Perceived positive social impacts of tourism : case Comuna 13, Medellín

Abstract

Tourism creates a lot of different kinds of impacts on people and societies but often the negative impacts are emphasized in the discussion. It is crucial to be aware of the negative impacts to be able to find solutions to them but at the same time, we must not forget the positive impacts of tourism. It is important to remember that tourism also causes many good things to be able to learn about the positive impacts to increase them and find a balance between positive and negative impacts.

The research phenomenon in my master’s thesis is the social impacts of tourism. It is essential to research the social impacts of tourism to be able to understand locals’ perspectives on tourism. My theoretical framework includes inclusive tourism, participation, empowerment, and power relations. By using these concepts, I aim to answer the research questions and understand the phenomenon better. My main research question is: How can tourism create positive social impacts? The sub-questions are: How are the positive impacts perceived by locals involved in tourism? How do locals participate in tourism? How can positive impacts be planned and managed? This research was conducted with qualitative methods. The research data was collected through semi-structured interviews with local tour guides from Comuna 13, Medellín. The data consisted of six interviews. The analysis was conducted by using theory-guided content analysis.

The findings of the research showed that positive social impacts of tourism can be created through inclusive tourism which consists of empowerment, participation, and power relations. Many of the positive social impacts of tourism are strongly connected with empowerment, as they increase the empowerment of local community members. Locals’ participation in tourism means they have a chance to benefit from tourism. When tourism is based on the locals’ businesses and stories, it is also more likely that tourism is beneficial to them and creates positive impacts from the locals' perspective. However, to be able to create the positive social impacts of tourism, tourism needs control and management. The aim would be to find a balance between tourism impacts, by minimizing the disadvantages of tourism and maximizing the benefits of tourism.