Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
taken as a starting point. Following review and comment by the project team, the
working definition for the project was established as having three criteria:
1
located within a community (e.g. on communal land, or with community
benefits such as lease fees); or
2
owned by one or more community members (i.e. for the benefit of one or
more community members); or
3
managed by community members (i.e. community members could influence
the decision-making process of the enterprise).
It was acknowledged that in general, communities involved in CBT are:
•
relatively remote from national centres of learning, economy and industry;
•
constrained by poor infrastructure, in terms of roads, electricity and water;
•
economically poor, with little or no capital for investment in the tourism
industry;
•
inexperienced and under-skilled at developing and managing tourism enter-
prises, working with tourists,
•
rich in distinctive cultures and histories firmly rooted in the local area; and
•
largely dependent on local natural resources (such as trees, medicinal plants
and wildlife).
Information on community-based accommodation and their associated activities
(e.g. guided tours, traditional performances) was prioritized for collection. The
working definition ensured a broad scope for CBTEs that could be proposed for
evaluation: CBTEs could have government assistance, they could be partnerships
with the private sector or non-profit organizations, they could be township B&Bs
run by individual indigenous entrepreneurs, or they could be operations run by
collective community groups and managed through elected Trusts.
Identifying enterprises
The literature sources and institutional sources that were used included guide
topics, existing directories (from RETOSA and the Open Africa Initiative) and
consultancy reports. Many individuals and institutions facilitated the initiative by
providing additional information on CBTEs operating in the region.
CBTE evaluation process
The evaluation process of the CBTEs was as follows:
1
Agreements were made with in-country institutions to recruit and coordinate,
and pay volunteers to undertake CBTE evaluations, in return for an adminis-
tration fee for the institution.
2
Volunteers recruited by the institutions collected information on the CBTEs
in their country using questionnaires and guidelines provided (see below).
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