As tourism becomes increasingly complex with new and competing destinations, travelers have more choices than ever before. Coupled with rapidly changing technologies to access readily available information, the sophisticated tourists of today have also become more demanding in their expectations. These sophisticated tourists are more inclined to seek new experiences beyond what the mass tourism market offers like the gated, all-inclusive resort that is isolated from its surrounding community. As tourists gain experience traveling, their confidence grows and they seek out more, and more unusual activities that move them beyond what they have experienced through prior travels. This results in a tourist that seeks unique experiences in unspoiled and unvisited destinations and cultures.
While the experienced tourists of today seek new places to visit, they also want to learn and experience various cultures first hand. Visiting a new and exciting destination in a remote area of the globe provides a learning experience for the tourists who can then share with their friends back home the uniqueness of the experience they have seen and lived first-hand. Learning exotic rituals, ways of life through cultural immersion, or participation in traditional activities from the creative minds of an indigenous population are a few ways in which the tourist can benefit. While learning various ways of life and becoming more understanding of cultural differences, the tourist can also develop an enriched vision of one’s self and the world.
The need for niche tourism marketing is a result of higher tourist expectations and increasing competition. In Montserrat, opportunities exist to develop a niche market in the area of cultural and nature based alternative tourism. The island of Montserrat, in the West Indies, is a British overseas territory. With a dynamic cultural and historical background, the island is a tropical retreat that is popularly known as the “Emerald Island of the Caribbean” (Montserrat Tourist Board, 2008). The multitude of natural resources from black sand beaches, mountainous landscapes, lush forests, and an active volcano offer a tranquil yet exciting appeal for tourists (Pulsipher, 2001).
With tourists seeking to experiment with a unique cultural experience through contact with the indigenous population, benefits for both parties can exist. Opportunities such as the diversification of the economic base, income generation, an increased standard of living, investment in conservation of the environment, and projects that help to preserve the local culture and traditions can be mutually beneficial. However, if not properly managed undesirable consequences may also develop that can lead to a diminution and dilution of the local culture.
When the local population of a tourist destination is actively involved in the decision making process and planning for the development of tourism activities a greater sense of ownership exists over their future. This Bottom-up Approach to tourism development empowers local citizens to become engaged in tourism activities and encourages decision making opportunities in deciding what, where, when, how, and to whom their culture will be exposed. When the needs of the community portraying its own cultural heritage come first, cultural tourism management is more sustainable than when it is imposed from above or by outsiders. More than simply providing opportunities to be heard but allowing the community to be active participants rather than mere spectators of tourism development is central to the Bottom-up Approach. Placing the needs of the host population first is an example of responsible tourism and is essential for marketing a cultural and sustainable tourist destination (Seaton & Bennett, 1996).
By establishing individual and community needs first, the individuals in the community who are closest to interacting with the tourist are in control or at the very least that they have a voice or say in how tourism is developed, spotlighting the lifestyle of everyday people (Agrusa, 2002). This cultural and sustainable tourism approach promotes the authentic traditions of a culture and encourages tourists to “get off the road”. In the process, cultural and sustainable tourism also encourages and empowers local residents to be more engaged with tourists because they were involved from the beginning in deciding how their culture will be represented to others and can feel ownership in the successes because they have met the challenges along the way as well.
With the increasing demand for cultural and sustainable tourism, politicians and other decision makers are becoming more aware and acknowledge that cultural tourism as economic an resource deserves management and particularly in light of issues such as environmental quality and cultural opportunities. In addition, proponents point out that using the Bottom-up Approach to manage and develop cultural and sustainable tourism diversifies the economic base of a region and provides practical incentives to preserve a region and its people’s special characteristics and artifacts.
Tourism development in the absence of the Bottom-up Approach can reduce a local culture to crass stereotypes, two-dimensional cutouts poorly understood by visitors and producing self-loathing among the local population (Agrusa, Coats, and Donlon, 2003). When done correctly tourism can create interest in the past, inform the tourist, and lead to the development of the mindful traveler that often leads to an increased appreciation of the many cultural and historic resources of the area (Moscardo, 1999).
Unbridled or poorly managed tourism development, in other words, may contribute to turning a unique characteristic into something humdrum and trivial. There can be little doubt, Moscardo (1999) argues, that a sincere, good faith desire to learn about and move among the world’s inventory of historic areas, sites, and related settings motivates many tourist visits. Nurturing a Bottom-up Approach to tourism development can allow a tourist to experience and leave the region with a deeper appreciation of the community that has been represented and with many enjoyable memories.
The Bottom-up Approach promotes self-sustaining tourism management systems built upon a foundation that is grounded in learning theory. Namely, people have valuable experiences that can lead to promoting individual and community expertise through learning. When the expertise can be realized through equitable and open dialogue, even greater learning development opportunities exist that support increased levels of self-directedness, personal responsibility, and the growth of self-sustaining systems.
Prainha do Canto Verde is a fishing village in the northeast of Brazil. Prainha’s inhabitants, after a lengthy struggle to preserve their lands, knew that tourist development would eventually arrive and expose the village’s environment and culture to tourists.
Eventually, a real estate company would propose the construction of hotels or summer houses. Furthermore, low-end tourists were coming in large numbers to picnic on the beach, leaving garbage behind and putting stress on the local populace (SOS Zona Costeira, 2003). Rather than trying to prevent all change, the people of Prainha do Canto Verde took a proactive stance and openly discussed the possibility of development through tourism with a Bottom-up Approach. They posed simple but deep questions: what kind of tourism do we want in our village? What do we not want in our village? If tourists are going to come, what kind of outcome do we want from this tourism? These questions were discussed in village assemblies and small working groups. Through this inquiry method an in-depth understanding of how local residents in Prainha felt about tourism and how residents in other villages, where tourism was already developed, perceived the effects that tourism had on their community. They found that in the surrounding villages there was an increase in income for some villagers and the creation of a few jobs. However, they also noted that most of the tourism businesses, such as restaurants and hotels, were run and operated by outsiders causing economic leakage and only a small percentage of the profits stayed within the villages. The rapid emergence of hotels and summer houses built by outsiders brought a considerable change in the architecture and the general look of the village with very few fisherman retaining titles to their lands (SOS Zona Costeira, 2003; Studienkreis, 2003).
Through dialogue sessions, the villagers’ concluded that tourism should be implemented as a means of economic development, but on their own terms. While creating opportunities for additional income and new jobs, it should follow a selfadministered model managed by the local villagers. Thus the villager’s could guarantee that the income and profit would stay in the village to benefit the local economy, preserving their land and premises as well as their social, cultural, and environmental assets.
Prainha’s dwellers had mixed feelings as they became acquainted with the risks and opportunities involved in their everyday economic, social, and cultural lives. In order to draw a blueprint for tourism development, the Tourism Council of Prainha do Canto Verde organized a three day Conference for Sustainable Tourism with the participation of various interest groups within the village such as fishermen, women, men, youth, teachers, and craft-workers.
Since the Bottom-up Approach to tourism has been implemented, a positive impact on the social, economic, cultural, and environmental aspects of the village has resulted. With the creation of income generation opportunities, entrepreneurial endeavors (restaurants, sleeping facilities, tourist attractions) are owned and operated by locals along with the village cooperative, ensuring that the profits remain in the village. Tour guides are local youth that have the opportunity to add to their families’ total income.
In order to serve seminars and conventions held at the village, service provider teams were created. The teams are responsible for everything from the design of the menu, to the purchase of raw materials, cooking, serving and washing the dishes. There are also various teams, such as the “cake” and “coffee” team, responsible for the coffee and cake served at coffee breaks during meetings and seminars. Trail guides, producers of handicraft, and restaurant and lodge owners, all consisted of different people, ensuring that new income sources are created and opportunities are spread throughout the community.
The decision to implement tourism, the type of tourists to be welcomed, and the types of activities to be carried out were all decisions made by the community as a whole through a democratic and inclusive decision-making process based on equitable dialogue among members of the community. With the creation of the various councils (i.e., Tourism Council, Education Council), all stakeholders have a voice in the decisionmaking process, which is the essence of the Bottom-up Approach to tourism development.
The Bottom-up Approach to cultural tourism was instrumental in solidifying the local culture of Prainha do Canto Verde through the preservation and strengthening of community values. The villagers are proud of who they are and where they live. With the creation of jobs and opportunities for locals and reinforcement of the local culture, the younger generations are less likely to leave the village to seek better living conditions in large metropolitan areas. The community values that were threatened during the attacks of the past were restored. Youth at school learn and discuss the real meaning of their culture and the consequences of breaking the cultural values that bond them together. In a vast repertory of songs at the schools choir, the children’s voices sing about their history, the animals, the ocean, cultural values, and preservation.
Prainha also implemented an environmental awareness and conservation effort. The community as a whole is engaged in recycling garbage and implementing other measures to create an environmentally sustainable village. Prainha’s fishermen are the leaders in the fight against predatory fishing in favor of sustainability among the fishing villages in the east of State of Ceara. By limiting the number of visitors to 45 at a time, the carrying capacity of the village is being preserved and minimizes any potential negative impacts. Available activities take place in a natural setting and considering the nature of the activities, cause very low impact to the ecosystem.
The children’s choir created the GPT – grupo de Protetores das Tartarugas (Turtle Protection Group), an initiative to educate their families about the importance of preserving marine turtles and turtle eggs. The GPT also has dolphins and manatees in their care.
The annual eco-regatta is a show of creativity where local children paint the sails of the Jangadas with eco-friendly messages. The themes are part of environmental education campaigns including themes such as: “The bottom of the sea”, “The ocean, the child and the marine manatee” or about medicinal plants, the history of the village, the history of the fisheries movement (Studienkreis, 2003).
Villagers recognize that this is an on-going process requiring diligence and hard work in monitoring results and taking appropriate measures to fill gaps in the process.
The results have been positive with a capital reserves fund that distributes a portion of the profit to the social and education fund. This fund is used to finance small projects or events such as the yearly party for the elderly people of the community, as well as establish donations to the legal defense fund or educational projects.
The community of Sappada is one of the most authentic alpine mountain communities located in the Dolomites of Italy. With history dating back nearly 800 years the village is rich with traditions. This unique ethnic group has an old local language (the Plodar, a Mediaeval German dialect), carnival rituals (Vosenòcht), typical wood house architecture, wooden mask artcrafts, and a strong connection with nature. Since 1920 11
Sappada has been known as one of the first alpine tourist destinations, and is distinguished by a rich history of Olympic athletes.
However, higher temperatures in the mountain region have produced a shortening of the lucrative winter ski season and the community of Sappada realized the need to diversify and broaden the reasons for tourists to visit. Involvement of the local community in direct and responsible tourism development with respect to nature, history, and local traditions was the goal. The Bottom-up Approach was introduced and attracted strong participation from the local community. Tourism meetings helped to build local teams of volunteers who created a plan for strategically operating and serving tourism.
The Municipality of Sappada, along with Italian authorities, and the population of Sappada, founded the Associazione Turistica della Comunità di Sappada, as their first marketing organization. The Sappada “GO Project” was another community initiated organization that was broadly supported by the local community and directly involved the younger generation with practical activities for sustainable tourism development.
Participation of the younger generation promoted a change in the local community tourism behavior, as well as success in implementing changing tourism activities. The Sappada “GO Project” was created to incorporate best practices and to stimulate positive common initiatives for a number of historical and cultural tourism activities. The project members identified and then developed unique events throughout the low, shoulder tourist season.
The Sappada “GO Project” also introduced new technologies and an innovative website to promote the alpine area. Local youth, who had experience with the latest technology, implemented several initiatives that helped to market and promote the region.
The project not only provided an educational activity for the youth of the community but also provided them with opportunities to directly participate in the success of their economic prosperity. Having youth participation was of particular importance since they helped to advocate the possibilities for the region and also to develop entrepreneurial activities that would provide them with incentives to maintain their interest in advancing the future of their community.
A number of notable events take place in Sappada to extend the tourist season. The Mask Carnival for instance, is an event where carved wooden masks that are common artcraft among local families are worn at the traditional Mask Carnival. The carnival is also a “cathartic practice” that allows people to once a year express the “other side” of human beings. Another successful event is the Sappamukki which is organized around the local cows and milk production. The autumn tourism season is 10 days longer thanks to the Sappamukki Culinary Week Festival which attracts new types of tourism demand. The Full Mountain Hospitality Conference is another event that is an international gathering of tourism experts who are interested in alpine sustainability and takes place in June. This nature-based educational conference prolongs the end of the tourist season for the community by10 additional days.
Located in an area of Spotorno, Italy on the western coast of the Italian Riviera, La Repubblica Del Pesto is another community that adopted the Bottom-up Approach to tourism development. Their tourism activities became oriented towards the development of sustainability and the promotion of cultural, historical and culinary values typical for the Ligurian tourist area. The image of the Spotorno area has been as a sea and sand location with tourists interested in marine tourism which is seasonal.
The area of Spotorno, however, went to its roots to develop its culinary background as a tourist attraction and specifically pesto sauce. Culinary tourism has become a key factor in differentiating the vacation experience and has become a key growth area. Pesto from the Spotorno area is a pure, simple Italian basil sauce that has been exported all over the world.
With one of the most important elements of the tourism experience being food, culinary tourism in Italy has gained increasing attention (Hall and Sharples, 2003).
Today, there is a growing interest in culinary tourism or food tourism from researchers as well as from the tourism industry itself (Oh, Kim & Shin, 2004). A number of research studies have demonstrated that including culinary tourism in an area’s marketing strategy has diversified and added value to the area’s tourism products (Hall, Mitchell & Sharples, 2003; Hall, Johnson & Mitchell, 2000).
An official inauguration event: “pestata rituale collettiva (common pesto ritual)”, as a preparation ceremony for the typical pesto sauce was celebrated by the Spotorno community population and was considered the start up event. The cultivated objective of the event was the “sacrification” of a traditional value (the preparation of pesto sauce).
The result was an event that was adopted as a new reference element of the tourist destination and that was chosen as the most important in the annual arc for the strong involvement of the local community. The start up of this event also provided the opportunity to create the Repubblica del Pesto Association with various other project activities emerging, for example, a culinary festival by the local operators.
The outcomes of this project helped develop a new marketing image for the region with a focus on culinary tourism. As a result, the BBC British Broadcasting Channel (BBC) in the U.K. Travelled to the Spotorno and filmed the “common pesto ritual” that was broadcast on British television world-wide and validated the concept and brand of the Repubblica Del Pesto. The tourism benefits to the Spotorno area of having the local cuisine as well as having the town and culture filmed and shown to a world wide audience on a BBC television program will increase the destination’s image and competitiveness.
One of their first steps of the Bottom-up Approach is for the residents to define who to portray their culture to while addressing how accommodations and other services will be provided. Agrusa, Coats, and Donlon (2003), argue that the Bottom-up Approach to tourism development includes “spotlighting the everyday lives of everyday people.” While local residents have the opportunity to realize that this harmony could be easily jeopardized depending on the type and number of incoming tourists, many once isolated villages and cultures will eventually be in contact with modern tourists who are more than willing to experiment with what unique cultures have to offer. With the implementation of the Bottom-up Approach to tourism in which the priorities of the local community are first taken into consideration and villagers are in control of the development process, a sustainable economic alternative in tourism can emerge with less liability for the local community. Benefits can range from the creation of additional income, local economic development, reinforcement of the local culture, and empowerment of minorities to participate in environmental conservation.
The Bottom-up Approach to tourism development in Montserrat would support the goal of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to “help communities help themselves” (Barclay, Bishop, Hawes, 2005, p. 3). Facilitating sustainable tourism involves community input and decision making. As examined in the previous cases of Prainha do Canto Verde, Sappada, La Repubblica Del Pesto a successful approach to tourism development lies in the hands of the experiences of the community itself. Promoting community participation in decision making and designing processes to evaluate opportunities and challenges will enable sustainable tourism in an area such as Montserrat.
With community collaboration and problem-solving processes in place, tourism activities may include strategies that build upon the unique natural, historical, and cultural attributes of Montserrat. From such natural phenomena as the active Soufriére Hills Volcano to the development of traditional festivals such as the Montserrat Masquerades at Christmas or the recently developed Calabash Festival and other events that communicate the culture and tradition of Montserrat and also attract residents and former residents to return to the island. The newly constructed Montserrat Cultural Center that serves as a community center with multi-media capability is a valuable asset that can provide a focal point for bringing together events with the local community.
Furthermore, festivals and events identified by the local citizens can help the community to realize their own potential and uniqueness of a culture that can then be communicated to other tourists.
While Montserrat faces numerous challenges, many opportunities also exist in regard to sustainable tourism development. Infrastructure elements such as the new airport, the world-class Montserrat Cultural Center, and the Montserrat Volcano Observatory are already available to be exploited. In other respects, the island has been left unspoiled by a legacy of mass tourism facilities. As illustrated throughout this paper in a number of diverse cases, the Bottom-up Approach to tourism development in Montserrat may be a suitable strategy to further develop practical and community based solutions for the island. Montserratians have already embraced some aspects of the Bottom-up Approach as exemplified by the successful Calabash Festival, just completing its third year. With technology and the internet providing new marketing opportunities, the remoteness of a community can be connected and marketed on a global platform.
Future research should focus on identifying specific strategies and niche markets that can be successfully exploited and implemented on the island of Montserrat. With a Bottom-up Approach as a blueprint for tourism development, grounded in the expertise of the local community that is realized through dialogue, sustainable tourism can be supported. Involving all generations of the community in this approach also provides reciprocal learning opportunities to connect the experience of senior members with younger generations of the community to promote change in the tourism management system. Montserratians can begin to ask themselves those simple but deep questions: what kind of tourism do we want on our island? What do we not want on our island? If tourists are going to come, what kind of outcome do we want from this tourism and what should they take away from visiting our island? What resources and infrastructure elements are in place, what gaps exist, and how do we fill them? The Bottom-up Approach is simple in many ways but also very powerful.
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