Partnerships in archaeotourism: The future of Cueva Borbón, Dominican Republic

Tourism management is increasingly coming under fire from anthropologists concerned about issues of social representation and accelerated cultural change. However, when managed well and at a local level, it can represent an economic boon to the community and may even revitalize ethnic pride. This is not to say that tourism development of archaeological sites should proceed without expert consultation. Rather, using Taíno caves in the Dominican Republic as a case study, this paper proposes a methodology of archaeotourism where the anthropologist and archaeologist are positioned as "guides on the side" coaching local development of data collection techniques that can be used to craft and disseminate a narrative that is situated in local worldviews.