Tourism for Local Development

Tourism is considered to be a tool for local development as this activity can foster and promote the economic and social process of the territories where it takes place. When it happens, what we have is sustainable tourism or solidari- ty tourism, [7] which promotes sustaina- ble models for local and regional deve- lopment and education. Solidarity tou- rism includes forms of tourism where the focus of the journey is contacting people, and also the participation of local people in various stages of tourism projects in terms of people, cultures and nature and a more equitable distribution of resources obtained based on these types of tourism. However, some factors should be respected in order to let tourism be an authentic and beneficial development tool that helps local communities to improve their life conditions and face the structural difficulties. First, tourism must respect local cultural and natural resources, which should be used in a respectful, responsible and sustainable way. It’s then mandatory to plan the transformation of local resour- ces into tourism products (i.e. tourism offer) by following strategies that don’t risk the future conservation of these resources (through measures such as capacity control of the tourism flow, compulsory tourism guides, diversifica- tion of tourism activities, etc.).

On the other hand, tourism activities need to engage the local population.

If human resources of tourism are based in the community, local employment will be fostered, local identity will be enhan- ced and promoted, tourism offer will respect the territory authenticity and trends like tourism-phobia will be avoi- ded (as local population will understand tourism activity as an inner activity and tourists won’t be understood as invaders).

At last but not least, transversality and intersectionality should be key. Public, private and social sectors must work together and must be aligned. It’s important to fix common objectives and to create a shared vision of tourism throughout participatory processes and networking.

According to the above-mentioned factors, different kinds of tourism that represent solidarity tourism approaches have been developed in order to be able to talk about tourism as a truly local deve- lopment tool in support of the communi- ties well-being and sustainability. Among others, we can find:

- Educational tourism, where the tourist’s main objective is acquiring new knowledge about culture or history from other countries or cities. It is a trending type of tourism in many world regions, particularly in Europe. Education is meant to be inclusive of both staff and guests.

- Inclusive tourism (or accessible tourism) tends to host and welcome equally all people, regardless their (dis)abilities, age or physical conditions.

- Community-based tourism, which involves giving visitors to a coun- try the chance to meet local people and experience authentic cultural exchange. It’s about supporting locally led projects that have a direct benefit for the local community, as well as travelers. Community-based tourism can take many forms. Some of the most common types include homestay programs where you stay with local families, or visiting villages and communities.

- Nature-based tourism. Tourism based on natural areas and attractions that involves the true and intense con- nection to natural heritage and its biodi- versity. It helps to preserve and foster respect for the environment. Some nature-based tourism practices are: birdwatching, photography, stargazing, camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, and visiting parks.

- Cultural tourism, which helps in widening one’s knowledge about peo- ple’s places, their ways of life, cultural traditions, etc. On the following pages we will present examples of projects that are good practices for each above-mentioned type of solidarity tourism.