Everything You Need to Know About Community-Based Tourism

Around 2011, when I first started traveling, I happened to find myself in a secluded, rural, agricultural community in North Kerala, encircled by rice fields, bamboo woods, and mist-covered hills. There, I discovered that local guides alternated leading hikes and other activities, and local families alternated hosting tourists like me in their homes.

A tiny portion of the money I paid was allocated to a “village development fund,” but the rest went to the host families and guides. The entire town cast votes to choose how the funds were to be spent, ranging from improving the school to installing environmentally friendly infrastructure to guaranteeing agricultural water security. In this sense, Kabani’s facilitation of rural tourism benefited more than just one or

I was unaware at the time, but this is what the travel industry refers to as community tourism, or CBT for short, which stands for community-based tourism.

Since then, I have actively looked for global community tourism ideas. This has enabled me to interact with locals and experience their way of life in locations like Thailand and Peru, all the while making sure that the money I spend traveling can be distributed to benefit the locals and the areas I see.

What is Community Based Tourism (CBT)?

I gave this issue a lot of consideration when I was asked to speak at the World Community Tourism Summit last month by Planeterra and G Adventures. Although the term “community based tourism” has no formal meaning, here is how I define it:

The visitor has historically been at the core of tourism. Travel that puts the local community at the center is known as community tourism. Experiences with community tourism are intended to help the community not just financially but also by conserving its natural resources and live culture.

Although “community based tourism” has been around for a while, the phrase may indicate that communities are being objectified. As a result, CBT practitioners are more likely to refer to it as “community tourism” or “community led tourism.”

Community-Based Tourism’s Advantages
I got the chance to go on a hike in the Great Himalayan National Park earlier this year with the first group of female guides in the Tirthan Valley. I made a little documentary film showcasing the advantages of community-based tourism initiatives because it was such an exciting experience:

The social effects of local tourism
Local communities may take charge of tourism in their areas through community-led tourism. In other words, people choose if, how much, and what kind of tourism they want.
Since tourism is typically extractive, it gives local and Indigenous populations authority over their natural resources and prevents the commodification of their way of life for the sake of tourism.
Despite having made the least contribution to climate change, local and indigenous communities—particularly those in the Global South—are more vulnerable to its effects. Given the uncertain future of agriculture, community tourism may increase climate resilience by generating alternative job options.

Women are frequently expected to stay at home in Global South nations, whereas males are expected to go out and make a living. Women can gain economically from community tourism by being able to balance other obligations and make a living where they reside. Women are known to invest their earnings in the education of girls as well as the general well-being of the society.

Community tourism’s effects on the environment
Given its significance in drawing tourists, which benefits the entire community, community tourism frequently helps to preserve natural resources like rivers and forests.
Community tourism projects may guarantee that community needs are satisfied in a low-impact manner by utilizing tourism income for local sustainable development (such as solar grids). Both the local environment and the globe as a whole gain from this.
By incorporating local customs related to conservation into tourism, community tourism can aid in their preservation.