Community Tourism And Sustainability

More and more people are nowadays able to gather the money and time needed to go and explore different parts of the world. Tourism is becoming more popular among individuals of different ages and with different incomes. At the same time, tourism is an important source of income for a developing economy and these two facts combine often lead to mistreat the landscape and the environment of a country. Because developing economies are eager to attract as many tourists as they can they will often be tempted to change the environment as to be more welcoming and attractive to tourists. This in turn negatively impacts what a country actually has to offer from a touristic point of view and it negatively impacts the beauty and the environment that one is willing to present to the outsiders. Yet, with the emergence of community-based tourism, tourism does no longer present a threat to the community or to the environment. The whole concept around community-based tourism is that projects are being implemented as a way to provide indigenous communities with the opportunity to attract tourists while maintaining the environment in its natural status. Community-based tourism involves lodging within a community for a rather small amount of money while the community provides the visitor with a unique experience and the opportunity to learn more about the culture of the country or about the lifestyle in that particular area.

Community tourism is an eco friendly type of tourism because it becomes a source of income for the community and this in turn will generate a better incentive to conserve that environment. On the other hand, it provides communities with the opportunity to develop and increase their chances to improve the life standards of those living in that community. Community tourism is the solution to the challenge that tourism poses on the environment.