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Description:
The impact of ethnic tourism on cultural change among ethnic minorities in Third World societies is not per se negative or positive. There is no theory of tourism to be applied for all the different effects tourism may have. Field research in Lisu villages of Northern Thailand indicates clearly that tourism plays only a marginal role in cultural change among the Lisu even in villages where tourism became economically important. Some authors seemed to exaggerate the impact of tourism and underestimated the self-confidence and persistence of minority cultures. Much more important for the process of cultural change among all ethnic minorities in the hills of Northern Thailand is the influence of Thai society because of the economic transformation and policy of Thaiization.