Economic Empowerment in Rural Tourism Development

Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Jeongeun is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Recreation, Sport & Tourism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her overarching research goal is to promote community-based tourism development for equity and benefit-sharing environment among diverse stakeholders.

Suiwen (Sharon) Zou, Ph.D. (szou@illinois.edu), is an assistant professor in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on marketing practices (e.g., pricing) that address the financial issues of tourism and leisure services. (Dr. Zou’s research website here)

Joelle Soulard, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on the roles of travel experiences in fostering transformation, inclusivity, well-being, social change, and activism from the perspectives of travelers and destination residents.

Caitlin Brooks’s research explores how people create meaning in their lives through participation in transformative tourism event spaces with a focus on how we can plan event experiences to help participants dismantle oppressive systems and make way for the co-creation of more just and equitable leisure experiences.

Abstract (150 Words)

Although empowerment plays an essential role in sustainable tourism development, most empowerment research in the tourism literature has been focused on the non-economic dimensions. Building on the typology of power (i.e., Power over, Power to, Power within, and Power with), this study explored and accessed economic empowerment in the context of tourism development in rural communities. Specifically, we investigated how economic empowerment or disempowerment occurred among individuals and communities. The four dimensions of power were presented as a process of change that transformed the lives of rural community members through tourism development. The findings indicated that tourism development can facilitate/hinder the process whereby tourism stakeholders in rural communities are transformed from having limited access and power to experiencing economic advancement and enhanced power. Also, the findings revealed that collaboration within the community can facilitate attaining the power of community members in the economic domain. Discussion and implementation are also presented.

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Economic Empowerment in Rural Tourism Development

Although empowerment plays an essential role in sustainable tourism development, most empowerment research in the tourism literature has been focused on the non-economic dimensions. Building on the typology of power (i.e., Power over, Power to, Power within, and Power with), this study explored and accessed economic empowerment in the context of tourism development in rural communities. Specifically, we investigated how economic empowerment or disempowerment occurred among individuals and communities. The four dimensions of power were presented as a process of change that transformed the lives of rural community members through tourism development. The findings indicated that tourism development can facilitate/hinder the process whereby tourism stakeholders in rural communities are transformed from having limited access and power to experiencing economic advancement and enhanced power. Also, the findings revealed that collaboration within the community can facilitate attaining the power of community members in the economic domain. Discussion and implementation are also presented.