Community Based Tourism
Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context
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Benefits:
 Economic benefits through steady income from tourism activities (as opposed to
seasonal benefits from agriculture)
 Increased local awareness about cultural heritage
 Preservation of cultural and natural elements
 Collective involvement in community development in strong collaboration with
governmental agencies
 Women’s empowerment through increased employment and decision making
Challenges:
 Necessity to focus on the needs of ‘living’ communities instead of artificial ‘display-only’
villages
 Spatial inadequacies in the face of growing tourism demand
 Disrupted daily lives and compromised privacy of the locals by tourists
Source: (Hatton, 1999)
Tamaki Taori Village is located in Rotorua, New Zealand. Rotorua district is famous for its
geothermal resources. The district is also surrounded by many lakes including Lake
Rotoura, and home to Maori communities.
The involvement of the local Maori community in tourism activities dates back to 1990. As
the Maori lost ownership of tourism in the region in 20th century, the growing demand by
tourists for more authentic and engaging experiences with the local community led to the
formation of Tamaki Taori Village by several Maori brothers in 1990. The village is a site
where visitors can experience traditional Maori culture and participate in various activities
including traditional food preparation, moko (tattooing), weaponry, carving, and song and
dance, as well as Maori rituals.
CASE 8 - New Zealand: Tamaki Maori Village
Best Practice Point: Division of labor
The local association in Songup Folk Village is composed of the Women’s Association, the
Youth Association, the Older Persons' Association, and the Oldest Persons' Association.
The associations’ management of tourism activities also ensures that interests of these
groups are represented and the benefits as well as the responsibilities are fairly
distributed amongst the different groups. Each subgroup is responsible for a separate
aspect of community development. While the women are largely in charge of managing
the government subsidies and maintaining the village, youth and older people are
engaged in planning and protection activities. Discussion of current problems and
creation of village-wide forums is carried out by the oldest segment.