Visit places you won’t find on Google and have a positive impact on local communities.
Community-based tourism (CBT) not only gives you a real insight into local lives, but also ensures your travel experience makes a genuine difference to local people. CBT experiences vary greatly depending on the country you visit and needs of the local people, meaning every experience is unique. But, what these experiences do have in common is that they are entirely community-owned and managed – meaning your stay won’t just benefit one family, but the community as a whole.
At Intrepid, we actively work with communities and a range of local partners to support the development of new CBT experiences in destinations that otherwise wouldn’t see the benefits of tourism. Then, when we visit the communities on our itineraries, our travellers have the opportunity to connect with the local people and make a positive impact.
What is community-based tourism?
Community-based tourism (CBT) ensures that local communities have full ownership and management of the tourism experience, so that the economic benefits of tourism stay within their community. CBT is designed to give travellers an authentic taste of a local community’s heritage, their cultural practices and natural resources, and in this way offers an immersive and rich travel experience.
Learn more about the impacts of community-based tourism on communities
Benefits of community-based tourism
Economic
CBT provides employment opportunities, revenue generation, local procurement of goods and service and limits the funds that leave the community. It also helps diversify the economic activities beyond farming, which reduces risk in years when climate change produces low or no yield.
Shared value
Within a CBT, there is a distribution of benefits to all households. For example, though not all families will host homestays some may act as guides or provide meals. Even those not directly involved benefit from the agreed use of the community fund.
Social
CBT provides people with skills-training, opportunities for community infrastructure development (power, roads, sanitation, water) and health benefits (water and waste management education). It also promotes a more equitable community structure and the association with foreign travellers helps raise confidence and pride among the people.
Environmental
Conservation of the environment, awareness and wildlife protection are all great benefits of CBT.
Female empowerment
One of the greatest outcomes is the empowerment of women in the community, as they are often largely responsible for the management and generation of the experience and therefore income.
Preservation of culture
Often CBT prevents young people in communities leaving for larger cities, by providing employment opportunities for them locally.
Case study: Madi Valley, Nepal
The wild animals that live in Nepal’s Chitwan National Park cause huge issues for the surrounding villages like Shivadwar Village, a community in Madi Valley. Local farmers are reliant on their crops for food and income and animals wandering in from the nearby park can cause huge amounts of damage.
In 2015, Shivadwar Village reached out to Nepal’s World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Nepal) for help. Two years later, WWF-Nepal teamed up with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trading (DFAT) to apply for funding through their Business Partnership Platform (BPP).
And, that’s where Intrepid stepped in: to develop a new community-based tourism project (CBT) in Shivadwar that would create jobs, generate income for families, and empower the locals, particularly women, economically, socially and personally.With funding, the community started with upgrading their existing homestays and build some new ones. Around 13 of the 34 households in the village are now operating guesthouses, with more planned. Intrepid visits Madi Valley on a selection of our Nepal itineraries, to bring in international travellers and income.
Our trips with community-based tourism experiences
15 Days
From
1484
Travel to Costa Rica and discover a tropical playground of immense natural beauty....
15 Days
From
2391
Visit the Sacred Land of the Inca and delight in Peru's culture with 15 days through...
9 Days
From
1067
Encounter the natural beauty of Costa Rica, from La Fortuna’s volcano and Monteverde’s...
11 Days
From
2275
This Sabah Adventure tour through the Borneo wilderness will truly capture your...
15 Days
From
1137
Journey from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City on this 15-day Vietnam adventure. Trek in the...
Tailor-Made trips
Take four or more on an exclusive trip and tailor your itinerary
15 Days
From
1324
Travel to India and Nepal on a tour from Delhi to Kathmandu. Visit the Taj Mahal of...
15 Days
From
2160
Travel to Myanmar and discover mythical landscapes and amazing hospitality. Visit...
20 Days
From
2839
See the highlights of Peru from Lima to Cusco including the Nazca Lines, Machu Picchu,...
9 Days
From
1729
Visit South America and travel to Peru. Visit Lima, Cusco and Lake Titicaca, tour the...
15 Days
From
1046
Discover Vietnam’s east coast on this 15-day tour, uncovering the hidden delights of...
14 Days
From
1316
See the Best of Cambodia on a trip from the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, via the...
12 Days
From
952
Hit Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City on a 12-day adventure through Cambodia with Intrepid....
9 Days
From
679
Follow the ancient trails on a trip to Thailand and Cambodia. Explore the temples of...
12 Days
From
1544
Enjoy the sights, culture and history of Thailand on a fun family trip. Eat yummy food,...
7 Days
From
2983
Experience the best of everything Argentina and Brazil have to offer on this fantastic,...
11 Days
From
1284
Hike, bike and kayak across Vietnam on this active tour based out of Hanoi. Enjoy...
15 Days
From
919
Take a 15-day Vietnam adventure from hectic Ho Chi Minh City to historic Hanoi,...
10 Days
From
3321
Experience the best of everything Argentina and Brazil have to offer on this fantastic,...
9 Days
From
1340
Travel to Borneo to visit orangutan sanctuaries and explore lush jungles. See the best...
20 Days
From
1939
From bustling Ho Chi Minh City to historical Hanoi, the Best of Vietnam tour is an...
9 Days
From
1235
Visit Thailand, a country with all the ingredients for a holiday in paradise – pristine...
12 Days
From
920
Travel to Cambodia on a 12-day adventure from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok. Explore...
9 Days
From
652
From Bangkok you'll hit the ancient streets and temples of Angkor in Siem Reap, get...
15 Days
From
2114
From Lima to La Paz this Real Peru and Bolivia trip takes you deep into the Amazon...
12 Days
From
914
Dive headfirst from Ho Chi Minh City into real Cambodia, visiting Phnom Penh, Siem Reap...
9 Days
From
1345
Munch your way through Cambodia on this mouth-watering food adventure from Phnom Penh...
21 Days
From
2415
See Peru in-depth on a 21-day trip from Lima to La Paz. Trek the Inca Trail and marvel...
10 Days
From
1255
Visit Thailand, a country with all the ingredients for a holiday in paradise. Pristine...
5 Days
From
350
Trek through Vietnam's mountainous region in the north-west to experience hiltribe...
Read more about community-based tourism
Feb 10, 2020
How community tourism is changing...
There’s not much to see out here. Rice paddies, villages, a few roadside stands...
Feb 05, 2020
I stayed in a hut in the Nepalese...
“Please don’t walk around after dark,” Mohan, the village chief, tells us as he...
Feb 19, 2019
It takes a village: How the Balinese...
A cool afternoon breeze ripples through the swaying palm trees overhead, blowing...
Jul 17, 2017
The community-based tourism project...
Reading Time: 4 minutes Read all about Myanmar’s very first community-based...
Apr 11, 2019
Kava and conflict: Learning about...
I’m here to learn about the village and its community-based tourism project – both...
Jan 17, 2019
How we’re developing community-based...
If you travel to Myanmar, deep into the country’s arid, central Magway region,...