Who really benefits from tourism? Insights on community-based transformation
Words by Liam Aran Barnes | Eco Stay Awards Co-founder
Tourism promises transformation but too often leaves communities grappling with waste, not wealth.
While the idyllic images on brochures tell one story, the true potential of tourism lies in empowering the communities it touches, fostering long-term benefits that extend beyond economic gains.
During the recent GSTC Conference in Singapore, Aditi Chanchani, Charlotte Piffard, and Willem Niemeijer shared insights into how community-based tourism (CBT) can fulfil this promise.
Their work not only showcases the potential of CBT but also confronts the hard truths of its implementation.
As the sector evolves, the question remains: Can tourism genuinely deliver on its promises?
From vision to action: Empowering communities through sustainable tourism
For Aditi Chanchani, sustainable tourism isn’t in the abstract ideals—it’s about tangible, lasting change.
As Chair of the GSTC India Working Group and through her role at Royal Enfield, she has championed initiatives that empower communities while preserving fragile ecosystems.
One standout is the Green Pit Stop initiative, which reimagines Himalayan rest areas as eco-friendly hubs managed by local women. Beyond providing essential services, these spaces foster economic independence, creating livelihoods in regions often overlooked by mainstream development.
Chanchani’s commitment to sustainability goes deeper with the Great Himalayan Exploration, a UNESCO-backed effort to document and protect intangible cultural heritage.
“This isn’t about ticking boxes,” she explains. “It’s about creating lasting connections—between travellers, communities, and the landscapes they share.”
These initiatives align with global efforts to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those focused on gender equality, decent work, and economic growth.
By centring community leadership, Chanchani’s work highlights how grassroots action can contribute to global frameworks for sustainability.
Building authentic connections: Tourism as a tool for cultural preservation
Charlotte Piffard, head of the EXO Foundation, believes authenticity is a cornerstone of tourism’s potential to create measurable local benefits.
Like Chanchani, Piffard demonstrates how tourism can support local economies while preserving cultural integrity and fostering resilience.
Under her leadership, EXO Travel’s Travel for Good initiative reshapes tourism by putting local economies and cultural preservation front and centre. Through partnerships with NGOs and the development of a Sustainability Guide, EXO Travel ensures its operations deliver meaningful results.
“Our guests expect meaningful experiences, not surface-level interactions,” Piffard notes. “It’s our responsibility to ensure those experiences also benefit the communities involved.”
By collaborating with small-scale local suppliers, EXO Travel ensures tourism revenues stay within the community.
This approach also reflects the growing demand for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) accountability within the tourism sector, offering travellers experiences that are as responsible as they are enriching.
But authenticity isn’t free.
Operators must be prepared to invest in long-term partnerships, not just convenient contracts.
Read more insights from GSTC2024: What Gen Z wants: redefining travel through sustainability and purpose
Conservation meets community: A blueprint for sustainable coexistence
In Cambodia, Willem Niemeijer demonstrates how conservation and tourism can coexist.
As the founder of YAANA Ventures, Niemeijer’s work at Cardamom Tented Camp offers a blueprint for balancing ecological protection with community involvement.
The camp, situated within an 18,000-hectare rainforest, channels tourism revenue directly into conservation efforts, funding rangers who protect the area from illegal logging and poaching.
Beyond financial support, the project invests in education, hiring local staff to act as conservation ambassadors.
“When people see how protecting the environment directly benefits their livelihoods, they become advocates for change,” Niemeijer explains.
Cardamom Tented Camp exemplifies how local involvement can scale conservation efforts while delivering economic value—a model increasingly critical as climate concerns mount.
These efforts echo the global emphasis on achieving SDG targets related to climate action and life on land, proving that tourism can be a force for both environmental and social good.
Behind the scenes: Challenges in implementing community-based tourism
Community-based tourism offers immense potential, but it’s far from straightforward.
While leaders like Chanchani, Piffard, and Niemeijer highlight what’s possible, broader challenges continue to hinder the industry’s progress.
As Chanchani notes, managing waste in remote areas like the Himalayas presents logistical and environmental hurdles. Piffard points out another risk: cultural commodification, where traditions are reduced to performances for tourists.
Logistical issues are particularly pronounced in Niemeijer’s work, where operating in remote locations requires constant innovation. Infrastructure development, staff training, and supply chain challenges can strain resources. But as Niemeijer highlights, “Necessity forces us to innovate, and that’s where the magic happens.”
These hurdles aren’t reasons to back away—they’re opportunities to rethink how tourism operates.
Addressing criticisms: How to make tourism truly transformative
Overcoming these challenges requires understanding the risks that threaten CBT’s effectiveness. Poorly planned initiatives often fail to deliver meaningful benefits.
In Vietnam, limited community involvement in CBT projects strained relationships and left goals unrealised.
Similarly, in Australia, inadequate engagement reduced traditions to superficial tourist attractions, risking cultural commodification.
Economic dependence is another risk.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the fragility of tourism-dependent economies, with global losses estimated at $4 trillion in 2020 and 2021. Communities reliant on international visitors faced widespread unemployment and stalled development.
To mitigate these challenges, CBT initiatives must focus on robust planning, ensuring communities have a voice in decision-making.
Diversifying local economies can reduce reliance on tourism, while partnerships with NGOs, governments, and private stakeholders provide essential resources and support.
Tuu’s takeaway
Together, the examples of Chanchani, Piffard, and Niemeijer illustrate the path forward, but scaling these successes requires the industry to address lingering challenges head-on.
Tourism is increasingly about journeys that empower. Certifications like GSTC and partnerships with NGOs are tools that can drive this, but only if scaled with local leadership at the helm.
“Scaling without local leadership is a recipe for failure,” Niemeijer warns.
The industry doesn’t just need change—it needs transformation.
The excuses are over. Tourism providers must invest in grassroots leadership, align operations with local priorities, and embed cultural preservation into core strategies, measured by transparent metrics.
Conservation-led tourism needs to incentivise long-term stewardship over short-term gains.
And, crucially, the industry must view obstacles as opportunities to build smarter, more sustainable systems.