The thesis focused on acquiring a sufficient level of understanding of how and to what extent tourism is implemented in livelihoods of the indigenous people (Maya and Garifuna) of Belize and if it truly benefits their lives. The research provided an assessment of actual and perceived economic, social and other effects of tourism on the livelihood of two communities in southern Belize - the inland community of Laguna and the coastal community of Hopkins Village. The study was approached from the pragmatic perspective and included the multiple case study framework, literature review, semi-structured interviews and observations. The research was conducted from January to February 2015. The results of the study demonstrated that the communities of Laguna and Hopkins are at different stages of integration into the tourism industry. The research revealed that the economic, social and cultural effects of tourism and its importance for local livelihoods varied between both villages and was dependant on a number of factors – geographical, cultural, social etc. The issues of preserving cultural heritage, problems of marginalization, lack of skills, exclusion and other were all identified as significant factors. A number of recommendations were made based on the results of the study. / May 2016

Tourism is a lens that provides unique insights into the social, cultural, political and economic processes operating in specific environments. In this study, the lens is directed at community-based tourism initiatives in northern Viet Nam that have been ‘facilitated’ by international development agencies. The potential of tourism as a tool for development is gaining increased recognition and popularity around the globe, despite widespread criticism in the academic literature based on the poor record of success. In Viet Nam, community-based tourism initiatives are increasingly being established with assistance from international development agencies, as a means of diversifying agricultural livelihoods in the hope of alleviating poverty. Based on six weeks of ethnographic fieldwork in northern Viet Nam, this research joins only a handful of tourism studies that have used actor-network theory (ANT) as a methodological approach for studying tourism. This thesis therefore provides an important contribution to the emerging dialogue on the potential of ANT to inform new understandings about tourism, as well as opening the black box of development-assisted community-based tourism in Viet Nam. This research uses Callon’s (1986b) phases of translation to identify the actors in community-based tourism in Viet Nam, exploring the roles, relationships and strategies (per)formed by these actors as they attempt to enact CBT actor-networks. A discourse analysis shows how dominant discourses around knowledge and power homogenize groups such as host communities and tour operators, in ways that legitimise the interventions and actions of other actors, such as development agencies and government institutions. Exploring the dominant discourses around CBT opens a window into spaces within the actor-network of CBT where the workings of the actor-network are prescribed, taken for granted, and thus appear stable. However there are also spaces where the actor-networks are constantly negotiated, where meaning is contested and relationships between actors are fluid and dynamic. Out of these negotiated spaces agency emerges, and actor-networks are reconfigured as power relations shift and actors are transformed. This thesis explores some of these prescribed and negotiated spaces, showing the impact of specific power relations on material CBT outcomes and providing new understandings to inform development policy and practice.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Course-work Degree of Masters of Recreation and Tourism in the Department for Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2014. / The study was based on community based tourism and was conducted to find out whether the local residents are involved and participate in community based tourism within the study area of uMhlathuze Municipality. Community based tourism provides job opportunities to those who participate and should, ideally, involve every resident of the study area. Men and women are to be given the equal participation opportunities. The study had the following specific objectives: (a) To establish the extent to which the local community understands the importance of tourism in the study area. (b) To find out the level of participation and involvement of the local community in community based tourism (c) To identify the types of community tourism facilities available in the study area. (d) To establish the strategies that can be used to promote involvement and participation in community based tourism within the study area. The findings of the study revealed that some community members do not even know the local tourism authorities who should be promoting community based tourism within the study area. Misconceptions about tourism became evident as some respondents viewed tourism as an activity for the rich and for the white people. The study is concluded by recommending the promotion of community based tourism within the study area applying the managerial strategies to promote participation and involvement by local communities.

The tourism industry in Peru has grown faster than any other sector in the country’s economy. Peru has used Incanismo, the exaggeration of the Inca culture and identity, to appropriate culture and tourism in and around Cusco. This method has led to significant economic advancements throughout the city. Because of this, traditional Quechua-Speaking communities outside of Cusco have begun to promote a similar method in order to experience the same success. In doing so, many meanings of community values and traditions are changing. Though I began my research with a negative perspective and found the tourism industry to be exploitative, the time I spent living and volunteering in the local community of Ccorccor helped me to recognize the potential positive opportunities that tourism could offer. With a Hopeful Tourism model, I offer suggestions for the incorporation of a broader, more inclusive Andean identity, rather than the previous Inca-specific one. Hopeful Tourism is way for communities to re-cultivate their own unique characteristics and heritages, while supporting economic development. Not only will this maintain tourism throughout Peru, but it will do so in a culturally sustainable way. / text

Student Number: 9601911P - MA research report - School of Arts - Faculty of Humanities / The purpose of this study was to find out the social impact of community-based tourism on host communities, using a case study of Khama Rhino Sanctuary Trust. Community-based tourism is the new buzzword for tourism development nowadays, with its proponents promoting its potential to increase local benefits and to empower local communities in economic, social, environmental and cultural terms. This research sought to address closely the benefits and problems associated with community-based tourism in one community in Botswana. The research also attempted to find out how involved the community is in decision making processes involving the running of the Khama Rhino Sanctuary, a community-based initiative which is not only involved in tourism, but also in environmental education. The research findings indicate that there is no sense of ownership amongst the community and benefits have not been forthcoming. Although job opportunities have been created, these have not been increasing since the inception of the Sanctuary. Above all, the Sanctuary still relies heavily on foreign donors. In order to address the research questions, qualitative methods of data collection and analysis were employed.

M.Comm. (Tourism and Hospitality Management) / Community-based tourism is increasingly being developed and promoted as a means of reducing poverty in developing countries whereby the needs of local communities are met through the offering of a tourism product. The Swaziland Tourism Authority (STA) with the support of the European Union Fund has made significant contributions to the development of community-based tourism in Swaziland enabling rural communities to successfully develop tourist attractions. However, whilst many community-based tourism ventures have been established in developing countries, their operations have not been monitored properly. The same scenario exists in Swaziland where, at the operational level, when the projects are completely left in the hands of the communities, these projects seem to lack the drive and stagnate. It is apparent that most of these community-based tourism ventures are faced with a number of challenges at operational level. This study, therefore, investigated these operational challenges facing community-based tourism in Swaziland. The study used the mixed methods research design whereby qualitative data was collected through in-depth interviews, focus group interviews and participant observation. Quantitative data was collected from visitors to community-based tourism ventures through questionnaires. From the findings of the study, it was clear that operational challenges ranged from poor management to lack of operational resources and impatient communities among others. The report concludes by stating recommendations to possible solutions to these operational challenges.

This study examines the existing policy and planning frameworks in relation to tourism and local development in Namibia and the level of integration for the respective rural communities. The focus is on the Torra Conservancy in the north-western part of Namibia. The specific objectives are to assess the relative degree to which the local communities have had control in the community-based tourism (CBT) through the community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) programme in terms of rights, empowerment and economic benefits. The study involves a retrospective review of literature on integrative tourism and rural local development and through a survey of key community based tourism (CBT) actors in Bergsig and in Windhoek, Namibia. This study is mainly based on quantitative approach. In addition, thematic interviews were used, where possible, to understand and deepen the views expressed in the survey results. Respondents representing the three main clusters of the tourism industry; government, private sector and the host local communities were examined on their interpretation of the current development of the tourism industry in Namibia. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and factor analysis indicated statistical significant differences between different groups. The research findings revealed that the extent to which local communities participate in the tourism development process depends on the idealistic, and perhaps to some degree unrealistic, expectations, of community-based tourism in the national tourism policy spectrum. Since community perceptions match what is on the ground from development, problems are socially real and necessitated a viable solution for amelioration. Implications are discussed for building a more integrative policy approach that could help guide research, planning, development and evaluation of community-based tourism projects. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Tourism Management / PhD / Unrestricted

During the past several decades, globalization forces in general and mechanization of coal mining jobs more specifically have sharply changed the economic and social conditions of many of the coal towns in the Central Appalachian region of the United States. Efforts to identify and seek alternatives to replace the ongoing decline of their traditional way of life are deeply entangled with community identity and culture due to the historical hegemonic role and power of coal mining and other extractive industries and their critical role in forming residents' identities. Many of the small communities in this region are pursuing initiatives to highlight their natural and cultural assets in efforts to develop tourism as a new foundation for their economies. However, to avoid tourism simply becoming another extractive industry, researchers and practitioners have suggested that these communities must develop capacity to participate in and take ownership of tourism-related decision-making processes. In an effort to examine the dynamics of one such effort in detail this study drew on Community Capacity theory as interpreted by Chaskin (2001a) to explore the relationships between Community Cultural Development (CCD) and the sustainability of tourism in a small town located in Central Appalachia seeking to transition to a visitor-based economy. This dissertation explored whether and in what ways engaging in CCD projects and community capacity are related and identified ways such interactions influence the sustainability of tourism. Along with personal observation and a review of relevant archival data, I conducted 10 semi-structured interviews with a sample of individuals from a community cultural development organization regarding their efforts to build possibilities for sustainable tourism in their rural jurisdiction. This study's findings contribute to the existing literature by suggesting Chaskin's framework of community capacity as an apt model for charting progress towards sustainable community-based tourism. Moreover, this research found that employing CCD methods can enhance community capacity by encouraging a sense of shared identity among the group's members and through them among a broader cross-section of residents. Lastly, this inquiry suggested that CCD contributed to the sustainability of tourism in the case study community by increasing residents' effective participation in decision-making processes concerning such efforts, encouraging locals' partnership and ownership of tourism development projects and providing space for negotiating the tourist gaze in guest-host relationships. / Doctor of Philosophy / Since at least the late 1960s and the advent of the ongoing decline of mining, the populations of many small coal-dependent towns in Central Appalachia have fallen into economic hardship (e.g., high rates of poverty, too few and/or inadequate jobs and public services), now confront a range of social issues arising from that harsh reality (e.g., youth out-migration, rapidly aging populations, the current opioid epidemic). In response to those conditions, many affected communities are investing in their wealth of natural resources and unique cultural assets to promote tourism as a palliative, if not replacement, for their previous economies. Tourism has the potential to reduce poverty and to boost shared prosperity among host communities, but it also, if poorly managed, could become another extractive industry. This study focused on the ways that residents in one Central Appalachian community have individually and as groups sought to assume ownership of their area's tourism-related efforts. I specifically analyzed participation in that jurisdiction's cultural activities (e.g., community theatre and story circles) to understand whether and how involvement in them affected participants' awareness of their capability to address the conditions in their community. My interviews with 10 active participants in my sample community's collective cultural projects revealed that residents did come to perceive themselves as possessing capacity as individuals and as groups to address the challenges that have arisen in their community as its traditional economy has declined. This study also found that participants in culture-based group activities were better prepared to participate effectively in tourism-related decision-making processes in their community. Indeed, many of those I interviewed have become owners and/or partners in tourism development projects because of the information and networks they developed during their participation in cultural activities. Finally, this analysis found that community cultural activities created a space for residents to interact regardless of their socio-economic status, ideological predisposition or other characteristics; an outcome that interviewees indicated they had come to cherish.

Submitted by Maria Aparecida (cidazen@gmail.com) on 2017-07-31T15:14:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Cíntia Raquel Soares Pinheiro.pdf: 4644109 bytes, checksum: 713c15fec90b3f7ebcd806351efcb3f8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-31T15:14:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cíntia Raquel Soares Pinheiro.pdf: 4644109 bytes, checksum: 713c15fec90b3f7ebcd806351efcb3f8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-24 / CAPES / Thinking about the development of a sector of the global economy committed to social, economic, political and environmental issues should be based on ethical principles. Therefore, developing tourism in a locality must respect the traditions and identity of the local community. Based on the mentioned aspects, the object of study is Ilha dos Lençóis, located in the archipelago of Maiaú, which has 70% of its area composed of white sand dunes. The island belongs to the municipality of Cururupu, located in the Amazonian part of the State of Maranhão, in the Environmental Protection Area (APA) of the Maranhão Reentrâncias,has about 560 hectares and 14 kilometers of perimeter, of mangroves and the rest of beaches, being the only form of access by sea. These characteristics were the basis of the project "Community Based Tourism on the Ilha dos Lençóis in the Cururupu Marine Extractivist Reserve", developed by the Centro Nacional de Pesquisa Associada a Povos e Comunidades Tradicionais (CNPT) of the Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) and financially supported by the United Nations Development Program (PNUD) through PNUD call BRA / 08/023. In this sense, the present dissertation had the objective of analyzing this experience in course since the year 2011 in the Ilha dos Lençóis. A qualitative approach was carried out and the instruments used were the application of questionnaires to the community and interviews scripted with public managers and local leaders. In order to reach the complexity of the object of study, the strategy of triangulation of methods was finally accomplished. Throughout the composition of the work, we sought to understand the approach to theory and what actually takes place in practice, given that community-based tourism should be promoted and managed by the community itself, with the support of public and private spheres . / Pensar no desenvolvimento de um setor da economia global comprometido com as questões sociais, econômicas, políticas e ambientais, deve basear-se em princípios éticos. Sendo assim, desenvolver o turismo numa localidade deve respeitar as tradições e identidade da comunidade local. Mediante os aspectos citados, tem-se como objeto de estudo a Ilha dos Lençóis, localizada no arquipélago de Maiaú, que possui 70% de sua área composta por dunas de areia branca. A ilha pertence ao município de Cururupu, situado na parte amazônica do Estado do Maranhão, na Área de Proteção Ambiental (APA) das Reentrâncias Maranhenses, possui cerca de 560 hectares e 14 quilômetros de perímetro, dos quais um terço constitui-se de manguezais e o restante de praias, sendo a única forma de acesso por via marítima. Tais características fundamentaram o projeto “Turismo de Base Comunitária na Ilha dos Lençóis na Reserva Extrativista Marinha de Cururupu”, desenvolvido pelo Centro Nacional de de Pesquisa e Conservação da Sociobiodiversidade Associada a Povos e Comunidades Tradicionais (CNPT) do Instituto Chico Mendes da Convervação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) e amparado financeiramente pelo Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento (PNUD) através do edital PNUD BRA/08/023. Neste sentido, a presente dissertação teve por objetivo analisar essa experiência em curso desde o ano 2011 na Ilha dos Lençóis. Realizou-se uma pesquisa qualitativa e os instrumentos utilizados foram a aplicação de questionários junto a comunidade e entrevistas roteirizadas com os gestores públicos e lideranças locais. Com vista a alcançar com maior profundidade a complexidade do objeto de estudo, realizou-se, por fim, a estratégia de triangulação de métodos. Procurou-se compreender, ao longo da composição do trabalho, a aproximação entre a teoria e o que efetivamente ocorre na prática, haja vista que o Turismo de Base Comunitária deve ser promovido e gerenciado pela própria comunidade, com o apoio das esferas públicas e privadas.

Tourism as an industry in the 20th and 21st Century has primarily been an international money-making industry which has attracted many governments of less developed countries as a fast mechanism for development. This has often involved a trade-off between the pursuit of economic wealth and support for the social, cultural and natural environments. The negative impacts of mass tourism in these economies are countless and well documented, especially as many of these countries are still trying to deal with impacts caused during colonial occupancy. Consequently, alternative tourism has been presented as a way to manage tourism development which is economically, social and ecologically sustainable. One manifestation of this trend is community-based tourism, which aims to be inclusive of the host communities as they plan for tourism and considers the socio cultural and natural resources and desires of tourists in a more equitable manner. The aim of this thesis is to determine how ecotrekking as a form of community-based tourism can provide a foundation for development for remote rural communities in developing countries. It was conceptually determined that if the needs of the community matched those of the tourists, then a sustainable ecotrekking industry can evolve. To explore this issue contextually, a case study of the Kokoda Track (KT) in Papua New Guinea is presented based around three research questions: 1. What role can market segmentation play in sustainable tourism development in remote rural communities? 2. What outcomes do the Kokoda Track communities envisage for the future of tourism on the Kokoda Track? 3. Do Kokoda tourists meet the outcomes envisaged by the community? A review of the literature found that market segmentation is a tool used in destination planning to assess visitor characteristics and match these to resource capabilities. It was employed in this study to determine the characteristics and needs of Kokoda tourists through a questionnaire survey distributed to trekkers via the tour operators. It was found that the Kokoda tourist is a university educated, middle-aged man who visits the KT for adventure and historical reasons. They have higher-order needs of personal development and knowledge and value the authenticity of the experience. The second research question was approached using secondary data analysis. Notes from Participatory Rural Appraisal workshops with community leaders in 2004 and 2005 were reinterpreted. The key themes to emerge were that the communities have a great need for basic facilities (education, transportation, telecommunications, medical infrastructure and water supplies) and they see tourism as an economic means to develop those facilities. They would like to build more guesthouses and provide food for tourists to increase revenue however, they are unsure of the extent to which this will be supported by trekkers. A comparative analysis of the findings from research questions 1 and 2 was employed to address the third research question. The quantitative needs of the tourist market segment were matched to the qualitative expectations of the communities. It was found that the current Kokoda tourist is in favour of many of the outcomes that the Kokoda communities envisage. These include the provision of locally made food and guesthouses. Further to this, the empirical results from the questionnaire found that ecotourists and cultural tourists are the tourist types that need to be targeted by operators. They indicated a strong match with the desires and needs of the Kokoda communities. For example, they indicated that the KT can cater for a much smaller number of trekkers than the other three pre-determined tourist types (adventure, organised and historic tourists). Additionally, the natural and cultural environments are more important to these tourist types inferring that the protection of these resources is of primary importance. Consequently, it was established that ecotrekking can play an important role in development in less developed countries, if the right market segment is targeted to meet the needs of the community. Generally this can then ensure a slower rate of development, which allows the communities to adjust to the changes that occur at both a socio-cultural level and also in the infrastructure within their communities. In the longer term it also allows them to see how tourism can provide long term benefits not offered in extractive industries such as forestry and mining.