Māori and tourism: a review of the research and research potential

In recent years there has been an increasing level of interest in indigenous tourism. This has developed in an attempt to improve the returns to indigenous people. Too often indigenous people have become an object to view with little control over what is presented to tourists. The consequence of this has been the development of various paradigms for indigenously controlled tourism, including Maori. One of the aims of this paper is to review the research that has been conducted on Maori tourism. It is necessary, however, to step back from this process, which has developed from a succession of reactions to earlier problems rather than from a pro-active stance. This paper will not say what Maori should do with regard to tourism. That certainly is not my place. Instead, what will be offered are a number of questions that I believe should be answered or answered more completely. The presentation will take, as its basis, a very simple supply and demand approach. Whether tourism should be defined from a supply or demand perspective has been a topic of debate for some years in tourism research, particularly when considering the ‘tourism industry’. Nearly all the research conducted so far on Maori tourism has been from the perspective of the supply of Maori cultural tourism. The demand for tourism by Maori has not been considered. Do Maori have the same motivation to be tourists as other groups in New Zealand? In terms of domestic tourism are Maori more likely to engage in ‘reciprocated’ tourism, that is visiting other Maori with the expectation that, at some time in the future, they will play host to Maori visitors? Are the places that Maori visit different to those places that attract other tourists? On the supply side questions need to be asked about what defines Maori Tourism. Can a tourism product offered by Maori businesses be considered Maori tourism if the products are not about Maori? Alternatively, does ‘Maori Tourism’ only refer to tourism products for which offer Maori culture to overseas visitors?