A critical look at community based tourism

Community-based tourism in practice: evidence from three coastal communities in Bohuslän, Sweden

“…local stakeholders are not always local (Iorio, Corsale, 2014). Moreover, local stakeholders tend to compete with each other, be involved in various conflicts of interest, and have very different degrees of power to influence community development (Blackstock, 2005;Kumar, 2005;Harwood, 2010;Iorio, Corsale, 2014). Due to the attraction of the coast and the sea, coastal communities, in particular, face these stakeholder conflicts (e.g.…”

“…However, in spite of the growing field, many researchers, as well as practitioners, still question the value and applicability of community participation theories, claiming those to be too naïve and costly to implement (Taylor, 1995;Blackstock, 2005;Okazaki, 2008). Part of the problem is that definitions of sustainability in tourism tend to become too general and all-embracing for practical implementation (Campbell, 1996;Lew et.…”

“…Community participation composes an integral part of sustainable tourism development, specifically in accordance with the community-based tradition (Murphy, Murphy, 1985;Tosun, 2000;Blackstock, 2005;Beeton, 2006;Saarinen, 2006;Iorio, Corsale, 2014). As opposed to research traditions highlighting economic growth and environmental protection in tourism planning and development, the community approach calls for a main focus on the "host" per se.…”

“…It is often claimed to be an unrealistic and utopic strategy due to its complexity and high transaction costs (Jamal, Getz, 2000;Blackstock, 2005;Okazaki, 2008;Ioro, Corsale, 2014). This article contributes to the debate and applicability of community-based tourism, specifically highlighting the practical implementation process.…”

Community understanding of the impact of temporary visitors on incidental destinations

“…Some researchers working in the CD field have however seen a need to question the ability, and indeed the desire, of tourism industry advocates to meet the essential benchmark conditions necessary to breathe life into a tourism-based CD initiative. For example, Blackstock (2005) has cast doubt on the ability of tourism to provided any meaningful or lasting benefit to the local communities that succumb to its appeal, noting that much of the thrust of the community-based tourism literature can be seen as an attempt to legitimise the business of tourism in the eyes of community, rather than to maximise the cost-benefit equation from a community resident perspective. Similarly, de Beer & Marais (2005) point to a fundamental tension between CD's desire to maximise community prosperity and TM's focus on creating shareholder wealth.…”