Community Development through Tourism: Identifying Communities for Implementing a Community Visitor Management System

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atmire.migration.oldid2951
dc.contributor.advisorKeough, Noel
dc.contributor.authorDupuis Zorrilla, Alexandro
dc.date.accessioned2015-07-08T18:00:37Z
dc.date.available2015-07-14T07:00:41Z
dc.date.issued2015-07-08
dc.date.submitted2015en
dc.description.abstractIdentidad y Desarrollo, a Mexican consultancy firm focused on promoting sustainable development through tourism, has generated a methodology to work with local communities in Mexico to improve host-visitor relationships: the Community Visitor Management System (CVMS). However, the vast universe of localities throughout the country that receive tourists and could potentially acquire benefits from CVMS application makes it difficult to determine which localities could obtain better results. This situation, added to the limited amount of resources and the necessity to obtain the best possible results led to the question: Can localities be assessed for their readiness to implement the CVMS? As a framework for the research I explore the concepts and trends in tourism and sustainability, such as the transition from mass or traditional tourism to more specialized and locally respectful activities such as alternative tourism, eco-tourism and cultural tourism and the evolution from a value chain perception to a value network of tourism with multiple linkages amongst stakeholders involved in the tourism system. The importance of participatory planning at the scale of individual localities is outlined, as well as its relevance on tourism planning to achieve positive impacts on host-visitor relationships during tourism interactions. To tackle the research question, an exploratory approach was used and a pilot assessment tool was designed to evaluate CVMS readiness by comparing a series of factors related with sustainable tourism development which are presented as indicators of existing or non-existing elements at a local scale. These indicators were aggregated into themes and sub-themes and a weighted value method was used to assign a quantitative value to each of the indicators and themes, which were used to calculate the CVMS readiness score of each locality. Expert informants were interviewed about the relevance and design of the assessment tool, which was later tested in two localities in Mexico: Temoaya and Malinalco. The pilot application involved the participation of three local stakeholders in each community related with tourism planning and operation, who evaluated their localities and the relevance of the tool for tourism development. Finally, this research concludes that the assessment tool is applicable and could provide a first step for CVMS implementation as it engaged local stakeholders and helped to gather important information about the localities and their development conditions related with the proposed system. On the other hand, further research lines were identified to increase the certainty of the assessment related with the application of the tool in a larger sample of localities, the possibility of including qualitative analysis through a Likart scale, include an assessment of conflict and power relations and compare the obtained results with the implementation of CVMS and its actual impacts in communities.en_US
dc.identifier.citationDupuis Zorrilla, A. (2015). Community Development through Tourism: Identifying Communities for Implementing a Community Visitor Management System (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25361en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/25361
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/2334
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyEnvironmental Design
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectSocial Structure and Development
dc.subject.classificationTourismen_US
dc.subject.classificationSustainable development through tourismen_US
dc.subject.classificationCommunity tourism developmenten_US
dc.subject.classificationCommunity development through tourismen_US
dc.subject.classificationMexico tourism developmenten_US
dc.subject.classificationSustainable tourism developmenten_US
dc.subject.classificationtourism and sustainabilityen_US
dc.subject.classificationCommunity Visitor Management Systemen_US
dc.subject.classificationTourism Planningen_US
dc.subject.classificationSustainable tourismen_US
dc.titleCommunity Development through Tourism: Identifying Communities for Implementing a Community Visitor Management System
dc.typemaster thesis
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Environmental Design (MEDes)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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