Community Based Tourism

Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context

the existing government structures may not be compatible for the realization of such

democratic governance. In many countries, tourism development (from allocation of land

to the licensing of tourism establishments) is under strict control of central or local

governments. Such legal structures may hinder de jure or de facto participation of the local

community directly in decision-making processes. In such cases, legal reforms and new

legislations are needed to enable activities needed for effective CBT development.

2.2.7. CBT Destination Brand Concept

A CBT destination brand concept can be developed after a sound situation analysis with

assessment of all stakeholder perspectives, perceptions and needs, the current and

potential products and services followed by a SWOT analysis. Including the brand elements

of color, logo, symbol, and slogan, the CBT brand, ideally, needs to be in line with the

general destination brand for the entire country or region for effectiveness and efficiency.

For example, a CBT site in New Zealand, can be branded as "the purest spot in NZ" to align

with the "%100 Pure New Zealand", which is the country brand.

An example of a CBT destination brand, delivered through a slogan, could be: “Reach for the

real rich!” serving two purposes; calling for action and telling the potential consumers what

to do about the product (reach!). It is compelling since it implies the action to be for

something craved (people reach for things that they really want). The action could be

finding information, reading about it, talking about it, visiting it or re-visiting it. Also, it

communicates authenticity and truthfulness (real). Moreover, it communicates abundance

(richness) of a resource of interest and leaves it to the imagination of the consumer to fill in

the blanks and interpret it in their own meanings that deliver richness, other than the

common sign of richness (money).

The possibilities are endless with such branding since any concept (abstract or concrete)

can be used as the valued benefit to differentiate the product and communicate a

competitive edge to different groups of consumers. Different brand positions need to be

tailored depending on the destination characteristics and the target groups. With the help

of appropriate visuals (color, logo, pictures), each of these different positions need to

provide a hint of benefit that the destination offers better than the competitors and the

benefit that potential consumer segments value more than anything else the destination

and/or competitors may offer. Examples of such different positions can be " Reach for the

real rich!Rich in nature" or "Reach for the real rich! Rich in culture."

Such branding may also be attractive for the potential tourists since it eliminates potential

discomforting feelings that could be expected when visiting a destination with

disadvantaged, marginalized, and poor locals to serve guests’ higher level needs to be able

to provide for their own basic needs such as food, health and accommodation. Such an

uplifting brand strategy may also serve the real purpose of CBT, namely, empowering the

locals, with self-confidence and pride in what they have to offer. Hence, such a brand

strategy may receive more acceptance, support, involvement and commitment from locals

in CBT development.