Community Based Tourism
Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context
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standardization for the COMCEC countries and a customization approach in destination
management and marketing where appropriate for those COMCEC Member Countries
which decide to adopt CBT.
The methodology utilized in compilation of the information for this study is mostly content
analysis of written information in books, articles, and reports about CBT. The cases from
the COMCEC Member Countries covered in these sources are minimal; therefore, the list
serves and web contact information of tourism authorities in each COMCEC Member
Country were used to inquire up-to-date information about current CBT applications.
The study comprises of five main sections. Section 1 highlights the evolution of the concept
of CBT. The definition, characteristics, benefits and costs of the CBT are explained. The
Section 2 outlines the typical steps of a CBT development, by explaining some of the major
steps in detail to provide some guiding insights for the CBT stakeholders. In outlining the
CBT development process, a marketing approach, more specifically, destination branding is
utilized as the guiding framework. Destination branding involves creation of distinguishing
identifiers such as name, logo (symbol), color and slogan that differentiate a destination
from similar others in the minds of consumers (Tasci, 2011; Tasci and Gartner, 2009). It is
a sustainable strategy in fiercely competitive industries where many similar products
compete for the same consumers and increasing CBT destinations may be a case in point.
Section 3 comprises CBT development cases from around the world, followed by Section 4,
with CBT cases specifically from the COMCEC Member Countries. Section 5 summarizes
some of the critical factors for successful CBT applications followed by policy
recommendations for the COMCEC Member Countries.