Tourism is seen by many developing countries, such as the Philippines, as an important way to stimulate economic development. Even so, it can have both positive and negative effects. How can local people harness the potentially abundant benefits of tourism? How does tourism affect pre-existing patterns of resource distribution? What causes large-scale planned tourism projects to fail? What happens to local cultural representations when they are used to attract tourists? Does tourism increase children's vulnerability to sexual exploitation? With such questions in mind, ongoing consultant research funded by DFID is examining processes of change in the Philippines. A report on four case studies reveals different aspects of the relationship between tourism and local communities.

The researcher examined different aspects of the effects of tourism on host communities on the Islands of Boracay , Samal, Marinduque, and Davao City. On Boracay Island, small-scale backpacking tourism has given way to large-scale package tourism. Tourist resources are concentrated in a small number of both local and foreign hands. Samal Island was chosen by the Philippines government as a site for implementation of a large-scale tourist resort. Named 'co-operative tourism', this type of tourism promotion was intended to combine economic goals with enhancement of the local community. In Marinduque, the cultural/religious practice of Moryonan made it a destination for cultural tourists from the late 1970s. Exploitation of Moryonan as a tourist resource has caused the nature of the practice to change. In Davao City, rapid development of tourism has led to a situation in which children may be vulnerable to sexual exploitation. The research study's main findings indicate that:

• effects of tourism must be assessed in the relation to cultural, social, economic and political processes
• tourism development that is not integrated into development planning can mar sustainable development
• participation of various sectors of the host community can aid integration and empower participants
• in cases of large scale, luxury enclave tourism local communities lose out on possible economic benefits
• upmarket tourism can feed exploitation by widening gaps between rich and poor, local and outsider
• unless regulated, tourism can increase existing inequalities in resource distribution, especially of land
• if local people lose control over cultural and religious traditions they can be exploited to attract tourists.

Policy recommendations include:

• Socio-economic impact assessments of planned tourism developments must be carried out in greater depth and involve the local community.
• Cultural and socio-economic objectives, identified by host communities, need to be integrated into tourism development planning.
• Tourism planning should be integrated into overall development planning.
• Greater intra-governmental co-operation to achieve integrated tourism planning is necessary.
• Targeted social investment is needed to enable local communities to participate in development, including tourism development.

Source(s):
Tourism development and Community: Four Philippine Case Studies. VSO Philippines Discussion Paper, T. Nicholson (1997)

Funded by: Department for International Development (DFID), UK (1996 ongoing)

id21 Research Highlight: 1998-Mar-24

Further Information:
Trish Nicholson
5 Kingsbury Street
Brighton
East Sussex
BN1 4JW
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 1273 231855
Contact the contributor: TrishNicholson@compuserve.com