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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sustain. Tour.
Sec. Cultural Heritage and Authenticity in Tourism
Volume 4 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frsut.2025.1510934
This article is part of the Research Topic UN World’s Indigenous Peoples Day: Indigenous Tourism and Cultural Revitalization: Impacts, Opportunities, and Collaborative Approaches View all 5 articles

Cultural Revitalization for Tourism Development from an Indigenous Perspective: The Case of Ta Oi People, A Luoi District, Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam

Provisionally accepted
Thu-Suong Thi Nguyen Thu-Suong Thi Nguyen 1Diem-Huong Thi Phan Diem-Huong Thi Phan 1,2Diem-Hang Le Doan Diem-Hang Le Doan 3*Minh-Ngoc Thi Chau Minh-Ngoc Thi Chau 1Thanh-Thuy Thi Doan Thanh-Thuy Thi Doan 1,4
  • 1 Hue University, Hue, Vietnam
  • 2 Center of Indigenous Development, College of Indigenous Studies, National Dong Hwa University, Shoufeng, Hualian County, Taiwan
  • 3 Hue University, Hue, Vietnam; College of Indigenous Studies, National Dong Hwa University, Vietnam, Taiwan
  • 4 School of Hospitality and Tourism, Faculty of Culture and Society, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Preserving and revitalizing culture to ensure authenticity in tourism development is a pressing concern, particularly as modern societal changes have eroded many traditional values. Local tourism efforts often prioritize tourists' demands, neglecting the perspectives of the communities that practice these unique cultures. This study, based on constructivist grounded theory, highlights the need for a local perspective to maintain cultural authenticity and balance the interests of locals, tourists, and stakeholders. This qualitative study involved fieldwork and focus group discussions in A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam. Fieldwork and participant observation provided insights into the area and local community experiences. Focus groups, conducted with 20 Ta Oi people divided into two groups (elderly over 50 and youth), explored their perspectives on the meaning and revitalization of local culture. Thematic analysis was applied to the collected data. The Ta Oi people have revitalized four key cultural practices through tourism: Dzeng weaving, traditional landscapes and architecture, traditional cuisine, and art performances, rituals, and beliefs. Additionally, cultural revitalization reflects the community's perception of authorities' roles and adjustments to cultural activities for tourism. These practices are not restored in their original form but reconstructed to align with evolving societal and economic demands, highlighting the dynamic nature of cultural preservation.

    Keywords: cultural revitalization, Indigenous tourism, indigenous voices, Authenticity, constructivist grounded theory, Ta Oi people, Thua Thien Hue province

    Received: 14 Oct 2024; Accepted: 07 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Nguyen, Phan, Doan, Chau and Doan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Diem-Hang Le Doan, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam; College of Indigenous Studies, National Dong Hwa University, Vietnam, Taiwan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.