Amazon River tour packages often include dolphins being forced to perform. Some tour companies don't pay tribal groups for their services, leaving them to beg for donations-BBC

1/21/15, "Helping Brazil's tribal groups benefit more from tourism," BBC, by Donna Bowater Manaus, Brazil

Dolphins part of package tour

 
"Most visits to tribal villages such as Tupe are part of a wider package boat tour to and from Manaus, which became much better known internationally last year after hosting a number of World Cup games.

The tours typically also include tourists seeing the "meeting of the waters", where the black Rio Negro meets the brown Rio Solimoes at Manaus to form the River Amazon, and swimming with the fresh water Amazon river dolphin.

With most visitors paying a fixed fee of around £55 per person for a package tour, the problem for the tribal people - and authorities wishing to help project them - is that there is no industry-wide agreement on what share of the money the villagers should be paid.

Some of the 196 tourism agencies don't pay the tribal groups at all, instead forcing them to rely on selling jewellery, with pieces typically retailing for between four reals ($1.50; £1) and 20 reals ($7.60; £5), or asking for donations."... Subhead, "Revenue Share"

"In the meantime, to help tribal villages better handle business negotiations with tour firms, a non-government organisation called the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (ASF) runs entrepreneurial programmes for members of such communities."... Subhead, "Environmental Impact"

Image: "The tours to the indigenous villages also generally include swimming with Amazon river dolphins," Donna Bowater



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