Realizing Rural Community-Based Tourism Development: Prospects for Social Economy Enterprises

Abstract

Community-based tourism (CBT) is often considered as one component of a broad-based plan to improve rural economies. CBT development is characterized as a form of locally situated development that uses tourism to generate economic, social, and cultural benefits within a community. This process occurs through increased community participation in decision making and the sustainable development of both natural and cultural resources. Recent work in the field of community economic development has shown that social-economy enterprises, often called the third sector of the economy, can fill multiple areas of need within rural communities, contributing to economic, social, and cultural goals. As opposed to services and businesses controlled by private or public interests, the social economy is made up of community-based and mutually controlled enterprises that exist to serve the identified needs of a specific community. Examples of social-economy enterprises include worker-owned cooperatives, credit unions, community-based training organizations, and volunteer-run projects. This paper examines the potential for social-economy enterprises to contribute to the implementation of CBT within the Canadian rural tourism landscape. Two main roles for the social economy are identified: supportive and product delivery. Each role is described with reference to examples from across Canada. Challenges and benefits within each are evaluated, outlining areas for further research and on-the-ground development of social-economy enterprises to support rural CBT. Keywords: rural tourism, social economy, Canada, social-economy enterprises Many rural