Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA
COLLEGE OF FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION
MISSOULA,MT 59812
Performing Department
College of Forestry and Conservation
Non Technical Summary
Community-based ecotourism is becoming more prevalent in the hope that local populations can reap a portion of the financial benefits and develop a foundation that alleviates poverty. However, recent studies have suggested that CBE projects often fail in their goal to provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people. This study will provide insight from the community perspective on the magnitude and distribution of benefits from Community-Based Ecotourism in Guatemala.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
40%
Developmental
60%
Goals / Objectives
Project objectives were aimed at recognizing the site-specific factors leading to both community development and natural resource protection through ecotourism. Factors considered included visitor use intensity; total income developed; distribution of income; and number of participants benefiting from tourism operations. Direct observations of community benefits and ecotourism operations were conducted by members of the Consortium for International Protected Area Management (CIPAM), and included Kassandra Miller of the University of Montana and Dr. William McLaughlin of the University of Idaho.
Project Methods
The four case studies of CBE in Guatemala were directly observed by the project team and interviews were conducted with a cross-section of informed participants in each project area. In addition to interviews, data from tourism sources in Guatemala was collected on visitation and expenditures by international visitors. Qualitative analysis of data from interviews was applied using content analysis to establish categories of significance regarding tourism benefits and constraints.