Community Based Tourism
Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context
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Community-based character of this tourism initiative initially stemmed from the village
residents and its constituents who established tourism guidelines after a detailed
consultation with the local elders. Additionally, all workers employed in the village are
Maori. The village also provides opportunities to Maori artists to operate and own small
businesses. Lastly, the village assumes an educational mission not only to promote Maori
culture among visitors but also to enhance cultural self-awareness among the Maori
community.
Benefits:
 Economic benefits through employment and ownership of small businesses (the
number of Maoris employed through the village rose from 5 to 98)
 The site became among the most visited Maori sites in New Zealand
 High visitor satisfaction
 Enhanced local cultural awareness (e.g. use of local language in the village)
 Cultural outreach to disenfranchised urban Maori population
 Fighting stereotypes about current Maori culture
 Environmental awareness (e.g. replantation activities)
Sources: (Hatton, 1999; Ryan and Pike, 2003)
The absence of any serious natural problems (e.g. hurricanes or epidemics) or social
problems (e.g. ethnic or religious disputes) makes Cape Verde a safe tourist destination.
The island of Fogo in Cape Verde does not yet have a structured tourism development
program on the basis of mass tourism like that of other islands of Cape Verde. The tourists,
who visit Fogo, arrive to the island by way of small tourism companies managed by the CBT
program efforts. The CBT efforts of the Island of Fogo are increasing in response to tourists’
search to discover new destinations instead of visiting traditional tourist destinations . On
the Island of Fogo, this search for a new exotic destination is facilitating the development of
certain tourism products that allow local communities to generate income for themselves
that improves poor economic conditions.
CASE 9 - Cape Verde: Island of Fogo
Best Practice Point: Congruence between commercial and cultural interests
The Tamaki Village is an example of how a tourism initiative could achieve commercial
success while following community-based principles. In the planning phase, local
consultation allowed for the Maoris’ involvement in determining the cultural elements
that should be included in the CBT efforts. In return, an authentic and cultural
experience was offered to visitors which also had a competitive advantage as a tourism
product and resulted in commercial success. Additionally, the village achieved cultural
and social sustainability by transmitting and enhancing intangible cultural elements (e.g.
language, tribal arts) among locals and visitors.