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rticipation via employment opportunities, as workers or as small business operators, can be a catalyst to the development of tourism products and services, arts, crafts and cultural values, especially through taking advantage of abundant natural and cultural assets available in communities in developing countries (Scheyvens, 2007). Tosun (2000) stated that community participation through working in the tourism industry has been recognized to help local communities not only to support development of the industry but also to receive more than economic benefits.

However, it is important to understand that in some cases community participation is seen as a way of getting people to carry out activities or share their costs while the benefits are not clear to those expecte to participate (Havel, 1996). This implies that a key factor to the success of any community-based tourism project is the incentive to benefit sharing which is usually attractive enough to make people highly motivated to participate. As Havel (1996) asserted “people will not participate unless they believe it is their interest to do so”Studies have documented that community tourism, however, depends highly on active involvement and participation of the local community not only in effective distribution of tourism benefits but also in tourism problem identification, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation (Simmons, 1994; Songorwa, 1999; Zhao and Ritchie, 2007). In their study about sharing the benefits of tourism in Hainan, China, Wang and Wall (2005) observed that community participation is not only a tool for balancing power when making decisions in tourism related issues but also the tool through which the benefits of tourism can fairly be spread

to communities. In fact, the concept of involvement and participation of local communities in the tourism decision-making process primarily aims to empower and provide room for local communities to determine their own development goals, set their livelihood priorities and consult them with a view to understand and take into consideration their desires and concerns for tourism (Timothy, 1999).

Involvement and participation of the community in decision-making is advocated so that communities can have some control over tourism resources, initiatives and decisions that affect their livelihood (Wang, and Wall, 2005). On the other hand, the idea of involvement and participation of local communities in the tourism benefits is easily reflected in increasing incomes, employment, and education of local communities about tourism and entrepreneurship (Timothy, 1999). One way to accomplish this is to increase public awareness of tourism through education campaigns and train local communities for employment in the industry. While increased public awareness creates a more hospitable environment for tourists and improves the image of the destination, providing entrepreneurial training empowers local communities and ultimately increases their capacity to receive significant benefits from tourism (Timothy, 1999). This enables tourism-oriented businesses and locals such as taxi drivers, guesthouse managers, restaurant owners, and street vendors, the opportunity to work successfully and efficiently in the industry.

Barriers to community participation in tourism in developing countries

The overall outcome of such barriers is often