Abstract
Constructive collaboration with host communities while maintaining their traditional culture is crucial when planning tourism ventures, particularly if ensuring sustainability is considered important. This paper investigates the cultural sustainability of Jeju Island in South Korea and whether collaboration with community-based tourism ensures this sustainability through in-depth interviews with local residents. The first part of the interview focuses on cultural components to assess the current situation of cultural sustainability on the island, and the second part is related to that collaboration. The findings of the interviews indicate that: (i) there are certain negative indications of cultural sustainability in that Jeju people holding informal power became vulnerable in the face of tourism demand; (ii) several barriers exist in the facilitation of community-based tourism collaboration notwithstanding the beneficial trends, and (iii) there is a strong relationship between collaboration and cultural sustainability. It is also noted that the collaboration itself does not coincide with the actualization of cultural sustainability so long as current power disparities exist. The study delivers significant implications to the tourism policymakers and practitioners on how sustainable tourism development should be planned and operated to secure a long-term benefit especially focused on how the local community should be involved in the overall development process.
Highlights
The world is changing and experiencing shifts in social values, influencing the way people behave as individuals, businesses, and governments [1]
The objectives of the current study are to examine: (a) how the local community perceives the cultural impacts of tourism; (b) whether cultural sustainability is associated with community-based collaboration, and (c) what the prospects are for community-based tourism collaboration
Jeju people hold a strong attachment to their unique culture
Summary
The world is changing and experiencing shifts in social values, influencing the way people behave as individuals, businesses, and governments [1]. Part of the change comes from an increasing recognition that the pursuit of economic growth has had serious negative impacts on natural and socio-cultural environments [2]. Issues such as climate change, depletion of the ozone layer, unequal income distribution, and the exhaustion of resources are recognized [3]. These negative aspects have led to calls for sustainable development [4]. To achieve sustainable tourism that is culturally acceptable, economically viable, and socially compatible, there needs to be a long-term commitment that offers flexible policies while moving toward its successful implementation [7]
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