Tourism as a tool of community development: an ecotourism project in Cantanhez, Guinea-Bissau

Abstract

In recent decades the scientific community and various international organizations have provided a range of guidelines towards the development of more sustainable tourism. The responsible use of natural and cultural resources and the participation of local communities - with the involvement of the different actors in the development process - are inseparable aspects of sustainability’s concept. However, when we try to put it into practice it appears that this is a very slow process, with many aspects that must be considered, especially in the case of underdeveloped regions. This paper focuses precisely on one of these regions - Cantanhez National Park, Guinea Bissau. This region has natural and cultural resources that are real treasures, which enhance the environmental and green forms of tourism; however, the structural problems of the country can be a real challenge to any type of initiative. The purpose of this communication is to present the ecotourism project in Cantanhez National Park, identifying the objectives, the first stages of the project implementation, the difficulties arising from the social, economic and political situation of the country and finally, its relevance in promoting community development. The realities that will be shared in this paper resulted from an