Understanding tourists - Interpretations from Indonesia

Most Manggaraian people on the island of Flores in Eastern Indonesia have o nly recently, been exposed to tourists visiting their island. This paper su ggests that the host population has tried to understand tourists within the context of their experiences with foreigners over several centuries, and h as created a space for tourists within their cultural world that is akin to special guests, including spirits. The argument illustrates how tourism ca nnot be understood as having an impact on a passive culture, but instead ho w 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.