How to manage the delivery of tourism
Utilise champions within the community
It is common for some members of a community to have more advanced skills or areas of experience than others. These people can champion their skills, show leadership in their skill area, and share their knowledge base with others in the community for everyone’s benefit.
Leadership from within the community
Leaders for CBT in the community will naturally be identified by others who are looking to them for guidance. Leaders will be committed to the CBT venture and be able to draw support from the wider community. Tourism partners should look for these people and be aware that some of the best leaders are not people who hold formal power positions in the community but those who hold informal leadership positions (e.g. a community nurse, someone who organizes community events or perhaps a sportsperson).
Capacity building support from non-governmental organizations
Look for support that may be available from local, national and regional social, community development, and environmentally focussed non-governmental organizations (e.g. South East Asian examples include WWF, REST, Wildlife Alliance and Live & Learn Environmental Education). Many NGOs have CBT experience and are well placed to support CBT capacity building and skills training, marketing, and advocacy at the community level.
Network and identify synergies with major donors
In some APEC regions, major donors (e.g. SNV, USAID, EU, UNDP, UNWTO, GEF-SGP, and UNESCO) have programs and resources that support CBT at both a macro and micro level when CBT ventures are aligned with donor funding priorities and other projects.
Capacity building assistance from skilled volunteer agencies
Some major donors work together with overseas skilled volunteer agencies (e.g. AYAD, VIDA, PCV, VSO) to support the practicalities of capacity building on the ground for CBT with a community development focus. These stakeholders may be able to assist with building skills around CBT products and organizational development at the community level.
Capacity building assistance from established tourism institutions and organizations in the destination
Regional and National Tourism Boards, Ministries of Tourism and local associations can often offer valuable assistance in building capacity across CBT marketing, promotion and human resources planning.
Scope formal and informal training and capacity channels
Tourism education and training courses are often available at technical colleges and through industry associations.
Strength based approaches
As a starting point, ventures that approach CBT by using the skills, experiences and technologies that already exist in the community are most likely to be viable and appropriate from the outset. To enhance and build on these skills, communities may benefit from looking externally to source additional skills from their linkages to other tourism stakeholders as outlined above.