In the evolution of global tourism, one truth has become increasingly clear: sustainable tourism development cannot succeed without meaningful community involvement. At Leve Global, our philosophy that “when communities rise, economies rise too” isn’t just a slogan—it’s the foundation of our approach to tourism development across more than 100 countries and territories.

Beyond Tokenism: True Community Empowerment

Traditional tourism development has often treated local communities as passive beneficiaries rather than active stakeholders. This approach not only limits economic benefits but can create resentment, undermine cultural authenticity, and ultimately threaten the sustainability of tourism itself.

Our work across the Caribbean, Africa, and beyond has demonstrated that genuine community empowerment requires moving beyond tokenistic involvement to place communities at the center of tourism planning, development, and management.

Key Principles of Community-Centered Tourism

1. Communities as Decision-Makers, Not Just Beneficiaries

In Saint Lucia, our “Wild South East Coast” Responsible Tourism Strategy exemplifies how communities can be positioned as decision-makers in tourism development. Rather than imposing external visions, we facilitated a process where local communities articulated their own aspirations for tourism development that aligned with their values and priorities.

This approach ensures that tourism development respects local cultural norms, environmental values, and economic needs. When communities have genuine agency in tourism planning, they become invested in its success and sustainability.

2. Building on Existing Assets and Knowledge

Effective community-centered tourism builds on the unique assets, skills, and knowledge that communities already possess. In Montserrat, our “Ash to Cash” strategy leveraged local knowledge about the buried city of Plymouth to create a unique heritage tourism experience that could only be authentically delivered by community members.

This asset-based approach contrasts with deficit-focused models that emphasize what communities lack rather than what they offer. By recognizing and valuing local knowledge and capabilities, community-centered tourism creates more authentic experiences while building local confidence and pride.

3. Equitable Economic Participation

True community empowerment requires equitable economic participation throughout the tourism value chain. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, our €5.8 million Sustainable Tourism Development Programme revitalized over 20 iconic tourism sites while creating mechanisms for local communities to participate as entrepreneurs, suppliers, and service providers.

This approach addresses the economic leakage common in traditional tourism models, where benefits flow primarily to external investors and operators. By creating pathways for local economic participation, community-centered tourism ensures that a greater share of tourism spending remains within and circulates through local economies.

4. Cultural Stewardship and Authenticity

Communities are the rightful stewards of their cultural heritage and the arbiters of how it should be shared with visitors. In our work developing the Caribbean Regional Sustainable Tourism Strategy, we emphasized mechanisms for communities to maintain control over cultural representations and experiences.

This approach protects against cultural commodification and misrepresentation while ensuring that tourism supports rather than undermines cultural preservation. When communities control how their culture is presented, tourism becomes a vehicle for cultural pride and intergenerational transmission rather than exploitation.

5. Environmental Guardianship

Local communities often possess generations of knowledge about sustainable environmental management. In Dominica, our Climate Resilient Tourism Policy and Master Plan incorporated traditional ecological knowledge alongside scientific approaches, recognizing communities as essential partners in environmental stewardship.

This collaborative approach to environmental management ensures that tourism development respects ecological boundaries while benefiting from local insights about sustainable resource use. When communities are empowered as environmental guardians, tourism can become a force for conservation rather than degradation.

Case Study: Community-Centered Tourism in South Africa

Emerging Trends in Community-Centred Tourism

Best Practices for Community-Centered Tourism

Based on our experience across multiple contexts, we’ve identified several best practices for effective community-centered tourism:

1. Start with Community Aspirations

Effective community-centered tourism begins by understanding how communities themselves define success and wellbeing. Our approach emphasizes participatory processes that allow communities to articulate their own visions rather than imposing external definitions of development.

2. Build Long-Term Capacity, Not Just Short-Term Projects

Sustainable community empowerment requires building enduring capabilities rather than implementing isolated projects. Our programs emphasize transferring skills, knowledge, and decision-making authority to create lasting community capacity for tourism management.

3. Address Power Imbalances Explicitly

Tourism development occurs within existing power structures that often disadvantage communities. Effective community-centered approaches acknowledge and address these imbalances explicitly, creating mechanisms that give communities genuine influence in decision-making.

4. Create Appropriate Governance Structures

Community-centered tourism requires governance structures that enable meaningful community participation while providing necessary support and coordination. Our work often includes developing innovative governance models that balance community control with effective management.

5. Measure What Matters to Communities

Traditional tourism metrics often fail to capture what communities value most. Effective community-centered tourism includes developing measurement frameworks that reflect community priorities and provide accountability to local stakeholders.

Conclusion

As global tourism continues to evolve, community-centered approaches are moving from the margins to the mainstream. This shift reflects growing recognition that sustainable tourism requires more than environmental management—it demands social equity, cultural respect, and economic inclusion.

At Leve Global, our commitment to putting “people at the centre of our work” reflects our conviction that tourism’s greatest potential lies not in visitor numbers or revenue figures but in its capacity to empower communities, preserve cultures, and create more equitable societies.

When done right, community-centered tourism creates experiences that are not only more authentic and enriching for visitors but more sustainable and beneficial for the communities that make destinations worth visiting in the first place.