Community Based Tourism
Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context
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Sources: (Baktygulov and Raeva, 2010; Kyrgyz Community Based Tourism Association
(KCBTA), 2013)
Bario is a remote village surrounded by rainforests in the Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak,
one of the East Malaysian states on the island of Borneo, and home to the Kelabit people
(Malaysia’s smallest indigenous ethnic minority group).The home-stay (guest house) idea
was initiated by the son of the village headman who hosted visiting officials, as a means to
compensate for the financial consequences of the extra costs of their hospitality.
Tourism in Bario, which has accelerated in the late 1990s, has certain community-based
characteristics. Tourism supply is largely provided and owned by the community. The main
accommodation option is the home-stay provided by the local families in traditional
longhouses. Furthermore, community members work as guides on treks, or by providing
transport and food to visitors. Handicraft shops and an art gallery sell local artists’ work.
Other activities provided by the community include, trekking toursin the area, fishing,
educational sessions on local living, handicraft production, and pariticpation in local
pratices such as rituals and dance.
Tourism in Bario is organized, regulated, and promoted by a village council, which also
enables local participation in decision-making. Additionally, collective rather than a
competitive participation of the locals in tourism activities resulted in best experiences for
tourists. Finally, the focus of the tourism initiatives in Bario was not solely economic but
CASE 2 – Malaysia: Bario Homestay Program
Best Practice Points: 1) Local organization, 2) Branding
The KCBTA has two best practice points: It displays a good example of local organization
which was also mirrored by other neighboring countries and resulted in a good example
of regional organization. Having a representative organization such as the KCBTA is a
must for CBT products and destinations to function around the basic principle of local
participation in tourism development. Besides, the KCBTA has applied the principles of
branding successfully. They de eloped a unique l go, a symbol r presenting the m jor
icons of the culture (yurt, human being and nature) along with an inviting slogan
(‘Hospitality Kyrgyzstan’) supplemented with beautiful pictures on their website to
provide potential visitors a taste of the local products.
Best Practice Point: Use of Internet in marketing
e-Bario Project: The Bario community were also involved in a research project to bring
Internet to the local community. The goal was to contribute to the improvement of living
standards by increasing the access of the locals to the Internet. The main result was the
production of an Internet center, which was open for the use of the community as well as
the provision of IT literacy training programs. One major beneficial consequence of
community’s access to the Internet was the increased e-marketing of Bario.