Challenges of community participation in tourism planning in developing countries

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the challenges faced by the community in participating in sustainable tourism in developing countries. The research was conducted using a systematic literature study on scientific articles indexed by Scopus from 2018–2022 with the theme of community participation in tourism planning. Inclusion criteria are articles from developing countries determined by the International Monetary Fund. The findings show that the constraints on community participation can be categorized into three main groups: operational, structural, and cultural. Operational constraints include lack of access to information, lack of efficient decision-making structures, lack of discussion platforms, lack of knowledge, and lack of transparency and accountability. Structural constraints identified include lack of access to planning experts, weak community development, lack of budget, lack of education, and unsuitable policy and governance. Finally, cultural barriers include the history of colonialism, community awareness, mistrust, power disparities, unequal distribution of costs and benefits, and conflict of interests. Governments and sustainable tourism operators must systematically address these issues to encourage broader community participation in tourism.