Community Based Tourism
Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context
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2. Establishment of two local associations, support for 18 non-government organizations
(NGOs) in tourism promotion efforts.
3. Two study visits by local government, tourism entrepreneurs and women’s groups to
two other destinations.
4. Training support for home-stay start-ups and small–scale grants to 13 local tourism
entrepreneurs.
5. Support for local government’s preparation of a master plan for strategic development
and tourism.
6. Advocacy programs (lobbying for the region in universities, Ministry for Environment
and Forestry and National Development Agencies).
7. Linking national and international funds to individual local projects (approx. $365,000
in grants awarded).
Benefits:
 Increased international and domestic tourism movements to the region directed by
tour operators and travel agencies.
 Increased income from tourism activities especially among younger generations and
women (approx. $560,000 direct injection to total household income).
 Ownership of tourism accommodation facilities (bed & breakfasts) by locals (100%
increase bed capacity in the region).
 Increased local capacities pertaining to tourism, food & handicraft production.
 Increased inclusion of women and youth in the tourism workforce (esp. homestays,
souvenir and local food production).
 Special interest tourism promoted in the region (gastronomical, trekking, mountain-
biking, rafting, canoeing, sailing, bird-watching).
Challenges and Facilitators:
Prior to the launch of project activities, UNDP had identified major weaknesses as lack of
tourism facilities, low education level among locals pertaining to tourism service, lack of
social consciousness and awareness about the cultural environment as well as tourism
values. On the other hand, local willingness for development, welcoming nature of the
community, and the presence of an un-utilized workforce facilitated the successful
implementation of the project objectives. During the implementation, the major challenges
were the difficulty in reaching community members in distant settlements with limited
socio-economic availabilities. The fact that youth were not retained within the community
due to the lack of economic opportunities was also seen as threats to community
involvement in the initiatives. However, the project could be seen as a success story since
most of these issues were largely resolved through intense capacity building programs that
were targeted at the community and the strong participation of youth and women in the
workforce.
Sources: (TDEAP-DATUR, 2013; the Journey, 2013b)