Community Based Tourism
Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context
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 In order to maximize the economic benefits of CBT in an area, locals must wilfully
purchase from existing businesses that can supply the goods and services needed to
fulfil the tourist experience. This case represents a destination that suffered from
economic leakages that reduced the multiplier effect. Therefore, most of the economic
linkages that were expected to develop did not perform as expected.
Source: (Trejos and Chiang, 2009)
Langtang National Park staff and Nepali NGOs plan to manage a CBT program that
promotes biodiversity, cultural conservation, and provides local’s economic and
socioeconomic benefits. The goal of this program is to help local communities of the
Annapurna Region improve tourism services, properly manage the environmental impacts
from tourism, and plan tourist attractions/activities that keep tourists in the area longer.
The foundational effort of the CBT program is to financially motivate locals to conserve the
natural and cultural environment through the profit that individuals and communities earn
from tourist expenditures.
Women in the village of Langtang-Helambu (Nepal) have benefitted from the CBT program.
Before the program, women in the village had a lower literacy rate (25% compared to
men’s 55%); had limited educational opportunities (girls often kept at home to help with
household and farming chores when families cannot afford the nominal school fees);
limited access to resources, lack of control of assets, and limited decision-making powers.
However, with the implementation of the CBT program the tradition of the need for
hospitality was necessary to entertain the tourists frequenting the area for mountain
trekking. Because of this need, women in the village responded well to CBT project
activities such as keeping the area litter free, improving lodging and cooking standards
through educational training, initiating cultural activities for the tourists, and increasing
their ability to read and write in order to communicate with the tourists.
Through education, the women also learned how to take payments from tourists, began to
teach and practice cooking and sanitation in kitchens, proper garbage separation and
disposal, developed fuel conservation practices, began to build toilets using local materials,
learned basic English to talk to tourists and tour operators, and learned basic first aid
procedures. The experiences in Langtang-Helambu (Nepal) seem to suggest that women’s
participation in CBT may build community self-reliance and a gender appreciative
approach to sustainable resource management (Lama, 1999).
Benefits:
 Educational opportunities for women increased.
 Sanitation practices improved in the villages.
 Conservation of natural resources became an important initiative.
CASE 5 – Nepal: Annapurna Region