Community-based tourism in the Brazilian Amazon: a look through the lens of post-development geographies

The concept of Community-Based Tourism (CBT) as it is conceived in Latin America and post-development theories share several similarities in the critique of mainstream models of development and tourism. This study investigates the correlations between post-development debates and community-based tourism, taking inspiration from the pluriversal definitions and ways of doing tourism that stems from the practices and knowledge of social movements and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP&LC) in the Brazilian Amazon. To explore these interconnections, the study focused on two case studies in the state of Pará – the community-based tourism initiatives of the Associação de Produtores Orgânicos de Boa Vista do Acará (APOBV) and the Movimento de Mulheres das Ilhas de Belém (MMIB). In particular, this research addresses the following questions: How do Indigenous peoples and local communities shape the process of community organization for tourism in the Brazilian Amazon? What are the key aspects of post-development theories being put into practice in the transformative initiatives of community-based tourism in the Brazilian Amazon, and what can we learn from them? This study suggests that the experiences of the two community-based tourism initiatives analyzed resonate with several aspects of post-development debates in the multiple ways they challenge the conventional paradigm of development and propose alternatives that prioritize local cultures and knowledge and the role of grassroots movements over economic growth and Western-centric epistemologies. The research aims to contribute to the strengthening of new approaches and to the valorization of the community-lead initiatives in the Amazon.