Tourism and Community Development Issues - Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues - page 180

This point is well illustrated by the plight of many Aboriginal commu-
nities in Australia that are characterized by high levels of poverty, ill-health
and premature death, which sits in sharp contrast to the country's devel-
oped economy and its robust tourism sector (Higgins-Desbiolles, 2003). In
various studies of indigenous tourism in Australia, Higgins-Desbiolles and
her colleagues (2003, 2007, 2010) observe that the involvement of Aboriginal
communities in tourism is subject to very different challenges compared to
mainstream operators and industry and yields vastly different community
development benefits, including self-esteem and cultural revival.
Second, a shift in the way development is defined has also contributed to
critical insights into relationships between tourism and community develop-
ment. Orthodox views of development have tended to prioritize economic
growth and the march of global capitalism (Bianchi, 2002; Higgins-Desbiolles,
2006). Tourism has been seen as a development tool for integrating commu-
nities in the developing world into a globalized trading system (Higgins-
Desbiolles, 2003). Recent developments have seen an expansion in CD-related
goals to include capacity building, poverty alleviation, education, training,
conservation, environmental and social justice, equitable distribution of tour-
ism costs and benefits, as well as developing a sense of pride and respect. Self-
reliance, self-determination and cultural survival can also be crucial priorities
although critical studies of practice reveal such outcomes may be emergent
rather than planned (Dyer et al. , 2003). In other words, the notion of develop-
ment has broadened to include socio-cultural well-being and environmental
conservation goals in addition to the traditional economic 'growth' and indus-
try well-being together with token participation from residents.
Third, relationships between global capital and local sovereignty have
received increasing critical attention, contributing rich insights into the
nature of power and control (Telfer & Sharpley, 2008). Craik (1995) argued
strongly for greater attention to understanding the changes that might be
brought to the character of place and the destination culture, and that the
consequences of cultural changes on destination communities through tour-
ism should be central to the debate about sustainable tourism development.
Local community control over environmental and cultural goods, however,
is a hard fought battle. Examining local resistance to a major sports event in
regional Australia, Dredge and Whitford (2011) observe that decision-
making about the use of local community resources is sometimes made at
higher levels of government and for a wider 'public interest'. In such circum-
stances, the local community's lack of access to decision-making can lead to
a sense of disempowerment and resistance.
The factors identified above coalesce to create challenges in the manage-
ment of tourism-community development relationships. Indicators for
community development and cultural well-being, plus indicators for resi-
dent control over the commodification and transformation of their cultural
as well as environmental goods, are essential to develop (see Craik, 1995).