Community-Based Tourism: An Approach for Sustainable Rural Development (Case Study: Asara district, Chalous Road)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant professor, Department of Human Geography and Territorial, Faculty of Earth Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

2 PhD of geography and rural planning, Department of Human Geography and Territorial, Faculty of Earth Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

10.32598/JSRD.02.02.30

Abstract

Purpose: Considering the community-based approach in tourism development planning influence the success of clean and responsible tourism activities through empowering local tourism stakeholders and improving sustainable rural development. However, many countries such as Iran have failed to improve the indices of empowering local tourism stakeholders, due to the emphasis on the "state-led approach" in tourism development planning. Accordingly, different outcomes of improving the sustainable rural development indicator are obtained.
Methods: The present study was conducted by descriptive-analytical method to explain empowering local tourism stakeholders. The sample included 351 local stakeholders.
Results: The results indicated that sectional-oriented in the tourism planning approach, with expert- driven and traditional approaches and economic growth, failed to consider the issue of empowering local tourism stakeholders to promote sustainable rural tourism making the indicators of the empowerment of stakeholders be lower than the average rate.
Conclusion: Therefore, the local government should change its attitude in the tourism development planning towards community-based approach through assigning tourism projects and activities to the private sector. Furthermore, the present study recommended the adoption of appropriate policies to strengthen social capital for empowering and participating tourism stakeholders in planning and implementing the sustainable rural development project.

Keywords


Brokaj, R. (2014). Local Governments role in the sustainable tourism development of a destination. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 10(31).
Breugel, L. V. (2013). Community-based tourism: Local participation and perceived impacts: a comparative study between two communities in Thailand, Radboud University Nijmegen.
Chili, N.S. and Xulu, N. (2015). The role of local government to facilitate and spearhead sustainable tourism development. Probl. Perspect. Manag, 13, pp.27-31.
Chin, C.H., Lo, M.C. and Ramayah, T. (2016). Rural Tourism Sustainable Management and Destination Marketing Efforts: Key Factors from Communities’ Perspective. Journal of Sustainable Development, 9(4), p.179.
Constantino, P., Carlos, H., Ramalho, E., Rostant, L., Marinelli, C.E., Teles, D., Fonseca-Junior, S., Fernandes, R. and Valsecchi, J. (2012). Empowering local people through community-based resource monitoring: a comparison of Brazil and Namibia. Ecology and Society, 17(4).
Diaz-Christiansen, S., López-Guzmán, T. and Pérez-Gálvez, J.C. (2016). Motivations and Valued Attributes of Ecotourism in a Natural Protected Area: Santay Island (Ecuador). Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 7(3), 240.
Fayos-Sola, E. ed., (2012). Knowledge management in tourism: Policy and governance applications. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Fiorello, A. and Bo, D., (2012). Community-based ecotourism to meet the new tourist’s expectations: an exploratory study. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 21(7), pp.758-778.
Giampiccoli, A. (2010). Globalisation, development and community-based tourism in developing countries: A case study of Pond Oland, Eastern Cape.
Giampiccoli, A. and Hayward Kalis, J. (2012). Community-based tourism and local culture: the case of the amaMpondo. PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural, 10(1).
Giampiccoli, A. and Mtapuri, O. (2012). Community-based tourism: An exploration of the concept (s) from a political perspective. Tourism Review International, 16(1), 29-43.
General Population and Housing Census. Assessed, (2011). Iranian Statistics Agency, www. Amar.org
Goodwin, H. and Santilli, R. (2009). Community-based tourism: A success. ICRT Occasional paper, 11(1), 37.
Graci, S. (2012). Putting Community Based Tourism into Practice: The Case of the Cree Village Ecolodge in Moose Factory, Ontario. Téoros: Revue de recherche en tourisme, 65-70.
Hatipoglu, B., Alvarez, M.D. and Ertuna, B. (2016). Barriers to stakeholder involvement in the planning of sustainable tourism: the case of the Thrace region in Turkey. Journal of Cleaner Production, 111, 306-317.
ICSU, ISSC (2015). Review of the Sustainable Development Goals: The Science Perspective. Paris: International Council for Science (ICSU).
Jaafar, M., Bakri, N. M., & Rasooli manesh, S. M. (2015). Local community and tourism development: A study of rural mountainous destinations. Modern Applied Science, 9(8), 399.
Kavita, E. and Saarinen, J. (2015). Tourism and rural community development in Namibia: policy issues review. Fennia-International Journal of Geography, 194(1), pp.79-88.
Kothari, C.R. (2009). Research Methodology, Method and Techniques (Second revised edition), New Age International Publisher, New-Delhi,
Kim, K. B. (2013). The perceived role of key stakeholders’ involvement in sustainable tourism development (Doctoral dissertation, University of Nottingham).
Knight, D.W. and Cottrell,S.P, (2016). Evaluating tourism-Linked empowerment in Cuzco, Peru, Annal of Tourism Research,32-47
Lalayan, A., (2014). Community based tourism in Armenia: Planning for sustainable development.
Lama, R. (2014). Community Based Tourism Development (A Case Study of Sikkim) (Doctoral dissertation, Kurukshetra University).
Lee, T.H. (2013). Influence analysis of community resident support for sustainable tourism development. Tourism management, 34, pp.37-46.
Lindström, K.N. and Larson, M. (2016). Community-based tourism in practice: evidence from three coastal communities in Bohuslän, Sweden. Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, 33(33), 71-78.
López-Guzmán, T., Sánchez-Cañizares, S. and Pavón, V., (2011). Community-based tourism in developing countries: a case study. Tourismos, 6(1).
Lucchetti, V.G. and Font, X. (2013). Community based tourism: Critical success factors. The Internafional Centre for Responsible Tourism, 27, 1-20.
Liu, B., & Mwanza, F. M. (2014). Towards Sustainable Tourism Development in Zambia: Advancing Tourism Planning and Natural Resource Management in Livingstone (Mosi-oa-Tunya) Area. Journal of Service Science and Management, 07(01), 30–45.
Lusby, C. and Eow, K. (2015). Tourism development in a new democracy: Residents’ perceptions of community-based tourism in Mawlamyine, Myanmar. Journal of Tourism and Recreation, 2(1), 23-40.
Maiden, J.A. (2008). Participation in sustainable tourism development: Stakeholders & partnership working. Cardiff University (United Kingdom).
Manu, I. and Kuuder, C.J.W. (2012). Community-based ecotourism and livelihood enhancement in Sirigu, Ghana.
Matarrita-Cascante, D., Brennan, M.A. and Luloff, A.E. (2010). Community agency and sustainable tourism development: The case of La Fortuna, Costa Rica. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 18(6), pp.735-756.
May-Ling, S., Ramachandran, S., Shuib, A. and Afandi, S.H.M. (2014). Barriers to community participation in rural tourism: A case study of the communities of Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia. Life Science Journal, 11(11), 837-841.
McCool, S.F. and Bosak, K. eds. (2016). Reframing sustainable tourism. Springer.
Mearns, K., (2012). Community-based tourism and peace parks benefit local communities through conservation in Southern Africa. Acta Academica, 44(2), pp.70-87.
Moscardo, G. (Ed.). (2008). Building community capacity for tourism development. Cabi.
Muganda, M., Sirima, A. and Ezra, P.M. (2013). The role of local communities in tourism development: Grassroots perspectives from Tanzania. Journal of Human Ecology, 41(1), pp.53-66.
Muigua, K. (2015). July. Empowering the Kenyan People through Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms. In CIArb Africa Region Centenary Conference 2015.
Muresan, I.C., Oroian, C.F., Harun, R., Arion, F.H., Porutiu, A., Chiciudean, G.O., Todea, A. and Lile, R. (2016). Local Residents’ Attitude Toward Sustainable Rural Tourism Development. Sustainability, 8(1), p.100.
OECD (2016), OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2016, OECD Publishing, Paris. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/tour-2016-en
Okazaki, E. (2008). A community-based tourism model: Its conception and use. Journal of sustainable tourism, 16(5), pp.511-529.
Park, E. and Kim, S. (2014). Enhancing local community’s involvement and empowerment through practicing Cittaslow: experiences from Goolwa, South Australia.
Redclift, M. and Springett, D. eds. (2015). Routledge international handbook of sustainable development. Routledge.
Robinson, P., Heitmann, S. and Dieke, P.U. eds. (2011). Research themes for tourism. CABI.
Rodríguez, I., Williams, A.M. and Hall, C.M. (2014). Tourism innovation policy: Implementation and outcomes. Annals of Tourism Research, 49, pp.76-93.
Saarinen, J. (2013). Critical sustainability: Setting the limits to growth and responsibility in tourism. Sustainability, 6(1), pp.1-17.
Saraei, H. (1996). Introduction to Survey Sampling, 2th Ed. Samt Publication. Tehran. (In Persian).
Satarat, N. (2010). Sustainable management of community-based tourism in Thailand. Bangkok: School of Public Administration, National Institute of Development Administration.
Scheyvens, R. (1999). Ecotourism and the empowerment of local communities. Tourism management, 20(2), 245-249.
Scheyvens, R. (2000). Promoting women’s empowerment through involvement in ecotourism: Experiences from the Third World. Journal of sustainable tourism, 8(3), 232-249.
Shahmirzadi, E.K. (2012). Community Based Tourism (CBT) Planning and Possibilities: The Case of Shahmirzad, Iran (Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU)).
Shafieisabet, N. & Haratifard, S. (2015). The Impact of Cooperation of Tour Operators in Sustainability and Development of Local Settlements (Case study: Tehran and Alborz Regions), Journal of Tourism Planning and Development,4(13), pp.93-119.
Shafieisabet, N. & Haratifard, S. (2017). Impact of Empowering Local Stakeholders in Tourism Development and Sustainability of Marginal Rural Settlement in Iran, WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 226a, 493-504.
Sharpley, R. and Telfer, D.J. eds. (2014). Tourism and development: concepts and issues (Vol. 63). Channel View Publications.
Strzelecka, M. (2012). Individual and community empowerment enhancement in sustainable tourism development in post-communist Poland. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Strzelecka, M., Boley, B.B. and Strzelecka, C. (2016). Empowerment’s Influence on Resident Support for Tourism in rural Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
Strzelecka, M., Boley, B.B. and Strzelecka, C. (2017). Empowerment and resident support for tourism in rural Central and Eastern Europe (CEE): the case of Pomerania, Poland. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(4), pp.554-572.
Sutawa, G.K., (2012). Issues on Bali tourism development and community empowerment to support sustainable tourism development. Procedia economics and finance, 4, pp.413-422.
Tasci, A.D., Semrad, K.J. and Yilmaz, S.S. (2013). Community basted tourism: Finding the equilibrium in the COMCEC context.
Tsephe, N.P. and Obono, S.E. (2013). January. A theoretical framework for rural tourism motivation factors. In Proceedings of World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (No. 73, p. 1001). World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (WASET).
UNDP. (2015). Human Development Report 2015: Work for Human Development. United Nations Development Programme
UNWTO, W. (2013). UNWTO annual report 2013.
Van Breugel, L. (2013). Community-based tourism: Local participation and perceived impacts (Doctoral dissertation, Master Thesis, Radboud University Nijmegen https://www. regione. veneto. it/web/lavori-pubblici/atlante-dei-centri-storici http://www. alberghidiffusi. it/modello-albergo-diffuso/http://bur. regione. veneto. it/BurvServices/Pubblica/DettaglioLegge. aspx).
Waas, T., Hugé, J., Block, T., Wright, T., Benitez-Capistros, F. and Verbruggen, A., (2014). Sustainability assessment and indicators: Tools in a decision-making strategy for sustainable development. Sustainability, 6(9), pp.5512-5534.
Waligo, V.M., Clarke, J. and Hawkins, R. (2013). Implementing sustainable tourism: A multi-stakeholder involvement management framework. Tourism management, 36, pp.342-353.
Zuo, B., Gusoy, D. and Wall, G. (2017). Residents’ support for red tourism in China: The moderating effect of central government. Annals of Tourism Research, 64, pp.51-63.