From Ethnographic to Agricultural Tourism: Asian Village in the Eyes of Europeans

Abstract

The article presents the results of a multi-year ethnosociological study of tourism in Asian countries. It focuses on the role of tourism in intercultural communications between travelers from Europe and the population of rural areas in Asia. I provide an etymological analysis of concepts identifying different types of tourism and demonstrate that there is a close link between ethnographic tourism and agrarian and rural tourism. I further show how Europeans participate in solving the problems facing tourism in Asia, describe the main areas of tourism in Asia, and discuss the socializing part that ethnographic and rural tourism plays for Europeans themselves. My goal is to raise awareness of issues arising in the process of intercultural communication between representatives of European and Asian civilizations. I argue that both ethnographic and agrarian tourism will be instrumental in the recovery of the tourist sector in Asia – first, the domestic tourism will be restored; then the recovery of external tourism will begin.