HOST COMMUNITY: AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT IN TOURISM MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Local community: An essential element in tourism management. Local communities have been considered an essential element in the tourist system. Although its participation is often minimal in planning and management procedures, its importance is based upon the support or rejection of tourism development. In this case, the present paper aims to emphasize the importance of incorporating the local communities in such processes. Specifically, the lack of academic attention on local communities as research objects is analyzed. Likewise, it briefly examines semantic aspects of “community” as a concept. Finally, and most importantly, it explores local communities as essential elements in the tourism system so that the importance of incorporating them in tourism planning and management can be highlighted.