Community Participation In Tourism Planning Research Articles

The Strategy for Local Community Participation in Tourism Planning Around Conservation Areas in Indonesia

Taman Nasional Bali Barat (TNBB) is a nature conservation areas in Indonesia. TNBB has been designated by the government as a nature tourism destination that admits development precedence because it is one of the national tourism strategic areas (NTSA). The sustainability of tourism in conservation areas is significantly determined by the level of local community participation in the tourism planning process. However, based on previous research, the level of local community participation in the tourism planning process in TNBB is low. This research aims to formulate a strategy for local community participation in the tourism planning process around the conservation areas. The method employed to achieve this objective is Appreciative Inquiry (AI). AI is a qualitative approach in participatory tourism planning. Data is collected and analyzed by following the AI stages or 4D cycle. The results show that local communities participate in tourism decision-making. The level of dialogue that has been taking place so far shows a pattern of decision-making or tourism planning process based on conservation areas. Starting from personal conversations in the context of friendship, then developing into organizational discourse, and later formulated as a shared vision and mission to optimize the function of conservation areas as tourism destinations. The involvement of local communities in the level of dialogue is a strategy for local community participation in the tourism planning process in TNBB.

Insights into the Role of Community Participation as a Tool for Local Support: A Normative Model for Competitive and Sustainable Destination Development

Community participation as an efficient tool for gaining local residents' support for the development of sustainable and competitive tourist destinations has been adequately established in the tourism discourse. However, due to the dynamic nature of the industry and the associated complexities involved, the conceptualization in terms of theory and operationalization of the notion concerning practicalities is still debated. Given that the wrong conceptualization of the phenomenon could lead to wrong operationalization which would translate into unwanted consequences both for the destination developers and destination communities, the issue cannot be ignored. To address the issue, this study proposes a normative model of community participation with an aim to put some of these complexities in a clear perspective. By employing Tosun`s typology, it is argued that community participation in tourism planning and decision-making, operationalization and management, and benefit receiving takes place at different levels based on the degree of control and authority that local residents have over the tourism development process. To ensure meaningful participation in all the major stages of the developmental process, local communities need to be adequately empowered. A high level of empowerment would ensure spontaneous participation which is the most desired level of participation. On the contrary, a lower level of empowerment would result in coercive participation with the least control and benefits reaching the local communities. It would ultimately lead to antagonization and a lack of local support for any destination development strategies that the developers adopt for sustainable and competitive tourism in the locality.

Challenges of community participation in tourism planning in developing countries

The purpose of this study is to analyze the challenges faced by the community in participating in sustainable tourism in developing countries. The research was conducted using a systematic literature study on scientific articles indexed by Scopus from 2018–2022 with the theme of community participation in tourism planning. Inclusion criteria are articles from developing countries determined by the International Monetary Fund. The findings show that the constraints on community participation can be categorized into three main groups: operational, structural, and cultural. Operational constraints include lack of access to information, lack of efficient decision-making structures, lack of discussion platforms, lack of knowledge, and lack of transparency and accountability. Structural constraints identified include lack of access to planning experts, weak community development, lack of budget, lack of education, and unsuitable policy and governance. Finally, cultural barriers include the history of colonialism, community awareness, mistrust, power disparities, unequal distribution of costs and benefits, and conflict of interests. Governments and sustainable tourism operators must systematically address these issues to encourage broader community participation in tourism.

Community Participation in Tourism Planning at Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

AbstractThis research assessed the local community's participation in protected area-based tourism planning at Majete Wildlife Reserve in Malawi. The assessment was based on the participatory planning elements from the community participation framework for protected area-based tourism planning. A qualitative research approach was applied, and both secondary and primary data sources were used. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. Results show that the reserve has a system that allows continuous local community participation in the planning process, with financial resources committed to support the process. Local people are represented by independent community-based organisations and traditional leaders during the planning processes. But the local communities have limited access to tourism information and tourism planning experts. The reserve also lacks an appropriate decision-making structure that can facilitate efficient flow of management decisions to local communities. There is need to empower local people and regard them as partners in the tourism planning processes so that they can influence decisions.

Hierarchical Variance Analysis: A Quantitative Approach for Relevant Factor Exploration and Confirmation of Perceived Tourism Impacts.

The issue of tourism impacts is one that has plagued the tourism industry. This study develops a quantitative approach using hierarchical variance analysis, which deals with the exploration of the relevant factors and the confirmation of their significant contribution to analyze the residents’ perception of tourism impacts. Hierarchical variance analysis includes three mathematical procedures: Cronbach’s alpha tests, the exploration of relevant factors, and a hierarchical factor confirmation. Data are collected using a structured questionnaire completed by 452 surveyed residents living in Ly Son Island, Vietnam. The significant effects of socio-demographic variables on the overall impact assessment are observed. The bilateral and simultaneous relationships are analyzed using a one-factor ANOVA. A two-factor ANOVA shows the significant contribution of each socio-demographic variable on the economic, socio-cultural, and environmental impacts. Interaction between factors such as “Education level”, “Type of work”, etc. are hierarchically confirmed. The findings allow a better understanding of the residents’ perception of the effects of tourism on society, the economy, and the environment. This provides a scientific basis to help define problems and promote legal regulations for community participation in tourism planning in a small island destination.

Structured inter-network collaboration: Public participation in tourism planning in Southern China

Public participation is considered a cornerstone of sustainable tourism planning. Although this process is well established and tested in western democracies, there is an emerging trend of developing it within the liberalizing Chinese tourism economy. Using a qualitative research strategy, this paper applies the theoretical construction of community participation in tourism planning to the analysis of the planning process of a tourism destination in Jiao Chang Wei, Shenzhen, China. The paper finds that: 1) public participation has played a significant role in the formulation and implementation of the tourism destination plan in the case study area. 2) Structuralized inter-network collaboration led-by government organized non-governmental organizations has the potential to become dominant paradigm of public participation in tourism planning in China in the future. The paper concludes with the contributions of this research to wider theory.

Drivers of community participation in heritage tourism planning: an empirical investigation

ABSTRACTDespite increased emphasis on community participation in tourism planning, our current knowledge of community attitudes and their motivations to engage in such collaborative governance is limited and fragmented. This paper explores the role of heritage values, tourism and community perceptions held by destination hosts as drivers to willingness to participate in heritage tourism development. Such enquiry aims to enhance our current knowledge of community views and their potential to influence involvement in participatory decision-making in order to inform policy approaches to collaborative heritage tourism strategies. Using a relatively inexperienced destination community (Kastoria, Greece), the study collects quantitative data via an attitudinal survey. Our findings suggest that intentions to participate are mainly driven by community ideals while their positive influence is more evident on community members with high place attachment. Heritage values play a significant role; however, their effects do not always favour participation as they can also act as barriers to involvement. On the other hand, tourism perceptions are found to be mainly insignificant in shaping intentions to participate. Finally, the paper presents and discusses variations between different demographic groups and draws implications for policy.

Constraints of community participation in protected area-based tourism planning: the case of Malawi

ABSTRACTAn approach to tourism development that emphasises the need for community participation in tourism planning is advocated as a pathway to sustainable tourism and poverty alleviation. However, it is argued that the community participation concept originated in the developed world and faces different and context-specific limitations when applied in developing countries. This paper examines the implementation of local community participation in planning associated with ecotourism in protected areas in Malawi. The views of villagers, along with other key stakeholders, including ecotourism operators, protected area management agencies, government departments and non-governmental organisations were investigated through a qualitative study undertaken around the two case-study sites of Liwonde National Park and Majete Wildlife Reserve. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, and was thematically analysed. The findings reveal significant limiting factors affecting community participation in ecotourism planning in Malawi, including: apathy; inadequate financial resources; inadequate information; low education levels; unfair distribution of benefits; lack of trained human resources; a centralised public administration; lack of coordination; and human–wildlife conflicts. The findings indicate the need for both greater advocacy of community participation, and the need to incorporate specific strategies which can facilitate community participation that are tailored to developing country contexts.

Enhancing community participation in tourism planning associated with protected areas in developing countries: Lessons from Malawi

Most studies on community participation in tourism planning only advocate the importance of the concept and/or identify barriers without articulating the required actions or strategies to actually promote community participation. Based on a study in two protected areas in Malawi, this paper identifies and discusses possible strategies that can enhance community participation in tourism planning associated with protected areas in developing countries. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The study participants were from protected area management agencies, government departments, non-governmental organisations, tourism operators and the local population surrounding the two protected areas. The findings suggest the need for a rethink on how local communities around protected areas are involved in tourism planning in developing country contexts. Six strategies emerged as major prerequisites to achieve full and active community participation: public awareness and education; capacity building; creation of linkages; use of appropriate participation methods; involvement of appropriate local community organisations and decentralisation and coordination of relevant management organisations.

Community participation framework for protected area-based tourism planning

ABSTRACTProtected area-based tourism is being used both as a local development and conservation tool in many countries. It has been argued that the benefits local communities receive from protected area-based tourism and support for conservation can be enhanced when local people are actively involved in the tourism planning and protected area management activities. But most studies ignore or rarely articulate the actions required to promote effective community participation in tourism planning. Most participatory tourism development processes have also remained unassessed in terms of ascertaining their effectiveness. It is therefore appropriate for tourism planners to find means of effectively involving local communities in protected area-based tourism planning. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework for effective participation of local communities in tourism planning associated with protected areas. The framework incorporates perspectives and experiences from public participation in both broader tourism planning and general development planning. It has been developed to be used as a tool for effective community participation in tourism planning and any related assessments of the planning process.

An application of stakeholder theory to advance community participation in tourism planning: the case for engaging immigrants as fringe stakeholders

Community participation has long been viewed as an important tenet of tourism planning, and there is general consensus among researchers that engaging all stakeholder groups contributes to tourism sustainability. However, there are gaps in the literature, and challenges in practice, that call for further research. Among these are the dynamics of heterogeneous community groups and that not all community subgroups have equal opportunity to participate in tourism planning. This paper attempts to advance community participation by drawing on progressive approaches to stakeholder theory in the management field and by exploring, for the first time, the engagement of immigrants in tourism planning as fringe stakeholders, representative of present and future community dynamics. Bringing first generation immigrants as an important but less studied segment within the broader host community into focus moves tourism planning toward a more inclusive approach to community engagement, reflecting increased diversity and change in host communities.

A percepção ambiental de uma comunidade da caatinga sobre o turismo: visões e perspectivas para o planejamento turístico com vistas a sustentabilidade

O Turismo é hoje uma relevante alternativa econômica para diferentes cidades, regiões e países. Devido aos elevados índices de renda que este gera, o Turismo passou a ser incentivado por governos de muitos países, desenvolvendo-se de forma desordenada e sem a participação da comunidade local, o que gerou danos a estas comunidades e ao ambiente natural dos vários destinos turísticos. Baseado nisso, esta pesquisa insere-se na perspectiva de aplicar uma estratégia de participação social para o planejamento do Turismo. Para tanto, realizou-se uma análise da Percepção Ambiental da comunidade de Tenente Laurentino Cruz\RN, entendendo que as visões, opiniões e expectativas das pessoas que vivem na localidade caracterizam-se como relevantes subsídios na proposição de ações e políticas de organização do município para o Turismo. A metodologia utilizada consiste em pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, bem como utilização de observações e aplicação de questionários junto aos moradores das zonas urbana e rural de Tenente Laurentino Cruz, nos meses de maio a junho de 2010. Assim, o trabalho traz a Percepção Ambiental como estratégia de participação comunitária no planejamento turístico, contribuindo para a construção de um Turismo menos impactante e mais participativo, que tenha como objetivo último o desenvolvimento de base local.

Community Participation in Tourism Planning and Development in the Historic City of York, England

This paper examines two potentially contradictory trends in tourism planning in cities; the emphasis on partnership and public participation. Public–private sector partnerships are part of the post-Fordist planning orthodoxy in the UK and involve a coalition of local and non-local agents and particularly elite groups. These partnerships are often one step removed from urban government and raise issues about accountability and local democracy. The tourism literature on community tourism development and community involvement is underdeveloped in the context of urban tourism. Nonetheless, evidence suggests that local urban social movements can be influential in the development process and that planners and developers need to embrace these interests if sustainable tourism products are to be developed. The considerable growth in cultural and heritage tourism and recreational shopping has created tensions within tourist historic cities, which may be amenable to resolution through public participation. In York, heightened civic awareness of the role of tourism in the local economy and the intensification of competition for investment/consumption, demands a re-evaluation of its tourism strategy. These participatory policies are far removed from the more radical models of public participation but may be all that is achievable in a competitive climate dominated by entrepreneurial city management.

New directions in tourism for third world development

The Third World tourism industry has grown rapidly, but has also encountered many problems common to other outward-oriented development strategies, including: excessive foreign dependency, the creation of separate enclaves, the reinforcement of socioeconomic and spatial inequalities, environmental destruction, and rising cultural alienation. To avoid such problems, institutional mechanisms need to be created to encourage active state and community participation in tourism planning. Appropriateness of tourism strategies ought to be measured according to the changing conditions and interests of each host community; and tourism-led development should always conform to the long-term interests of the popular majority instead of the short-term goals of an elite minority.

Community participation in tourism planning

Tourism planners are being asked to use greater community participation in tourism planning. There are two reasons for this. First, the impacts of tourism are felt most keenly at the local destination area and, second, community residents are being recognized as an essential ingredient in the ‘hospitality atmosphere’ of a destination. However, while many planners rush towards involving various publics in their work they do so without a full consideration of the progress of public participation techniques employed in other aspects of planning. Moreover, while many authors advocate greater public involvement few have tested or evaluated methods appropriate to secure local residents' interest and support for tourism planning. This paper reports on a research programme for Huron County, Ontario (Canada), that sought to apply and evaluate a three-stage participation programme for county residents.