Towards a community approach to tourism development in Atlantic Canada

Abstract

As governments curtail their direct involvement in local economies and the private sector downsizes and traditional activities such as the fishery are in serious decline, the livelihood of small towns and rural communities is threatened. In the search for economic diversity, some communities have turned to tourism as a possible solution. In this study, six communities that have experimented with a tourism strategy are profiled. Their involvement with tourism is examined in light of such issues as the appropriateness of their tourism development, the integration of tourism with other sectors of their local economy, and the ultimate long term sustainability of such development.

A community development approach to tourism is examined in economic terms; yet considerable attention is given to the underlying human dimension. For it appears that those communities that are economically successful are first and foremost socially and culturally successful. Moreover communities, that engender a strong sense of identity and cohesiveness, are seemingly better equipped to respond to economic crisis. The study suggests that bona fide community economic development must commence with strengthening and asserting community, as a basis for economic recovery. The utilization of community development corporations, community collective enterprise, as well as cooperatives are explored as viable approaches towards fostering a community-based sustainable tourism.