Abstract
Community based approaches to development have been touted as alternative modes to achieve sustainable community development. As such, CBT resonates with the alternative development paradigm. This article examines the influence of external actors in community-based tourism. It argues that while it may be helpful to have external actors during the initial stages CBT ventures, the overbearing influence of foreign actors, especially when they engage in direct competition with local communities, can work against the attainment of holistic community development and may result in losers and winners which results quite often in communities becoming losers given the power, financial, experience, capacity and resource differentials between multinational operators and local communities. This article posits a framework containing principles of engaggement between communities and external partners: The principles include voluntarism, mutual learning, information sharing, trust-building, mutual respect, equality of partners, common cause, independence, zero tolerance to exploitation, joint-problem solving and survival and prosperity, DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n14p104
Highlights
Community Based Tourism (CBT) has generally been considered as part of a wider community-based development strategy proposed as an alternative approach to western-centred strategies
Asker et al (2010:9), outlines various enabling and constraining conditions to CBT development and cites shining examples of successful CBT ventures in both developed and developing countries by stating that there lessons to be learned from good practices, there are challenges and risks associated with CBT
Okazaki (2008:512) claim that in spite of implementation barriers, the community based approach “is still the best course of action....”. As such it has been mentioned that it is necessary to be aware of who controls CBT ventures, it is important to consider as a primary matter for investigation who benefits - the local people? or the local elite? or external agents? exploiting the local people and resources (Telfer and Sharpley, 2008:115)
Summary
Community Based Tourism (CBT) has generally been considered as part of a wider community-based development strategy proposed as an alternative approach to western-centred strategies. Okazaki (2008:512) claim that in spite of implementation barriers, the community based approach “is still the best course of action....”. As such it has been mentioned that it is necessary to be aware of who controls CBT ventures, it is important to consider as a primary matter for investigation who benefits - the local people? There is a need, to recognise and analyse the role of external actors and forces in CBT as Blackstock (2005:40) acknowledges the existence of ‘external constraints to local control.’. This article analyses the relation between CBT and external factors asit advocates CBT development in pursuit of social justice (see Urquico, 1998:10). This article proposes that social justice is sine qua non in just and democratic societies in which CBT is can be used to achieve social justice – as Blackstock seems to imply – neoliberal hegemonic milieu has an influence on CBT outcomes, as such in structuring CBT ventures, this factor should be taken into account
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