Community-based Tourism

by Bianca Caruana

Tourism is a trillion-dollar industry and responsible tourism can often provide a sustainable income for marginalised communities around the world.

Community-based tourism is a type of tourism that emphasises the development of local communities. These communities open their homes to visitors and provide local experiences that allow the tourist to immerse themselves into local life, creating a cultural exchange and the opportunity to learn different traditions.

With many travellers now looking for off-the-beaten-path experiences, community-based tourism brings opportunity for both social and economic growth in regions that are often marginalised and remote.

Read how community-based tourism is helping women in India

Community-based tourism can cover many experiences including:

More and more communities are participating in these types of programs with platforms such as I Like Local & Homestay.com giving them the chance to share their experiences with a wider audience.

Read about how community-based tourism is changing the lives of rural Cambodians

Lokal Travels is a marketplace for booking local, sustainable adventures around the world. They carefully select each experience on our site to make sure it provides an amazing travel experience and benefits back to the local community.

lokal-travels

Community-based tourism & cultural appropriation

Cultural appropriation by definition is “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.” When visiting a foreign land, it is important that we are respectful of diverse customs and traditions.

Some ways to avoid cultural appropriation are:

  • Research and acknowledge the traditional owners of the land you are visiting
  • Take a genuine interest in the cultural traditions of the place you are visiting
  • Respect any sacred traditions or cultural rituals
  • Support locally run businesses and celebrate local traditions, including in the arts sector

Related reading: When exchange edges out appropriation: one NGO’s perspective

Related reading: A Tourism Narrative For the (Local) People, By the (Local) People

 

Community-based tourism resources

Download the Nomads Giving Back! Global Giving Back Guide

Articles about Community-based Tourism

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