Community Based Tourism
Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context
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CBT is not exclusive to the developing or less developed countries. Since community
participation is believed to improve community support for tourism development, CBT is
adopted as a tourism development approach in developed areas as well. There are cases
from developed countries such as the US, Canada and Australia, often for diversification of
tourism products to attract niche market segments, yet still applied in less developed parts
within these countries.
1.5.2. Requirements for Successful Community-Based Tourism
A common similarity between many CBT applications in many countries is the assumption
that tourism is adopted because it generates revenue, creates employment, and promotes
private sector growth as well as infrastructural development (WTO, 1997). However,
several CBT programs failed due to lack of some critical factors such as tangible benefits
and employment creation, benefits from the land, management, marketing and
entrepreneurial skills, community involvement and participation, sense of ownership of the
project amongst the community members, and the lack of local financial resources or heavy
reliance on foreign donors. Since each case has unique destination characteristics and
stakeholders involved, there are no rigid CBT models that can be applied indiscriminately
to all communities. However, CBT relies on some principles for best probability of success
and sustainability as summarized in Box 2 and listed in more detail in Table 5.
Box 2. Major Principles of CBT
 High extent and level of planning, planning active rather than reactive;
 System of production and consumption (the economic system) adapted to local conditions;
 High degree of local participation and control (inclusive of marginal groups) in all stages starting
from the planning stage;
 Responsiveness to the priorities of the communities;
 Power structure in the population (if positive and conducive to productivity) to be put to use for
all;
 Educational system is critical to train and educate locals and re-construct the power structure
and increase knowledge and formal competence;
 Equity in distribution of income and wealth, avoiding losers and winners (winners usually
outsiders, exploiters);
 Private market forces may overlook equity, thus public authorities to structure government
intervention (policy framework reforms) to stimulate more desirable outcomes;
 Tourism as a complementing industry rather than the only industry, implying heavy dependence
on tourism and potential crippling on the economy when tourism is halted.