TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of community involvement and number/type of visitors on tourism impacts
T2 - A controlled comparison of Annapurna, Nepal and Northwest Yunnan, China
AU - Nyaupane, Gyan
AU - Morais, Duarte B.
AU - Dowler, Lorraine
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors wish to acknowledge Lincoln University, New Zealand for funding the field work in Annapurna, Nepal, and Pennsylvania State University's Children, Youth and Families Consortium for funding the fieldwork in Yunnan.
PY - 2006/12
Y1 - 2006/12
N2 - Tourism development in mountain regions is reported to bring economic growth to host communities. However, the literature reveals that the economic, environmental and cultural impacts of tourism development in these regions vary greatly and that a number of critical factors may explain that variability. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to explore the role of community involvement and number/type of visitors on tourism impacts in mountain destinations. The study followed a controlled comparison method [Eggan, F. (1954). Social anthropology and the method of controlled comparison. American Anthropologist, 56(5), 743-763] including field observations and individual and group interviews in two popular mountain destinations in Asia: Annapurna, Nepal, and Northwest Yunnan, China. The findings suggested that level of host involvement in management and number/type of tourists helped explain these destinations' varying degrees of economic leakage, local control, and socio-economic inequity. Moreover, both destinations appeared to cope with their challenges through cooperative community efforts supported by non-governmental agencies.
AB - Tourism development in mountain regions is reported to bring economic growth to host communities. However, the literature reveals that the economic, environmental and cultural impacts of tourism development in these regions vary greatly and that a number of critical factors may explain that variability. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to explore the role of community involvement and number/type of visitors on tourism impacts in mountain destinations. The study followed a controlled comparison method [Eggan, F. (1954). Social anthropology and the method of controlled comparison. American Anthropologist, 56(5), 743-763] including field observations and individual and group interviews in two popular mountain destinations in Asia: Annapurna, Nepal, and Northwest Yunnan, China. The findings suggested that level of host involvement in management and number/type of tourists helped explain these destinations' varying degrees of economic leakage, local control, and socio-economic inequity. Moreover, both destinations appeared to cope with their challenges through cooperative community efforts supported by non-governmental agencies.
KW - Annapurna
KW - Community involvement
KW - Controlled comparison
KW - Northwest Yunnan
KW - Number/type of tourists
KW - Socioeconomic impacts
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U2 - 10.1016/j.tourman.2005.12.013
DO - 10.1016/j.tourman.2005.12.013
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:33746497910
SN - 0261-5177
VL - 27
SP - 1373
EP - 1385
JO - Tourism Management
JF - Tourism Management
IS - 6
ER -