Title: Developing community-based tours for greater stakeholder benefit and commitment

Authors: Andrew Jones; Julian Zarb

Addresses: Institute for Travel, Tourism and Culture, University of Malta, Malta ' Institute for Travel, Tourism and Culture, University of Malta, Malta

Abstract: The importance of tourism as a tool for social, cultural and economic development has been widely emphasised in the past. However, empirical studies addressing the issue of community participation in local tourism planning are lacking in general. This research is focused on adding value to the tourism value chain. The project titled: 'Discovering Malta and Gozo through its people and culture' intends to produce a number of pilot tours that can benefit small communities and stakeholders who might otherwise be excluded from this socio-cultural activity. This paper evaluates how the research study on community-based tours is attempting to rekindle the host-visitor interaction and present a more sustainable, interactive and responsible form of tourism not simply as an industry but as a socio-cultural activity and some of the lessons that can be learnt.

Keywords: stakeholders; community-based; tourism; planning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTP.2017.086976

International Journal of Tourism Policy, 2017 Vol.7 No.3, pp.250 - 267

Received: 03 Oct 2015
Accepted: 13 Feb 2017
Published online: 03 Oct 2017 *

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