CBT Approach: Advancing Tourism by Prioritizing Local Communities
BANDUNG, itb.ac.id – When sustainability and community empowerment turns to a renewable era, Community Based Tourism (CBT) becomes a relevant model in the tourism industry. A lecturer of the Politeknik Pariwisata Lombok, Achlan Fahlevi R, MBA., discussed CBT in the Winter School program. It was an International Virtual Course which was held by the ITB School of Architecture, Planning and Policy Development (SAPPD) on Saturday (16/09/2023).
He explained CBT as an approach that involves local communities in planning and developing the tourism industry. “CBT places local communities at the center of the process. This includes planning, management, decision making, and empowerment of local communities," he said.
This approach aims to improve the welfare and empowerment of local communities in various parts of the world. CBT also covers various types of tourism. It is not limited to villages, but also includes local lifestyle, old towns, nature, adventure, luxury tourism, and others. This allows local communities to shape their own well-being.
Although CBT has many potential benefits, this approach is also faced with various challenges, such as community engagement, accessibility, and human resource capacity. On the other hand, CBT opens up various opportunities such as employment, socio-cultural preservation, and economic diversification.
On this occasion, he presented a case study about Wakatobi National Park, especially Liya Togo Village, which successfully implemented CBT.
Discussions during this event highlighted the importance of CBT, namely gathering the perspectives of local community members and their priorities in tourism development. This emphasized the importance of involving local communities in every aspect of tourism planning and management to ensure sustainability and maximum benefits for them.
Reporter: Hafsah Restu Nurul Annafi (Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota, 2019)
Translator: Ayesha Lativa Mafaza (Postharvest Technology ‘21)
Editor: Hanna Daniela Ayu (Aerospace Engineering, 2021)
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