Travel and tourism contribution to Global gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2011 is expected to stand at US$ 1,850.0 billion (2.8% of total GDP), increasing by 4.2% per annum to US$ 2,860.5 billion in 2021. In the same vein, the industry’s total employment contribution is forecast to rise by 2.3% per annum from 258,592,000 jobs in 2011 to 323,826,000 jobs (9.7%) by 2021 [1]. While the economic gains emanating from this sustained growth in the tourism industry are evident and laudable, the translation of these benefits into visible developmental gains for poor communities has been the subject of much debate [2]. Despite the plethora of literature on guidelines for the use of tourism to orchestrate sustainable community development, there are still few practical illustrations to showcase the successful implementation of these guidelines. This, in essence is the motivation for this experimental study that seeks to apply sustainable tourism theory to catalyse development in the mountain town of Buea in the South West region of Cameroon.

Problem statement

At the beginning of the present millennium, the United Nations General Assembly committed itself to “Spare no effort to free fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected” [3]. More than one decade after this commitment, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) reveals that there are still about 1.4 billion people living on less than US$ 1.25 a day and close to one billion suffering from hunger, with 70 percent of these living in rural areas [4]. IFAD further states that “Rural poverty results from lack of assets, limited economic opportunities and poor education and capabilities, as well as disadvantages rooted in social and political inequalities” [4]. The problem here is the perpetuation of this untenable situation despite the fact that research since 1973 [5-11] indicates that tourism can be used as a means of orchestrating development.

Significance of the pilot project

The significance of this study lies both in improving the quality of life of community members and raising awareness on issues of global concern such as the protection of endangered species, climate change, health and so on. More so, by tailoring training and education to relevant community development projects, the challenges posed by jobless graduates will be curbed, if not eliminated. Other specific gains will include job creation, social cohesion, peace and foreign exchange flows to the local economy.

The Cameroon tourism situation

Cameroon is commonly described in tourism circles as Africa in miniature as most of the attractions found on the continent can be seen in the country. However, the contribution of tourism to economic development in Cameroon can be described as a missed opportunity as the country occupies an unenviable position 148 out 181 in world rankings in terms of the relative contribution of tourism to national economy [12]. This situation is quite unfortunate considering the high unemployment rate in the country (estimated at between 30 to 50.2 percent) on the one hand, and the great potential of tourism to create jobs and generate incomes on the other.

In his address to the Cameroon National Tourism Board on December 28, 2010, the Cameroon Minister of Tourism, Baba Hamadou revealed the government’s recognition of the strategic role that tourism has to play in the country’s vision of becoming an emerging country by 2035. The Minister also indicated that Cameroon received 572,728 international visitors in 2010, contributing FCFA 28.64 billion through entry visas to Cameroon, FCFA 2.66 billion through airport stamps and FCFA 59.142 billion from taxes and duties. Tourism direct employment in Cameroon currently stands at over 60,000.

By 2035, tourism is projected to contribute 13 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), generating FCFA 250 billion to the state treasury. Over the same period, the accommodation sector is expected to grow to 5689 hotels with a capacity of 156,023 rooms and 170,260 beds.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council [12], key projections on tourism in Cameroon in the year 2011 are as follows:

• GDP: Direct contribution

The direct contribution of travel and tourism to GDP is expected be FCFA 263.6 billion (2.3% of total GDP) in 2011, rising by 5.4% pa to FCFA 447.5 billion (2.4%) in 2021.

• GDP: Total contribution

The total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP, including wider economic impacts is forecast to rise by 5.6% pa from FCFA 579.3 billion (5.0% of GDP) in 2011 to FCFA 1,000.4 billion (5.3%) by 2021.

• Employment: Direct contribution

Travel and tourism is expected to support directly 88,000 jobs (1.9% of total employment) in 2011, rising by 2.6% pa to 115,000 jobs (2.0%) by 2021.

• Employment: Total contribution

The total contribution of travel and tourism to employment, including jobs indirectly supported by the industry, is forecast to rise by 2.8% pa from 200,000 jobs (4.4% of total employment) in 2011 to 264,000 jobs (4.7%) by 2021.

• Visitor exports:

Travel and Tourism visitor exports are expected to generate FCFA 153.1 billion (4.3% of total exports) in 2011, growing by 8.9% pa (in nominal terms) to FCFA 288.1 billion (4.2%) in 2021.

• Investment:

Travel and tourism investment is expected at FCFA 45.2 billion or 1.9% of total investment in 2011. It should rise by 7.6% pa to reach FCFA 93.9 billion (or 2.4%) of total investment in 2011.

Site and population of the study

Buea, capital of the South West region of Cameroon (Appendix 1) is the site of this experimental study, hence the base of the two operating structures: Achas Higher Institute of Tourism, Hospitality and Business Management and Achas centre of sustainable Community Development. The choice of Buea as the study site is strategic considering that the region is endowed with two flagship attractions, namely the volcanic Cameroon Mountain (the highest peak in West Africa -Appendix 2) and the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean flowing through the coastal town of Limbe (Appendix 3). With a vibrant population of 90, 088 inhabitants [13], this University town also has huge political and historic significance, hence its historic colonial significance as the capital of German Kamerun (1901-1919-Appendix 4) and capital of Southern Cameroons from 1949 to 1961. The annual mount Cameroon race in February of every year, the amazing mountain trails, the indigenous Bakweri culture (Appendix 5) among others, beautifully complement and complete the variety of attractions in this area.

Community tourism

Hall [14] describes tourism as an expression of lifestyle “identified either through voluntary travel or a voluntary temporary short-term change of residence”. The motives of such travel are increasingly wideranging, including among others education, business, health and leisure. Following on this, Cooper et al. [15] indicate that the core elements of tourism arise out of the movement of people to and their stay in various destinations outside their usual environments and places of work. This in turn fuels the demand for various facilities and services designed to provide for and ease the transition and temporary residence of visitors in the host community. The supply of direct and support services such as transport, accommodation, catering, souvenirs and other shopping to tourists should help stimulate the local economy, create jobs, bring additional income and hence improve the quality of life of community members.

In this light, Spenceley [16] defines community tourism as “tourism which is owned and/or managed by communities with the aim of generating wider community benefit”. Choi and Sirakaya [2] further argue that the main aim of community tourism should be to improve the residents’ quality of life by maximizing local economic benefits, protecting the natural and built heritage and providing a high quality of experiences for the visitors. However, taking a slightly different view, Petric [17] emphasises that community tourism should aim at giving visitors personal contact with the physical and human environment of the countryside and allow them to participate in the activities, traditions and lifestyles of the local people.

Sustainable tourism

The concept of sustainability gained prominence after the publication of the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) report “Our Common Future” which defined Sustainable Development as development that “Meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” [18]. Keyser [19] points out that the attainment of sustainable development necessitates a balance between economic efficiency, environmental integrity and social justice. According to Butler [20], sustainable tourism refers to “Tourism which is developed and maintained in an area (community or environment) in such a manner and at such a scale that it remains viable over an infinite period and does not degrade or alter the environment (human or physical) in which it exists to such a degree that it prohibits the successful development and well being of other activities and processes”. The United Nations World Tourism Organization’s [21] provides a comprehensive definition of sustainable tourism development when it states that sustainable tourism development “meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, and biological diversity, and life support systems”.

Tourism and sustainable community development

The study of tourism business development has gained impetus in recent times. According to Lee and Chang [10], “A general consensus has emerged that it (tourism) not only increases foreign exchange and incomes, but also creates employment opportunities, stimulates the growth of the tourism industry and by virtue of this, triggers overall economic growth”. Sebele [22] indicates that the concept of community development was introduced as an approach to rural development in the 1950s and 1960s. This approach calls for the more active involvement of locals in development issues. In the same vein, tourism literature since the 1980s has advocated the inclusion and involvement of local communities in tourism as local residents have been identified as being instrumental in sustaining the product [23]. Furthermore, Tosun [24] asserts that apart from being instrumental in tourism sustainability, community participation also ensures that a number of benefits accrue from tourism, namely: employment opportunities for local people, positive local attitudes, conservation of local resources and physical development within the community.

It is evident from the above that there is a considerable overlap between community tourism, sustainable tourism and sustainable development hence the need to explore a strategy that would ensure that local communities benefit from all three.

Considering the rapid growth of tourism and the subsequent impacts (economic, environmental and socio-cultural), its strong association with issues of sustainability is hardly surprising. Tourism is “intimately connected with issues of sustainable development. Indeed, since the late 1980s there has been an explosion in the number of texts and articles, plus courses and consultants, concerned with sustainable forms of development and mitigating or managing tourism’s undesired effects” [14]. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) defines sustainable tourism as tourism development that “meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, and biological diversity, and life support systems” [21]. Three types of impacts are identified as originating from tourism development:

• Impacts on the environment (both natural and man-made);

• Socio-cultural impacts (Effects on host communities through direct and indirect relations with tourists, and interaction with the tourism industry); and

• Economic impacts.

In the light of the foregoing, the World Tourism Organization envisages that a sustainable tourism strategy should:

1) “Make optimal use of the environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity;

2) Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance; and

3) Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary” [24].

The rationale behind this experiment therefore lies in assessing the extent to which tourism development theory can be incorporated into community development strategies redress the huge imbalance between the economic, socio-cultural and environmental opportunities presented by the tourism industry and the abject poverty suffered by many people in local communities.

Achas centre for sustainable community development (ACSCD) operates alongside Achas Higher institute of tourism, hospitality and business management (Achas Higher Institute of Management – AHIM in short) in Buea, South West region of Cameroon. The rationale behind having the two centers operate side by side is to ensure that while AHIM deals with issues of training and education, the sustainable development centre (ACSCD) commutes the skills acquired into practical gains for the community through developmental projects (Figure 1). In order to maximize the benefits from these projects, community focus areas are identified. This will ensure that skills and efforts are properly channeled to impact in specific areas of community life. Training is pivotal to the success of this model because it provides the basic tourism awareness, information and education and the quality human resource needed to operate tourism and its support industries. Women empowerment is considered a focus area because this is a vital resource that is often neglected in many communities. Women generally constitute a greater part of the population and so putting them at the fore of community development can have significant positive impact. Conservation projects will ensure that resources and the quality of the experience do not deplete or degenerate beyond repair. Food security is essential for the livelihood of community members and provides for visitors as well. Research and innovation ensures there are improvements both in the way of doing things and the quality of the product offering as well. Of course, all these will only flourish if conditions in the local environment (enabling environment) are favorable for investment and the operation of businesses.

Figure 1: Model of tourism as a springboard for sustainable community development.

Achas Higher Institute of sustainable tourism, hospitality and business management is strategically positioned to coordinate, lead and empower local communities to take advantage of the development opportunities presented by the travel and tourism industry, through:

• The training of employees, entrepreneurs, government sectors and community residents through certification programs (National diploma, professional degrees and Master’s degrees (in the long run) and Short Learning Programs (SLPs).

• Empower women (through workshops and short Learning programs), especially in the informal economic sector to better manage their small business initiatives;

• Alert women to entrepreneurial opportunities (gap identification) in the tourism industry;

• Conducting research on tourism-related impacts: economic, environmental and socio-cultural;

• Training employees and raising awareness on the importance of conservation, especially in Cameroon and the Central African region;

• Initiating networks, collaboration and partnerships with conservation Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) with the aim of tailoring our curriculum to practical needs and participating on conservation programs;

• Increase capacity-building in tourism and conservation via various short learning programs (SLPs);

• Working with public and private sector groups to formulate policies that will lead to improvements in sustainable tourism planning and development;

• Developing best practice guides and training manuals;

• Training employees for tourism support sectors such as banking, hospitality, human resources management, and so on;

• Initiating collaboration, networks and interactions with institutions and organizations that focus on conservation and sustainable tourism;

• Facilitating collaboration between industry partners through workshops and conferences;

• Attract international attention to the tourism potential of Cameroon, and support to improve its planning and development;

• Harness all the above towards community development in Cameroon and improve the quality of life of the local people.

From theory to practice

Though still in the early stages, the application of this theory can be seen in operation of Achas Higher institute of sustainable tourism, hospitality and business management and Achas centre for sustainable community development as follows (Figure 2):

Figure 2: Operational model of Achas centre for sustainable community development.

Transforming the skills’ base into sustainable community development

Empowered community members shall contribute towards the development of the community by serving at Achas centre for sustainable community development whose specific objectives are the following (Figure 3):

Figure 3: Maximising the trickle-down effect.

a. Women for sustainable community development

• Goal: Empower women to play a leading role in sustainable community development; through:

1. Identifying the needs of community women;

2. Providing basic education for healthy and balanced social development;

3. Organize women into common-initiative groups so that the synergy can further enhance the possibility for success;

4. Provide seed-funding to local women for small business development;

5. Create job and income opportunities for women;

6. Provide training in small business management skills through Short Learning Programmes (SLPS), workshops and conferences;

7. Identify potential markets for finished products;

8. Monitor the progress of women in their respective economic activities.

b. Conservation for sustainable livelihoods

• Goal: Work towards the preservation and sustainable use of flora and fauna species; through:

1. Providing education on conservation through accredited courses;

2. Provide training in conservation work through SLPs, workshops, conferences, etc.;

3. Work with existing conservation NGOs to identify endangered species;

4. Raise awareness within communities on the importance of conservation;

5. Produce basic EIA reports (Environmental Impact Assessment Reports);

6. Work towards re-habilitating endangered species;

7. Use conservation as an opportunity for job creation for community members;

8. Contribute towards enhancing the HR (Human Resource) needs of the conservation movements.

c. Food security

• Goal: Work towards ensuring that an increasing number of community members have access to their daily nutritional needs; through:

1. Providing training in the better management of existing farms;

2. Providing training in improved farming methods;

3. Ensure a better distribution of available food stock;

4. Conduct information sessions of healthy eating;

5. Provide financial assisting to existing and new farmers;

6. Encourage cooperation among farmers.

d. Research and Innovation

• Goal: Contribute to and encourage the use of scientific and innovative methods to enhance community development; through:

1. Training more people to improve the HR needs of the research sector;

2. Get community members to be active and participate in data collection;

3. Educate community members in the benefits of data collection and research in general;

4. Work with the public sector, especially local government departments on research projects;

5. Encourage the use of new and innovative methods to resolve individual and community challenges;

6. Encourage and facilitate research work among community members by availing literature and data sources such as the internet, libraries, and so on.

• The possibility of job creation: Although this experimental study is still in its infancy, fifteen direct jobs have already been created. Ten of these jobs have been in various positions within the training centre and five in the sustainable community development projects. This is evidence of the possibility of this community development model to create employment for community members.

• Opportunities for empowered communities to participate in their own development: This model further illustrates the possibility for community members to engage in their own development. There is ample opportunity for multiple talent development and exploitation, either in direct tourism services or in the support industries.

• The enhancement of corporate social responsibility: Also evident in this model is the opportunity to engage other corporate partners to contribute towards community development, either by creating opportunities for internship programmes for young graduates within their business environment, create permanent employment or donate resources towards community projects.

• Community benefit from available natural, heritage and other resources: Hallmark attractions such as the Cameroon Mountain and the beach front by the Atlantic Ocean in Limbe can be further exploited by the community for its own development.

• Greater social cohesion and synergy among community members: Through working together on various community development projects community members energize each other and improve the social bonding therein.

• Income generation within the community: This sustainable community development model also demonstrates opportunities for income generation to fast-track community development. For the year 2011, the budget for the training institute (Achas Higher Institute of sustainable tourism, hospitality and business management stands at XAF 49,595,000 ($ 99,190). The fact that most of this money will be flowing from outside into the local economy is a great boost to the economy. In addition, income will come from external sources such as foreign exchange earned from tourism and foreign donors, and internally through the income from community projects. Other spin-offs and multiplier effects are expected to trickle these gains throughout the community.

• Finally, it is evident from this study that tourism development, just like training requires effective partnership with other industries and economic sectors in order to produce real gains for local communities. Education/training without relevant projects on which to apply the acquired knowledge will likely generate frustration and resentment. In the same vein, development that does not involve the local people breeds a sense of alienation and is therefore not sustainable.

Despite the foregoing benefits of this experimental project, the following limitations to its successful implementation need to be noted:

• Lack of expertise among local people to manage both the training centre (higher institute) and the sustainable development centre. Delivering lectures requires seasoned academicians, just as much as experienced managers are needed to coordinate the projects at the sustainable community development centre. However, expatriate labour is being sought to train trainers within the communities.

• Lack of seed funding to kick-start both the training centre and the sustainable development centre. While the financial sustainability of this development model is assured in the medium and long term through tuition fees and the profitability of its projects, acquiring seed funding remains a major challenge.

• Effective stakeholder participation. In principle, all stakeholders are in favor of community development. However a major limitation to the success of this community development model will be the effective collaboration among the stakeholders. Government processes are usually burdened by bureaucracy and delays. This could leave the other parties (community members, NGOs, investors, etc) frustrated and disinterested.

• Lack of training facilities and resources. The success of this community development model will depend on the availability of training facilities and resources such as a well equipped library and a computer laboratory. This will enable community members access information and empower themselves on how to deal with various challenges.

• Finally, one limitation to this study lies in the fact that it is still in its infancy so the full impact cannot be determined at this stage. It is however important to note that these impacts will be measured with regards to the number and extent of women empowerment, conservation activities, food production and distribution and research output.

Considering the foregoing challenges, the following recommendation would further ensure the sustainability of this project:

• The active participation of all stakeholders such as government, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community members, investors and so on.

• The provision of seed funding to kick-start the projects. This could come from private individuals such as the case of Achas centre for sustainable development, but this funding could also come from the corporate community as part of their social responsibility packages, international development agencies and government grants. Considering recent unfortunate happenings such as the famine in East Africa, climate change pressures, popular uprisings around the world, and illegal migration, one can only hope that the international community has learned to apply the common adage that “prevention is better than cure”. Assisting communities before a crisis should cost less and save more lives.

• The voluntary transfer of skills, especially from the developed to the developing communities. This could take the form of working holidays

• Donations of equipment in the form of used or new computers, books and conference material (also used for workshops). Transport facilities in the form of four-wheel-drive vehicles and buses to move people and goods around will also be very useful.

• It is also recommended that further research be conducted to establish the medium and long term impacts (economic, environmental and socio-cultural) of this project on the development of the local communities and the quality of life of the residents.