Fonte: ROTUR. Revista de Ocio y Turismo; Vol. 17 No. 1 (2023); 76-99
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Resumo: Tourism systems are driven by the tourism resources of each destination and have a clear market orientation. This focus on marketing neglects the needs of the local community, whose main objective is to maintain the quality of life of its members. In terms of community-based tourism, this conflict of interests is even more acute owing to the potential impact on communities when tourism is established as a primary or secondary economic model. In this context, community resilience can be a decisive factor in minimising the negative effects of tourism development.
This article examines community resilience in the development of tourism in Valdivia (Ecuador) in order to assess its role in community-based tourism. The study uses a framework of planning and organisational indicators that combines tourism and community resilience. The case study methodology focuses on nine types of community action (management, service quality, action plan, marketing, product development, reasons, causes, opportunities and objectives) in relation to five types of community capital that strengthen a community’s capacity during times of upheaval or crisis: human, social, natural, physical, financial and psychological. The study uses a deductive approach based on mixed techniques (quantitative and qualitative) and fieldwork.
The analysis focused on the nine types of actions carried out by the Valdivia community through community capital and their implications in relation to the community’s resilience. The results found that tourism development has a negative impact on several types of community actions. To remedy this, the study proposes a management framework for a paradigm shift in the tourism development model to address the organisational and planning needs of the community, and practical long-term policy changes for community-based tourism development and planning. Finally, the article highlights the need for more in-depth research to collect empirical evidence regarding scenarios of improvement in both developing and established economies. It should be noted that community-based tourism development has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in rural communities.
