Tourism in the developing world

Abstract

The field of tourism planning is drastically different throughout the developing world than in more affluent countries. Whereas western notions of democracy have led to the common use of participatory techniques to solve problems, political and socio-economic characteristics in developing countries call for an entirely different strategy. In an attempt to address the impacts of tourism on host communities, specifically issues related to the preservation of local culture, planning approaches which focus on community participation are examined as a possible tool for the promotion of cultural sustainability. Based on an analysis of community-based tourism on the island of Taquile, Peru, along with other examples of community-directed tourism initiatives, this thesis provides a framework for the incorporation of cultural sustainability objectives in a community-integrated participatory planning process as an alternative to conventional tourism planning paradigms common to the developing world.