Community based tourism:

between theory and

implementation
Dr. I Ketut Surya Diarta, MA
How to measure of CBT?

Towards a community-based
tourism affinity index (CBTAI)
Variabel 1: CBT Development Stage
Continue…
Variable 2: Ownership in CBT
Continue…
Varieble 3: CBT Management
Variable 4: Benefis and marketing
Extra values..
Judgment …..
Case study
Total point is 135. Meaning?
definition

CBT is “ a form of tourism development that must

be initiated, planned, owned, controlled and
managed by the local members towards the
achievement of their needs and wishes”.
The background

Mass tourism:
 some negative impacts but high economic benefits

Community based touism:

 limited number of visitors reduces the economic
resources
Mass tourism

economic growth through the trickle- down effect did not

help to bring benefits to the marginalised people
mass tourism consumption predominantly contributed to
merely expanding the inequality between the poor and
rich.
mass tourism also lacked consideration of negative
environmental impacts on local communities.
 In an assessment of 329 case studies on tourism development in 92
countries, Moscardo (2005) identified five themes which were
associated with the disadvantages of tourism:
 environmental disadvantages,
 conflicts between the residents in the community,
 cultural issues,
 disruptions to everyday life,
 pessimistic attitudes towards tourism and disillusion brought by
tourism development
All these, according to (Moscardo, 2008), can be
avoided with appropriate planning and development
strategies through CBT as the preferred tourism model.
CBT as the alternative development paradigm

CBT principles:

CBT applies the objectives of “combined with an

emphasis on community engagement and
development”.
CBT is an approach that engages the host
community in the planning and development of
the tourism industry.
“CBT is generally small scale and involves
interactions between visitor and host community,
particularly suited to rural and regional areas.
CBT is commonly understood to be managed and
owned by the community, for the community”.
“CBT is a type of sustainable tourism that promotes
pro-poor strategies in a community setting.
The CBT initiatives aim to involve local residents in
the running and management of small tourism
projects as a means of alleviating poverty and
providing an alternative income source for
community members”.
CBT refers to tourism that involves community
participation and aims to generate benefits for local
communities by allowing tourists to visit these communities
and learn about their culture and the local environment.
Community-based enterprises (CBEs) can be defined as
a“Sustainable, community-owned and community-based
tourism initiative that enhances conservation and in which
the local community is fully involved throughout its
development and management and they are the main
beneficiaries through community development”
 Implementation case study

Vajirakachorn, in his study on the rural communities of

Thailand, identified 10 key criteria for successful CBT:
 local participation,
 distribution of benefits,
 preservation of tourism resources,
 association and support from inside and outside the
community,
 local ownership,
 Implementation:
CBT case study

Vajirakachorn, in his study on the rural communities of

Thailand, identified 10 key criteria for successful CBT:
 local managementand leadership,
 communication and interaction between stakeholders,
 quality of life,
 the scale of tourism development
 tourist satisfaction.
Challenges of CBT:
Solomon Island Case Study

First of all, community based tourism is accused of

being small and thus generating very low
economic benefits.
Second, the income from community based
tourism are also marginal because job
opportunities created are few.
Thirdly, the proposition to create partnerships with
outside stakeholders provokes criticism about the
short life span of CBT. This gives the external actors
the advantage over the community, and
therefore the former usually reap the benefits
instead of the communities
Fourthly, the complexity of the ‘community’ itself can also
determine the effectiveness of CBT. As such it is difficult to
identify who should participate in the development
process because a community can be made up of many
different individuals, age groups, sex and ethnic groups
who have different views and opinions towards tourism
development and its impacts
the hierarchy of power that exists inside the community.
Every community has its own power structure, and various
individuals, groups and classes play different roles and
have different influence in the making decisions that will
affect the successful outcome of CBT. there are certain
elites who have dominant power over other residents in
the community
The fifth reason is the lack of knowledge of and
skills for tourism. Moreover, residents’ limited
knowledge and experience about
entrepreneurship are an impediment to successful
operation of CBT
Finally, most CBT projects are located in the rural
areas which are usually difficult to access.
Therefore lack of the significant capital needed to
provide basic infrastructure such as roads,
hospitals and proper water and sanitation for
tourists are a hindrance to sustainable CBT
Solomon islands experiences
What can be learned from Solomon?

 To conclude, there was no awareness, training or workshops held for the

villages by provincial government.
 Lack of funds and knowledge for and of tourism have been hindrances to
theirparticipating in tourism.
 There was no promotion of the villages by the government or the
responsible tourism offices.
 Some of the tourism operators helped the villages by sending their guests
to visit, but there was no direct promotion from Goverment
 Tourism in these villages is all unplanned and not properly coordinated, as
the residents do not have the capacity to do so.
Thank you