Participation and sharing in community based tourism development: Misi Village, Turkey

Sustainable programs and projects focusing on the community based tourism (CBT) are being increasingly employed in less developed and underdeveloped countries. CBT initiatives are generally small-scale and it is not possible... [ view full abstract ]

Sustainable programs and projects focusing on the community based tourism (CBT) are being increasingly employed in less developed and underdeveloped countries. CBT initiatives are generally small-scale and it is not possible for all members of larger communities to be involved and thus derive benefits. Unfortunately, this results in uneven distribution of the benefits of tourism development among the locals. Moreover, since communities are hierarchical, often elites garner the benefits of CBT development. The marginalized and disadvantaged members of the community on the periphery could be down to class, gender, religion, culture or political affiliation, and they may not benefit from the developments around their community. In these circumstances, it can be argued that CBT is not able to deliver on its basic premise of community participation and the equitable share of benefits to all community members. Therefore, this study aims to explore the perceived benefits and costs of a CBT project in the village of Misi in Bursa, Turkey. Further, the study aims to reveal how CBT based benefits and costs are shared among the local community. For the purpose of the study, structured interviews are used to collect data among the local residents of the village. A total of 24 people participated in the study, 12 of whom took part in the CBT. Study results suggest that local residents are satisfied with the adoption of CBT, especially due to its economic impacts in the village. However, it is seen that not all members of the community benefits from the development of tourism in the same vein. Moreover, it is found that local residents who do not benefit from the project develop negative attitudes towards tourism development. As such, the current study concludes that participatory processes are needed to achieve desired social and economic outcomes of any CBT projects, especially in rural areas.