Community-based Tourism: other economies are targeting social emancipation

Abstract

Community sense has been the main idea of Community-based Tourism (TBC), associating common ways of organization and management to benefit it. This article tries to find out what collaborative and management mechanisms the receiving communities have been developed, showing other logics based on self-management and solidarity, contrary to the current business and profit concentration trend. In turn, if these are reflected in a proposal of social transformation, with emergence of new protagonists. The TBC project final evaluation report in East Timor gives empirical elements, focusing on three communities/cooperatives. The study shows the existence of new protagonists sharing powers and knowledge, leading to a horizon of social emancipation based on conduct codes and a set of collaborative management procedures.