Community-based tourism and socio-culture aspects relating to tourism : A Case Study of a Swedish student excursion to Babati (Tanzania)

Sammanfattning: This report is the result of the course, Environment and Development in the South, at University of Södertörn in Stockholm, Sweden. The report is about “new tourism” especially community-based tourism (CBT) and socio-cultural aspects relating to tourism. It is based on a literature study and a three weeks field course in Babati district in Northern Tanzania. The aim of this study is to describe how host peoples (communities) get affected especially, socio-culturally, by tourism. The aim is also to describe new tourism (especially CBT). A case-study of a Swedish student excursion to Babati is used as an example of how it affects a community (especially socio-cultural aspects) and if it qualifies as CBT. The theory of the study is based on sustainable development (especially socio-cultural aspects) supported by the rules of World Tourism Organization (WTO) and United Nation Environmental Program (UNEP). The theory is connected to the principles of CBT and used in the analysis to judge if the Swedish student excursion qualifies as CBT. The results show that the Swedish student excursion is in line with important principles of CBT, and therefore also in line with sustainable local development in some way. The major advantage with the excursion is the cross-cultural learning and the major problem is jealousness of benefit sharing according to the interviews done.