GOVERNANCE AND INSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGES IN COMMUNITY-BASED ECOTOURISM: EVIDENCE FROM THE KALASH VALLEYS, PAKISTAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/JTHEM.1145049Keywords:
Community-Based Ecotourism (CBET), Governance Arrangements, Institutional Coordination, Pakistan, Stakeholder Theory, Sustainable TourismAbstract
Although previous studies have addressed the problems related to CBET and stakeholder participation, there has not been much emphasis placed on governance processes and policy implementation in indigenous mountain communities of developing countries. Drawing upon previous works on CBET governance in the Kalash Valleys, this study investigates CBET governance from the perspective of stakeholder theory and tourism governance. Differing from previous works in which the focus is solely on the participation of stakeholders in tourism development, this study focuses on how institutional interaction and governance processes affect the sustainability of CBET in the long run. A qualitative single case study was carried out involving 24 semi-structured interviews with individuals from the local community, tourism entrepreneurs, government authorities, and NGOs. In terms of governmental participation in planning, it was found that there were inconsistency and reactiveness of the process, which prevented any efforts towards future development. In parallel, the participation of NGOs was very helpful in capacity building and in making local community members more aware, but such participation was mostly short-term and depended on the funding of projects. Such findings demonstrate the need for more coordination, policies and collaboration to ensure the sustainability of CBET in indigenous mountain communities in the future.
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