What tourism does for a community

Community Development
through
Tourism
Sue Beeton
Landlinks Press

Tourism has always seemed to be a blessing to the community since prehistoric times when primitive man started to move away from his usual habitat, often to great distances, in search of necessities such as food, shelter and clothing. In a word, tourism has stood beside the poor community. With the passage of years, tourism has won over the world and the world in turn has won over tourism. Present-day tourism is very theoretical. These days it is a subject of research and higher studies. Nothing is left out of the close grip of tourism.
In developing countries like Bangladesh, the contribution of tourism in alleviating poverty is enormous. Its incorporation in policy-making in countries such as Nepal and Bhutan has resulted in greater dividends with increasing GDP. The prospect of tourism is no more new in Bangladesh and yet it remains an embryonic means to lift the country on to a solvent status. Measures to reduce poverty can well be handled through tourism in Bangladesh.
The book, Community Development through Tourism, authored by Sue Breeton, an associate professor at La Trobe University, Australia, is the Bible in this regard. This book examines the development of local communities through the healthy integration of community planning, business planning and finally tourism planning. It explores the most pertinent tourism and business theories, moving from strategic planning to community empowerment and practice. Research-based case studies are used to illustrate how things work in the real world, and the ways in which various theories can and have been applied.
Paging through the book, one finds that the work identifies certain relevant aspects of tourism. Community by definition implies individuals with some kind of collective responsibility, and the ability to make decisions by representative bodies. Tourism implemented community is community in which local residents (often rural, poor and economically marginalised) invite tourists to visit their communities with the provision of overnight accommodation. The residents earn income as land managers, entrepreneurs, service and produce providers, and employees. At least part of the tourist income is set aside for projects that provide benefits to the community as a whole.
The concept of tourism implemented community enables the tourist to discover local habitats and wildlife, and celebrate and respect traditional cultures, rituals and wisdom. The community will be aware of the commercial and social value placed on their natural and cultural heritage through tourism, and this will foster community-based conservation of these resources. The community may choose to cooperate with a private sector partner to provide capital, clients, marketing, tourist accommodation or other expertise. Subject to agreement to the ideals of supporting community development and conservation, and to planning tourism development in partnership with the community, this partner may or may not own part of the tourism enterprise.
"Governments in most Western-based democracies have been moving towards devolving many of their responsibilities upon the regional (local/community) level. In order to do this successfully requires that there are adequate arrangements for reporting and accounting for the outcomes of the various programs and responsibilities taken on at the local level. In addition, these programs need to be monitored and assessed for their effectiveness. This requires the development of sustainability indicators that can be used at the regional/local scale." The author makes these comments and seems pretty optimistic about many local communities which are aware of the power of responsible tourism in supporting conservation and local economic development. Based in areas of outstanding, and often vulnerable, natural and cultural heritage, they take on the challenge of setting up tourism implemented community enterprises, usually in partnership with local as well as international NGOs.

• Community Development through Tourism can be a complete code of poverty alleviation through tourism. The book covers important aspects such as community well-being, strategic planning, marketing and ethics. The book narrates the following contents:
• Communities and tourism
• Tourism theories and their relevance to communities
• Strategic tourism planning for communities
• Community-inclusive strategies
• Marketing community tourism
• Rural tourism communities
• Dealing with risk and disasters in tourism communities
• Developing communities through tourism

Community Development through Tourism will be a handy resource for business development managers, tourism operators and community leaders, as well as students (both of tourism and development studies) and teachers in courses that integrate aspects of community tourism into their business, tourism, social sciences and arts programmes. Whilst poverty alleviation remains a highly ambiguous, much debated concept, Sue Beeton proclaims that community development through tourism is the only responsible long-term solution for managing contemporary poverty in the third world. Bangladesh will need to recognise that the critical issue for tourism developers today is ensuring a net benefit tomorrow for all the environment in which tourism takes place.
The book's concise format and thematic approach are a refreshing divergence from heavyweight tomes commonplace lately. The first three chapters provide an eclectic synthesis of community and its development, followed by a 'cook's tour' of the philosophical frameworks and underpinning principles of community development, also considering economic viability in the process.
The concept and vista of tourism implemented community are still unnoticed in Bangladesh. Now is the right time to think of tourism implemented community development. Its benefits will act as a catalyst in the overall development in Bangladesh. Rural tourism development will have the following outcomes:

• Gross Domestic Product growth
• Human resource development Poverty alleviation
• Originality in culture and heritage
• Development of riverine tourism and eco-tourism
• Development of rural livelihood
• Education and training for all
• Peace and happiness
• Promotion of local cuisine
• Women employment.

Beeton means her book to be a guide for community persons in charge and tourism operators and officials who wish to develop a constructive rural tourism industry. Beeton remarks: "Understanding the capabilities of tourism so that the correct decisions can be made in terms of community development is what this book is about."

Mohammad Shahidul Islam , a travel writer, teaches tourism at Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation.