Community Based Tourism
Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context
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4. COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM IN THE COMCEC REGION
With its underlying premises and expected outcomes, CBT seems like a strategic tourism
destination development choice for the COMCEC Member Countries. Promoting tourism
development with a CBT approach in the COMCEC countries would serve multiple
missions. CBT development may foster social relationships at the grassroots level within
and between COMCEC member countries. Although each country has its own cultures and
subcultures, unique and different from others, some tangible and intangible aspects, and
values and moresways of life are shaped by the Islamic culture. Exploration of these
common denominators through development of CBT may help eliminate social and cultural
distances between COMCEC Member Countries. In addition, tourists’ first hand experience
with the traditional and authentic Islamic way of life may be instrumental in correcting the
negative and distorted image of Islam in the world.
Some COMCEC member countries may have shared landscape combined with their location
on ancient trading routes such as the Silk Road, which may endow the region with a unique
natural diversity and yet a shared cultural history. These regions may be a perfect
candidate for the new “adventure” tourism trends. Assets, located in the rural areas, may
be at risk due to serious economic strains. Nonetheless, if adequately managed and
properly marketed, they could provide substantial income and help reduce poverty while
simultaneously conserving the distinctive legacy through CBT. A strategic choice for the
COMCEC Member Countries is to seek financial and structural assistance to develop joint
efforts for regional tourism development for efficient and effective use of their unique
assets and resources.
Although published material about cases from the COMCEC member countries is limited,
available material provides valuable information to formulate the strategies and tactics for
best practices. Information gathered about each case varies in regard to categories since
the focus of each information source pertains to a different aspect of community based
tourism (CBT) in corresponding cases. Some of the cases are summarized below.
There are currently 18 CBT initiatives that work in Kyrgyzstan, the first one of which was
launched in the village of Kochkor in 2000. In 2003, local CBT groups in Kyrgyzstan formed
an umbrella organization called, Kyrgyz Community-Based Tourism Association (KCBTA), a
non-profit membership organization for the further development and coordination of
tourist activities within the country Kyrgyzstan. The KCBTA was branded as “Hospitality
Kyrgyzstan.” The main objectives of the KCBTA were: 1) to promote sustainable
community-based ecotourism services that offer tourists unique experiences; 2) to
generate incomes for rural families; and, 3) to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of
the country.
CASE 1 - Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia: “Hospitality Kyrgyzstan”