Thesis title: “The development of community-based ecotourism - lumes

incorporating the perceptions, values and interests of the local residents whendesigning and implementing the strategy for viable tourism development in a region(Vincent & Thompson, 2002). The involvement of the locals should be encouragedsince the very beginning, by promoting public dialogue and by enabling them toparticipate in the processes of decision-making and profit-sharing (Diamantis, 2004).This is only possible when ecotourism development planning takes into considerationthe views, perceptions and preferences of the local inhabitants (WWF-International,2001).In contrast, when local people are not included in ecotourism developmentprojects, these projects are very likely to either fail completely or not succeed to themaximum possible degree, thus remaining far away from the desired sustainability(McCool & Moisey, 2001). Indeed, several studies indicate that when people do notreceive sufficient benefits from ecotourism, they are prone to develop a negativeattitude towards ecotourism development and oppose to the goals of environmentalconservation that are closely linked to ecotourism (Lawton, 2001). This might occurfor example when indigenous people, whose survival depends heavily upon theexploitation of natural resources, perceive tourism as a threat that deprives them oftheir livelihood by competing with them over land and resources (Ross & Wall, n.d.).Revenue sharing, on the other hand, is likely to make local people more supportive tothe conservation goals of ecotourism and help eliminate destructive activities such aspoaching. However, there is no guarantee that local communities will reduce theirconsumption of natural resources or other unsustainable activities, even when theirincome from tourism increases significantly (Gössling, 1999).Such obstacles to the success of ecotourism can often be overcome byinvolving local people in planning and management processes, which will give themcontrol over the area’s natural resources. Thus, significant social and economicbenefits can be derived from protected areas, provided that they are managed in a waythat does not leave out the concerns and interests of the local community (Trakolis,2001). Greater community involvement is considered to be highly beneficial for thelocal residents in many different ways. The main underlying concept for thedevelopment of community-based ecotourism is the empowerment of local people. Inparticular, the concept of empowerment of host communities can be divided into fourdifferent categories: economic, psychological, social and political. In economic terms,ecotourism generates long-term benefits that are distributed equitably within the hostcommunity and can be used for the constant improvement of the community’sinfrastructure. Moreover, ecotourism can contribute to the psychologicalempowerment of the local people by enhancing their sense of self-esteem and bycultivating pride for their cultural and natural heritage. This happens becauseecotourism reveals to the public the value of host community in terms of naturalbeauty or cultural uniqueness. In addition, ecotourism may strengthen social bondswithin the community by promoting cooperation among its members. Finally,ecotourism brings about political empowerment, since it creates a forum for theexpression of the peoples’ voices concerning issues of local development (Scheyvens,1999).Notwithstanding, as shown in figure 6 (next page), the economic benefitsderived from ecotourism do not only depend on the tourism spending itself, but alsoon what part of that money in the end remains inside the area or leaks away from itthrough the payment of imported goods and services:23