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Articles

A management model to assist local communities developing community-based tourism ventures: a case study from the Brazilian Amazon

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Pages 1-19 | Received 26 Jun 2015, Accepted 15 Mar 2017, Published online: 04 Apr 2017
 

ABSTRACT

A number of authors have endorsed the view that community-based tourism (CBT) can improve the well-being of local communities through the generation of economic and social benefits. This study proposes a management model that may be employed to assist local communities develop ventures of this nature. The findings of a study of a relatively successful CBT venture on Marajó Island in the Brazilian Amazon were used in tandem with a review of the literature to build the model based on an action pathway approach. Semi-structured interviews were employed to identify the sequence of actions that occurred commencing when the CBT venture was first suggested to the present. The results indicate that participation, partnerships, encouragement and acquisition of skills are important elements in developing CBT. The study also found that transfer of ownership from an external actor to the community will only be successful if the community has the required management skills necessary to run the project as a commercial business. The model that emerged from this research has the ability to be widely used to assist communities embarking on CBT ventures.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Turismo Consciente tour operator and the NGO Instituto Peabiru for their support and for providing relevant information for this study. They also thank Paratur for sharing their archival data about tourism in Para state. The authors are grateful to the community members of Pesqueiro Village for their generosity and for sharing their life histories and experiences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Postgraduate Research Scholarship from James Cook University in Australia.

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