Participation, empowerment and the role of external actors in community-centered tourism: Participation, empowerment and the role of external actors in community-centered tourism
Authors
Jørgensen, Sophia Vedsted ; Thoning, Sascha Damm
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2017
Submitted on
2017-05-31
Abstract
Deltagelse (at beboere får indflydelse og tager del) og empowerment (at styrke folks kapacitet og kontrol) er udbredte begreber i både udvikling og turisme, der inddrager lokalsamfund. I turisme bliver de enten omfavnet som centrale i community-based tourism (CBT), der forventes at give lokal kontrol, bæredygtighed og retfærdig fordeling af gevinster, eller kritiseret som en hæmsko for hurtig og effektiv skabelse af job og indkomst gennem community benefit tourism initiatives (CBTI). Vores studie undersøger, hvordan deltagelse, empowerment og involvering af eksterne aktører faktisk fungerer i lokalsamfundsorienteret turisme i det landlige Nicaragua. Med et casestudie fra San Juan de Nicaragua, hvor en lokal turoperatør er under udvikling, viser vi, at disse ideer både formes af og omformer de interne og eksterne magtforhold, der kendetegner et moderne, heterogent lokalsamfund. Vi opfordrer turismeforskere til tættere samarbejde med udviklingsforskere, som længe har arbejdet med disse udfordringer, for at komme videre end ja/nej-spørgsmålet om at inddrage lokalsamfundet. Set sådan deler tilgange, der fremhæver henholdsvis deltagelse/empowerment og effektivitet, centrale bekymringer og en fælles udfordring: at anvende disse begreber mere nuanceret og kontekstsensitivt. Vi finder også, at eksterne aktører har stor betydning. Når de respekterer lokal viden og forholder sig til eksisterende magtforhold, kan deres ressourcer hjælpe; ignorerer de dem, kan de skade lokalsamfundets udvikling.
Participation (people having a say and taking part) and empowerment (building people’s capacity and control) are common ideas in both development and tourism that involve local communities. In tourism, they are either embraced as central to community-based tourism (CBT), expected to deliver local control, sustainability, and fair sharing of benefits, or criticized as slowing efficient delivery of jobs and income through community benefit tourism initiatives (CBTI). Our study examines how participation, empowerment, and the involvement of outside actors actually work in community-centered tourism in rural Nicaragua. Using a case study from San Juan de Nicaragua, where a locally based tour operator is being developed, we show that these ideas are shaped by—and in turn reshape—the internal and external power relations that characterize a modern, heterogeneous community. We encourage tourism scholars to collaborate more closely with development studies, which has long engaged with these challenges, to move beyond the yes/no question of including community members. Seen this way, approaches that stress participation/empowerment and those that stress efficiency share core concerns and a common challenge: applying these concepts in more nuanced, context-sensitive ways. We also find that external actors matter greatly. When they respect local knowledge and engage with existing power dynamics, their resources can help; when they ignore them, they can harm community development.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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