Who Benefits from Indigenous Tourism? A Critical Review on Intersectionality, Intra Community Dynamics and Poverty Implications in Sri Lanka

Indigenous tourism is globally endorsed as a catalyst for poverty alleviation, cultural revitalization, and inclusive rural development. It is also recognized as a powerful source for positive synergy that offers a comprehensive model for meaningful and sustainable development. However, the issue of uneven distribution of tourism benefits has become a central issue in the literature. Hence, this paper critically reviews who benefits from Indigenous tourism in Sri Lanka by analyzing intra-community dynamics through an intersectional lens and assessing the implications for poverty reduction. The critical narrative review was adopted in the study and academic books, peer-reviewed journal papers, and institutional reports published in international scientific venues, with a focus on the indigenous community and particularly the Vedda community, which were reviewed, drawing on intersectionality theory, empowerment theory, and Indigenous tourism scholarship. Sources were first read to identify key arguments, conceptual frameworks, and empirical findings related to Indigenous tourism, poverty, empowerment, and community dynamics. These insights were then grouped into thematic categories, including gender, generational dynamics, socio-economic stratification, geographic inequality, governance, and benefit distribution. The analysis shows that selective rather than inclusive benefits are produced by indigenous tourism in Sri Lanka. Moreover, intersectional factors such as gender, age, socioeconomic status, location and internal power dynamics strongly mediate who benefits, who holds the leadership, who participate and who accesses tourism activities. Women, the elderly, households with lower incomes, and geographically remote communities often continue to be marginalized, even though some households and individuals benefit from increased visibility and income. As a result, while tourism may benefit some, it may also exacerbate multidimensional poverty in others. This paper contributes to the Indigenous tourism scholarship by clearly connecting poverty outcomes and intersectional intracommunity dynamics in the Sri Lankan context, focusing on the Vedda community. It goes beyond stereotyped depictions of Indigenous communities and offers a critical viewpoint pertinent to discussions about tourism, development, and policy in the Global South.