Community Tourism : Principles

Community Tourism is a new phenomenon. It is a spirit that permeates all sectors of the tourism industry. In other words it is a philosophy around which tourism products are developed.

Community Tourism is about new levels of relationships between the host country and the visitor. What is appealing to the visitor is found among the varied natural attractions, local resources and talents, and indigenous attributes of a community or area. Through visitor-community interaction, respective cultures are explored, ideas and information are exchanged, and new friends are made.

Community Tourism fosters opportunities at the community level for local people wishing to participate more fully in the tourism industry. This may range from establishing bed & breakfast accommodation in a rural home to creating income-generating tourism opportunities for an entire village.

Community Tourism is managed tourism in its profoundest sense, taking into account evolving travel trends in such areas as the environment, study and research, seniors travel and other special interests.

Community Tourism products and services are geared to address these trends and to satisfy the interests of emerging travel markets. Key clientele includes:

• The mature market
• Study and Research groups, including schools, universities, colleges and research based organizations
• Church groups
• Environmentalists, botanist, ornithologists and nature lovers
• The independent traveler
• Afro-Americans
• Caribbean Nationals - at home and abroad

The vision of Community Tourism is to expose the local resources and talents, and make the concept a reality for local people. Community Tourism embraces eco-tourism, cultural tourism, adventure tourism, recreational tourism, geo-tourism, heritage tourism, health tourism, farm tourism and all the popular special interest tourism.

Community tourism history >>>