(TITC) – Community-based tourism (CBT) is an alternative form of tourism that seeks to empower communities to manage tourism growth and achieve community aspirations relating to their well-being, and includes economically, socially and environmentally sustainable development. ASEAN CBT Standard encourges raising social well-being and quality of life of local residents in tourism destinations.
Standards for contribution to social well-being and quality of life in ASEAN CBT Standard including sub-criations as following:
Standards for maintaining human dignity
Minimum requirements
– Sex tourism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and exploitation of child labour are not tolerated or supported explicitly or implicitly.
– CBT activities promote gender equity and social inclusion.
Advanced requirements
– CBT initiatives build the capacity for disadvantaged members of the community to appropriately benefit from tourism (this includes identifying roles for youth and the aged).
Best practice requirements
– CBT activities contribute to improving public benefits in the community (including the access to basic facilities such as clean water, sanitation, energy, education, and healthcare).
Standards for equitable sharing of benefits and costs
Minimum requirements
– Clear and agreed benefit sharing arrangements exist.
Advanced requirements
– A community development fund exists that is used for initiatives benefiting the whole community.
Best practice requirements
– A process exists for equal opportunities in income generating activities.
Standards for enhancing local supply chains and linking with regional economies
Minimum requirements
– Local community members dominate employment in CBT initiatives.
– Local supply chains exist to generate multiplier effects in the community.
Advanced requirements
– Local community products are used in preference to imports (e.g., locally produced vs mass-produced souvenirs).
Best practice requirements
– Strong cooperation with other CBTs and regional private and government organisations exists to increase regional tourism.
Standards for maintaining local identity and cultural integrity, and enriching valued cultural traditions
Minimum requirements
– Local identity is well maintained and awareness is raised among the community and a visiting tourist.
– Cultural assets of the local community and valued cultural traditions are identified, documented and endorsed by relevant communities.
– Programs exist to authentically present, enhance and retain local cultural traditions towards protecting cultural integrity, identity and values.
– Practices ensure that all rules, regulations and laws relevant to protection of culture and heritage are followed.
Advanced requirements
– CBT management supports the retention of traditional livelihoods and initiatives that create alternative livelihoods.
– A code of visitor behaviour exists to inform visitors of appropriate behaviour within communities.
Best practice requirements
– A community decision-making process exists that identifies what cultural assets and traditions will be shared with visitors.
– CBT management ensures the protection of cultural assets of the community.
Scoring of performance
Summary statistics (counts) are used to score the overall performance of CBT initiatives. Assessed indicator levels of performance are summed for each criterion and presented in the categories of Minimum requirements, Advanced requirements and Best practice requirements.
Registration: The CBT initiative fully complies with 50% of relevant Minimum and 40% of Advanced requirements for indicators in each criterion.
Endorsement: The CBT initiative fully complies with 60% of relevant Minimum requirements and 50% of Advanced requirements for indicators in each criterion.
Certification: The CBT initiative fully complies with 70% of relevant Minimum requirements and 60% of Advanced requirements for indicators in each criterion.
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