Community based tourism

COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

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WHAT IS COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM? Community based tourism (CBT) is a community

development tool that strengthens the ability of rural communities to manage tourism resources while ensuring the local community’s participation.

CBT can help local community in : - Generating income- Diversifying local economy- Preserving culture- Conserving environment- Providing educational opportunities

Thus can become a poverty reduction tool

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PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM:

Recognize, support and promote community ownership of tourism;

Involve community members from the start in every aspect;

Promote community pride;

Improve the quality of life;

Ensure environmental sustainability;

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PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM – CONTD.

Preserve the unique character and culture of the local area;

Foster cross-cultural learning;

Respect cultural differences and human dignity;

Distribute benefits fairly among community members;

Contribute a fixed percentage of income to community projects;

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NEGATIVE SIDE OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Adds greatly to the cost of tourism planning and development

Lengthens the period needed to develop tourism plans

Majority local community can discriminate against local ethnic minority groups

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COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM: Some general characteristics of CBT that have been

highlighted by UNEP and UNWTO are as follows:

- Involving appreciation not only of nature,but also of cultures prevailing in natural areas, as part of the visitor experience;

- Containing education as part of the tourist offer;

- Generally, but not exclusively, organised for small groups by small, specialised and locally owned businesses;

- Minimising negative impacts on the natural and socio-cultural environment;

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COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM: Some general characteristics of CBT that have

been highlighted by UNEP and UNWTO are as follows (contd.)

- Supporting the protection of natural and cultural areas by generating economic benefits from it;

- Providing alternative income and employment for local communities; and

- Increasing local and visitor awareness of conservation.

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CBT MONITORING Monitoring of all CBT projects are important

Helps to:- Improve understanding of tourism effects on community- Contribution of tourism towards community’s

sustainability goals- Identify areas for improvement- Identify areas where change is occurring- Understand customer needs- Manage finances- Manage internal operations- Understand the project’s progress

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CBT MONITORING – CONTD.Benefits of monitoring CBT projects are:

Evaluating project performance over time;

Adapting project activities in light of the lessons learned from monitoring;

Prioritising future projects based on areas of greatest need;

Improving project planning, development, and management;

Ensuring all social categories, (including youth and women) can benefit from CBT;

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CBT MONITORING – CONTD.Benefits of monitoring CBT projects are:

Improving policymaking;

Increasing donor confidence;and

Increasing understanding of sustainable tourism amongst stakeholders.

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KEY MONITORING CONSIDERATIONS

Examining the rationale for monitoring; Deciding who should monitor; Discussing what to measure; Thinking about the type of indicators to be

used Reviewing the human and financial resources

available for monitoring; and Considering how to communicate monitoring

results to stakeholders.

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CBT MONITORING PROCESS

Collect

Data

Step 2

Identify Key Issues

Step 1

Plan the

Monitoring

Step 8

Review and Adapt

Step 3

Develop Indicators

Step 6

Plan the Response

Step 7

Communicate the Results

Step 5

Evaluate

ResultsStep 4

Collect Data

CBT

Monitoring Cycle

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CBT MONITORING PROCESS -STEPSStep Process

1. Planning to Monitor

-Discuss and plan the idea of monitoring with the community

- Set objectives for monitoring - Discuss general practical issues such as who

will be involved, the boundaries of the study area, the resources required and timing for monitoring

2. Scoping Key Issues

- Research key issues facing the community-based tourism business and community

- Hold a community meeting to review and prioritise issues

- Seek input of monitoring working group to finalise list

3. Developing Indicators

- Review long list of existing indicators to match these with the key issues

- Brainstorm in small groups to find new indicators to match issues

- Screen potential indicators using simple screening questions

- Fine-tune indicators with technical expertise where necessary

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4.Collecting Data

- Identify data sources - Design data collection methods such as

surveys and questionnaires- Design a simple database to hold the results

5. Evaluating Results-Establish year-one benchmarks- Identify appropriate thresholds for

management response

6. Planning the Response

Identify poor performing indicator areasResearch possible causes for poor performanceDecide on a management responseDraw up an action plan

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7. Communicating Results-Design communication methods for different

stakeholder groups- Publish results and update regularly

8. Reviewing and Adapting- Review objectives and key issues- Review indicators and data collection- Review of management responses

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LIMITATIONS OF CBT IMPLEMENTATIONS :

Attitude of central public administration,politics

Lack of access to market information : locals not well informed of tourism development

Lack of appropriate legal systems : To defend community interest and their participatory rights

Lack of tourism expertise : No idea to local govt. to encorporate CBT in planning

Lack of qualified human resources

Lack of financial resources

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FURTHER READING http://

books.google.ae/books?id=1WQtIOqVT3gC&pg=PA123&dq=the+host+community&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vBo8U5G6E6SM5AS9k4FY&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=the%20host%20community&f=false

http://books.google.ae/books?id=1WQtIOqVT3gC&pg=PA123&dq=the+host+community&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vBo8U5G6E6SM5AS9k4FY&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA







Education

Community based tourism