Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

Title:
Community-based tourism in practice: evidence from three coastal communities in Bohuslän, Sweden

Authors

Kristina N. Lindström - University of Gothenburg, School of Business Economics and Law, Department of Economy and Society, Human Geography Unit & Centre for Tourism, P.O Box 625, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden; phone: +46 317 864 682, e-mail: kristina.lindstrom@handels.gu.se

Mia Larson - Lund University, Campus Helsingborg, Department of Service Management and Service Studies, P.O. Box 882, 251 08, Helsingborg, Sweden; phone: +46 42 356 621, e-mail: mia.larson@ism.lu.se

Keywords
Sustainable tourism, community-based tourism, coastal tourism, tourism collaboration, local involvement

Abstract
Local involvement in tourism development is defined as a key issue for sustainable tourism, however it is often questioned and less seldom implemented in reality. Reasons behind this condition are lack of knowledge and practical experience on community-based tourism as a bottom-up approach. In this paper it is argued that local involvement in tourism development is both a democratic right and a strategic destination management tool. The paper scrutinizes a process of collaboration and local participation in a tourism development project within three coastal communities on the Swedish West Coast. A mixed-methods approach was employed in the project with the specific aim of investigating attitudes to the community and tourism development and of involving community stakeholders in exploring alternative avenues of tourism development. The article describes four phases of the process of local involvement in a tourism development project: step 1, formation of a representative project group and negotiation of community-based approach; step 2, consulting local stakeholders and employing a mixed-methods approach; step 3, elaborating results with local stakeholders; step 4, increased community collaboration.

Pages:
71-78

DOI:
10.1515/bog-2016-0025

BGSS No. 33 (2016)