Assessing the Effectiveness of ‘Appreciative Inquiry’ (AI) in Nepali Pro-Poor Tourism (PPT) Development Processes

ABSTRACT

One relatively recent approach to Pro-poor tourism (PPT) planning and development is the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) process. AI is considered an alternative to traditional “problem-solving” planning approaches and focuses specifically on strengths and successes of individuals, organisations and communities. This paper explores the relevance of the AI process to PPT in Nepal, and examines the contribution of AI to local people’s participation in community planning and development. Two communities (Junbesi and Pattale), at different stages of tourism development in Nepal’s Solukhumbu district, were used as case study sites where the AI approach was applied. Semi-structured interviews (n = 31) with local residents as well as district and national experts indicate that the poorest people in the communities are least likely to benefit from tourism due to a lack of skills and capital. The study also reveals that AI has the potential to operate as an effective planning tool in promoting PPT.

KEYWORDS:

• Pro-poor tourism (PPT)
• Appreciative Inquiry (AI)
• poverty reduction
• participatory approach
• tourism planning
• Nepal

Acknowledgement

The authors would also like to extend their thanks to the participants who so generously contributed to the research project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. According to Gingrich (2004), Nepali Savings and Credit schemes similar to village banks but without the external funds and structural rigidity. These organisations are locally owned and managed and provide sustainable microfinance services for Nepal's poorest rural communities (Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation, 2001).

2. The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) declared a “People's War” against the state in 1996, marking the beginning of a violent insurgency, and the movement gradually expanded in most parts of the country. More than 16,000 people died, and thousands of people were displaced or injured during the unstable political period of a decade-long movement.

Additional information

Funding

The authors are grateful to New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID) (funded through New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade) and Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand for their support of this study.