Abstract
Tourism has been promoted as a rural development strategy in many countries. In Costa Rica, this has been done through a network of private and public organizations that support community-based tourism in rural areas. The ob- jective of this research is to analyze how embedding grassroots organizations (GROs) in support networks may overcome some of the limitations encountered in the practice of rural tourism. Network theory is used to explain the rationale behind the development and implementation of these networks. Through a case study of two tourism-specific grassroots support organizations, it was found that support networks directly tackle some of the common problems faced by rural inhabitants in the practice of tourism, which are lack of essential skills, high development costs, and the dominance of mass tourism operators. Although the supported GROs are receiving tourists and revenues, support networks have not solved the prob- lems of low employment and income.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
