This document discusses community-based tourism (CBT), which involves local communities inviting tourists to visit and stay with them. CBT emphasizes local community development and control. It allows communities to participate in the global economy through activities like homestays and artisan goods, generating income while maintaining their way of life. CBT decreases poverty by increasing income and providing skills and knowledge for decision-making. Successful CBT models work with existing community initiatives, employ local residents, and maximize local economic benefits. The principles of CBT include respecting local identity, customs, environment, and giving local communities control over tourism decisions and benefits.

1. Krishna.B.Kunjumon
COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM
DEVELOPMNENT

2. INTRODUCTION
A community by definition implies individuals with
some kind of collective responsibility, and the
ability to make decisions by representative bodies.
Community based tourism is tourism in which local
residents (often rural, poor and economically
marginalized) invite tourists to visit their
communities with the provision of overnight
accommodation.

3. It is a form of ecotourism that emphasizes the
development of local communities and allows for local
residents to have substantial control over, and
involvement in, its development and management, and
a major proportion of the benefits remain within the
community.
It enables the tourist to discover local habitats and
wildlife, and celebrates and respects traditional
cultures, rituals and wisdom.The community will be
aware of the commercial and social value placed on
their natural and cultural heritage through tourism, and
this will foster community based conservation of these
resources.

4. COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT
 Community-based ecotourism should foster
sustainable use and collective responsibility, but it
also embraces individual initiatives within the
community.
 By sharing activities such as festivals, home-stays,
and the production of artisan goods, community-
based tourism allows communities to participate in
the modern global economy while cultivating a
sustainable source of income and maintaining their
way of life.

5.  Community-based tourism initiatives decrease
poverty not only by increasing income but also by
providing residents of rural communities with the
tools and knowledge necessary for long-term critical
thinking and decision-making. Tourism is no
panacea; community-based ecotourism and
responsible tourism should be part of wider
sustainable development strategies.
 A successful model of community-based tourism
works with existing community initiatives, utilizes
community leaders, and seeks to employ local
residents so that income generated from tourism
stays in the community and maximizes local
economic benefits.

6. PRINCIPLES
 Identity: Respect and preserve all the characteristics of
the environment, help residents reclaim historical
practices, revitalize productive activities, highlight the
ethnic background of the population, and highlight the
unique aspects of the locality, such as topography,
climate, architecture, cuisine and handicrafts.
 Roots and Customs: Highlight local cultural practices
so that communities share their cultures and traditions
with tourists with authenticity. Invaluable educational
opportunities such as home-stays and town-hall-style
round of talks are encouraged so that tourists and local
community members can mutually share cultural aspects
such as food, music, folklore, and goods. Both visitor
and community cultures will always be treated with
appreciation and respect.

7.  Ecological Consciousness and Harmony: Seek to
conserve natural ecosystems and cultures by being a
part of a larger development plan. All plans have a
low impact on the local environment while
highlighting the unique aspects of the locality, such
as topography, climate, and architecture. The
conservation of nature and rigorous concern with the
environment influence the development of
infrastructure for community-based ecotourism
activities (i.e. building houses, roads, showers, etc.).
 Sustainable Economic Development: Stimulate the
local economy by generating income through the
sustainable use of natural resources. All plans seek to
ensure that the local population has an equitable
share in benefits.

8.  Local Control: Local control of the community-
based ecotourism industry. Local leadership leads
plans and encourages clear and transparent decision-
making. Community members actively make
decisions on strategies and acceptable levels of
tourism based upon the community’s culture,
heritage and vision. Strategies also equip local
communities with the tools and knowledge
necessary for decision-making, and to build
effective structures to enable the community to
influence, manage and benefit from ecotourism
development and practice.

9. PROS
 Social and Political Contributions:
Human Resource development
 The CBT process has facilitated the development of diverse new skills and
self-confidence among community members. During the preparation and
planning phase, (4-10 months) these skills include critical thinking,
discussion, compromise, reaching group consensus, planning and
developing CBT activities.
 Gradually as tourism gets underway, local people are empowered as hosts
and guides. They develop improved communication and presentation skills
by showing guests the proud elements of their lives that define who they
are.
 Training, seminars and study tours strengthen the communities’ efficiency
in planning and organization, management and administration. In addition,
during and after the CBT development process, ‘Activity Group’ members
pass on key traditional skills to the next generation. Finally, local
communities are actively involved in the monitoring and evaluation of
Community based Tourism.

10. • The Empowerment of Women:
 During the last 50 years, Thailand has experienced an
increasing shift away from agricultural lifestyles and
towards modernization and industrialization.
In the past, men and women usually lived and worked
together closely. Nowadays, men often travel to work in the
city, leaving their wives at home to care for the family. This
change in lifestyle has had many sad consequences,
including the break-up of families, an increase in HIV /
AIDS and the increasing institutionalization of men as sole
providers, and women as passive recipients.
 Women play key roles in CBT. They share responsibility for
developing, organizing and participating in CBT activities.
Women are also usually the hosts of ‘Home stay’ activities,
and often the experts in local cookery, arts and crafts.

11. • Community Strength and Unity
 Community Based Tourism is a ‘participatory process.’This means that
everyone has a chance to work together and share their skills and hopes. By
assisting each other to plan and manage CBT, community members forge
closer, stronger relationships, strengthening the foundations of community
trust and unity.
• Community Empowerment:
 The process of defining their key values; describing their
ways of life to the outside world and refining their
communication skills does not only assist local people to
interact with tourists. These skills have also empowered
local people to negotiate and represent themselves more
effectively with other outside groups, including National
Parks, Private Businesses, and other powerful actors who
have immense influence on their daily lives.

12. Social and Cultural Contributions:
 Strengthening Community Pride
Rural people in Thailand, especially from ‘hill tribe’ communities, are often
looked down upon, and regarded as ‘backward’ or ‘undeveloped.’
Experiencing the daily life of rural communities has increased
understanding and respect between urban and rural people. Positive
feedback from visitors, including tourists, government workers, students
and academics strengthened community pride and fostered a proud sense of
shared cultural identity and group-consciousness.
 Passing on traditional skills and knowledge
between generations:
 Frequently, traditional local knowledge of the environment, local
handicrafts, weaving styles, local foods, ceremonies and medicines is held
by the older generation. The younger generation, with increasing
influences from outside the community, have often been disinterested to
learn these ancient skills.
 CBT activities are often based on these traditional aspects of daily life,
providing a new opportunity and incentive for the younger generation to
take interest in and appreciate their rich heritage.

13. • Increased Hygiene and Safety Awareness
 Guests to our communities arrive prepared in advance
to sacrifice some of the ‘comforts of home!’
 We give advice on food preparation, cleanliness of
toilet and bathing areas, and presentation of sleeping
areas. Since CBT-N began working in these
communities, and families began receiving regular
guests, we have been pleased to notice improvements
in village hygiene both inside and outside village
homes. This will undoubtedly have positive effects on
community health.

14. Ecological Contributions:
 1) Natural Resource Mapping :has recorded fauna and flora in community
ecosystems, including identifying periods when these areas should not be
disturbed.
 Natural Resource Use Mapping is also undertaken to discover the relationship
between the community, their environment and natural resources.
 These surveys are usually undertaken by community youth. Information is
researched from village elders and shared at grassroots level. This process
clearly illustrates the reliance of the community on the environment, and
enforces the critical importance of protecting the local ecosystem, and
managing natural resources sustainably.

15.  2) Funding: Due to new income generated from CBT, Community
members also have a new economic incentive to protect their
environment, in order for the forest and ocean to remain attractive
destinations for future visitors.
 3) Experiencing: Urban visitors experience of rural life creates
greater understanding of the relationship between human beings and
the natural world and encourages our guests to consider their own
levels of natural resource use, when they return home!
 This results in a smaller ‘ecological footprint’ around the world.

16. Economic Contributions:
 Community Based Tourism is a gradual, learning process. While
there are clearly financial rewards offered by CBT, all partners agree
that participating in this process is the real opportunity and
motivating force behind investing time and energy in CBT.
 The tourist industry is notoriously insecure, and particularly
sensitive to local and international events like 9/11, SARS or Bird
Flu. Within a matter of days tourists can disappear from previously
buoyant economies, leaving devastation and joblessness behind.
 Consequently, CBT-N are concerned that our partner communities
do not become over reliant upon tourism. Luckily, our partners have
remained committed to their primary occupations and are
overwhelmingly agreed that small groups of tourists, from time to
time, makes for a more interesting and sustainable experience.
 Nevertheless, CBT provides a useful source of supplementary
income, and has supported communities financially, in roles such as
guides, homestay hosts or handicraft producers; and indirectly
through Community Based
 Tourism Community Development Funds.

17. CONS
 There will be cultural destruction and environmental destruction
 The host country fails to benefit as government is unable to
withdraw taxes
 Marginal employment
 Low benefits
 Development of illegal and/ or destructive economical activities
 Seasonal employment
 Unrealistic expectations
 Anti-democratic collusion
 Land controlled by the elite
 Negative lifestyles as well as diverted and concentrated
development

18. CONCLUSION
The effects of the advantages and disadvantages of community based
tourism on the country as a whole may prove to be widely beneficial to
the economy, wherein the unemployment rate is greatly reduced
because as more people become exposed and educated the higher
percentage will endeavor to become involved. Communities which
were considered marginally poor become developed and are more
appealing to visitors and other locals alike, its pushes the use and
exchange of foreign currency which boosts the economy giving the
local dollar more value but most importantly it educates as locals are
introduced to varying cultures and are forced to learn their own history,
and culture as well as that of the visitors in order to communicate
effectively. That is a limitless opportunity as visitors have varying
backgrounds and orientations. Locals make valiant efforts to learn their
languages as well as cuisine, religion, preferences in entertainment, day
to day living and rituals. This in its entirety equates to a more tourist
friendly, economically stable, market aware destination which is more
appealing to visitors.

19. THANK
YOU……..