Community Based Tourism
Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context
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stakeholders to create a shared, long term vision of tourism and economic development by
avoiding the exclusion of marginal groups and eliminating traditional divisions and
tensions in communities. The government is instrumental in building and strengthening
appropriate community institutions and making them more accountable and transparent
to ensure the wider community benefits.
Additionally, the government has the means to provide initial and ongoing technical
assistance for individual and institutional capacity building, feasibility studies,
dissemination of information generated by research accumulated knowledge, experience
and know how to benefit the locals. Furthermore, the government can develop the
necessary infrastructure (roads, sewage, electricity, and telecommunication) to form an
attractive tourism product as well as avoid the vulnerability and risk from natural disasters
such as storms, hurricanes, droughts etc. The government’s will for empowerment of locals
after capacity building defines the level of actual empowerment felt by locals.
However, the government’s support and political will to provide such financial,
psychological, and technical support is possible with a compelling and enabling policy
document, programs for licensing and certifications in place. Therefore, during the
visioning and planning stage, government attitude and political will as well as policy
frameworks need to be analyzed to identify needed educational activities for government
officials, as well the needed policy adjustments to enable government officials.
2.3.5. Identifying, Applying for and Mobilizing Financial Resources
The livelihood of a CBT endeavor depends on its financial resources. Locals may not have
financial ability in actualizing infrastructure improvements and enterprise development,
even at small and medium levels. Therefore, soft loans, micro loans, government subsidies,
local or international grants, as well as donor contributions are usually needed to gain the
needed acceleration for a typical CBT development. Locals’ political connections,
partnerships, and networking with other stakeholders, including NGOs and donor
organizations is critical in acquiring all potential funds to develop a resilient CBT case.
The amount of needed funds depends on the destination development stage, which is
identified, earmarked, and applied during the planning stage (with a business plan in
place), and used during the development stage onward. Acquiring external funding is
known to have a better chance when the community has a strong sense of local ownership
of the CBT endeavor, involved in making financial or in-kind contributions.
Government institutions, the private sector, or Non-Governmental organizations (NGOs)
may provide start-up funding. More substantial financial assistance along with technical
assistance can be acquired from major international organizations such as the World Bank,
International Finance Corporation (IFC), the European Union (EU), the World Wildlife Fund
(WWF), the Nature Conservancy, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),
SNV, HELVETAS, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID),
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Canada International