The Role of Local Community in Enhancing Sustainable Community Based Tourism

Abstract

The emergence of “community-based tourism” (CBT) is seen as a viable and alternative means of promoting sustainable tourism development, enhancing community welfare, as well as empowering local communities. By actively involving and empowering the local community, this tourism model aims to minimize negative social, cultural, and environmental impacts while fostering economic benefits for the community. In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the pivotal role played by local communities in the success and sustainability of community-based tourism initiatives. Therefore, a systematic review is conducted to investigate the multifaceted contributions of the local community to sustainable community-based tourism. The researcher examined relevant peer-reviewed articles, books, and reports published in English between 2000 and 2022, focusing on the role of local community in enhancing sustainable community-based tourism. The search was performed in important databases such as Google Scholar, Tandfonline, and ScienceDirect, resulting in a total of 965 publications. After applying removing duplicates and inclusion criteria, only 30 articles out of 152 full articles met the requirements. This thorough and systematic review concludes that active participation of the local community in decision-making processes positively impacts sustainable “community-based tourism”. The findings highlight that the local community acts as a key stakeholder in decision-making processes, ensuring that tourism development aligns with community values and aspirations.