Community Based Tourism
Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context
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accomplishment of ideal goals. Communities are heterogeneous, with stakeholders
significantly different in skills, interest, support and commitment to tourism development.
Besides, power relations and imperfect information flow and transparency among the
community may hinder community trust and equity in CBT. The lack of human and social
capital, cultural obstacles such as limiting norms about gender roles and youth’s abilities as
well as misconceptions about their own and others’ cultures may debilitate CBT efforts.
The extent of these issues in a community defines the ratio of costs to benefits. During the
course of CBT development, dynamics can be different with differing levels of these issues
posing obstacles for success. When intensity of these issues comes to a crippling point, the
costs may surpass the benefits, leading to extreme negative consequences, such as
“alienation and loss of cultural identity; creation of frictions within the community
(between generations or between subgroups e.g. who do and do not profit); disruption of
socio-economic structures; conflicts over use of resources (land, hunting rights,
infrastructure) which may also create hostility towards tourists, disturbance to local
environments e.g. for building accommodations or to obtain firewood, pollution of water
and air” (Asker et al, 2010, p.10).
Pinel’s dramatic description of residents’ discomfort and resentment towards tourism and
tourists can be reflective of many other similar destinations: “Some tourists see the village
like an incidental ‘backdrop for their experience,’ and not as a living community with real
people" (Pinel, 2013, p. 282-283). This type of encounters can be detrimental to locals’ self-
confidence, pride, respect and hospitable attitude, potentially resulting in locals’ avoidance
from contacting tourists, only leading to increase the potential for cultural clash, conflicts,
stereotyping and social tension in both host and guest sides mutually (Pinel, 2013).
Avoiding such negative consequences, as Pinel also suggests, requires assurance of the
main premise of CBT and input from all stakeholders, while outlining an adaptive,
proactive and all-inclusive plan.