural development, volunteer tourism, and event and cultural tourism. Formerly Reader in Tourism at Buckinghamshire New University, she has helped plan tourism education in Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Serbia, Greece, Ireland and Turkey.

Scholardemia profileORCIDGoogle Scholar

Scholardemia

Organizer

Event committee

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Next in this series

All 29 sessions
  1. Fri 18 Jun09:00The smart tourism revolution: AI, e-tourism and the future of personalised travel experiencesSession 28
  2. Fri 25 Jun14:00Forecasting the future of travel: Economic models, policy impacts and navigating global uncertaintiesSession 29