Tourism and development in rural communities: a case study of Luang Namtha Province, Lao PDR

Tourism plays a significant role in the economies of developing countries, including Lao PDR. It has the potential to generate employment and income for the local communities, and promises to protect and preserve the natural and cultural heritage. Tourism, especially ecotourism development, has been presented as a means to alleviate poverty in remote and rural ethnic communities, enhance local quality of life, and protect and preserve the natural and cultural resources of local communities. However, without local community involvement and participation, ecotourism can contribute to unfair distribution of tourism benefits, adverse local expectations, and deterioration of natural and cultural assets in local communities. In this respect, community-based ecotourism is increasingly being promoted as an effective mechanism of the government in addressing poverty problems in (remote) rural poor areas; this is done on the basis of local community involvement and participation in decision-making for, and benefits-sharing acrued from, community ecotourism development. This study examined the ways in which community-based ecotourism has the potential to address poverty issues in two Khmu ethnic communities in the Nam Ha National Protected Area, in Luang Namtha Province, Lao PDR. A mixed-methods approach was adopted to examine local residents’ participation in tourism planning and implementation and to investigate the local residents’ attitudes towards tourism development, including local perceptions of economic, socio-cultural and environmental effects in the identified communities. The study results reveal that community-based ecotourism development was perceived by the locals to have the potential to improve their living conditions and reduce poverty, as well as protect and preserve the environment. This is evidenced in the community that has been involved in tourism development decision-making considerations and benefits-sharing. However, the economic benefits acrued from the community-based ecotourism activities are perceived to be limited in the studied communities to date