Community Based Tourism
Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context
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2. COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
The CBT development steps, strategies, and activities depend on the destination and its
characteristics including the geographic, social and cultural context, economic
development stage, tourism development stage besides a plethora of other factors.
Therefore, there is no one-fits-all framework or blueprint applicable to all destinations.
Each CBT case is unique in terms of its destination characteristics, phase of development,
and thus, stakeholders, their roles, responsibilities and steps of action.
This can be illustrated by Butler’s Product Life Cycle Model (1980), which explains the life
stage of destinations on a spectrum of six stages including: exploration, investment,
development, consolidation, and stagnation, which is then followed by a destination’s
decline or revitalization stage depending on the marketing efforts of the destination (See
Figure 1).
The exploration stage of a destination begins as a relatively unknown place where visitor
numbers are low and lacks access, facilities and local knowledge. After the discovery of the
destination, word-of-mouth advertising from tourists who have visited the destination
reaches other potential travelers, which is usually then followed by development of
attractions and hospitality amenities.
As tourist arrivals increase, the destination reaches or exceeds its carrying capacity (a
theoretical implication) in its social and environmental limits where upon then a
destination may face stagnation. From this point on, the efforts and decisions made by the
destination authorities designate if the destination will head into a decline or rejuvenation
stage. Decline is inevitable for a destination if destination authorities do not put forth
adequate effort or make the wrong marketing decisions for the destination. Rejuvenation is
only likely with a clear understanding of the root causes regarding why a destination
reached a stagnation stage.
In order to determine the root causes of stagnation, destination authorities may decide to
conduct a SWOT analysis of the destination, determine its competitive advantage in the
marketplace, assess the destination brand, concentrate on product differentiation
strategies, or initiate repositioning efforts that may rejuvenate the destination.