ABSTRACT

Research into the development of community-based tourism (CBT) within Central Asian economies that were part of the former USSR is underdeveloped. Even less understood is the role of government and international donor agencies in supporting CBT and the consequences for rural mountain communities; a gap addressed by this research focusing on the Republic of Tajikistan, specifically the Zerafshan valley and Fann mountains. In 2019, 20 qualitative interviews were conducted with a range of residents involved with three externally funded tourism development projects and/or with tourism. Project documents were analysed and the first author’s extensive experience of living and working in Tajikistan also informed the research. The findings demonstrate that CBT has created jobs and generated income. However, benefits were not equally distributed, causing social tensions. Additionally, development projects did not foresee or account for structural limitations relating to infrastructure and accommodation. The article concludes with recommendations for future donor interventions.

摘要

对作为前苏联一部分的中亚经济体的社区旅游 (CBT) 发展的研究不发达。政府和国际捐助机构在支持 CBT 方面的作用以及对农村山区社区的影响更不为人所知；这项研究针对塔吉克斯坦共和国，特别是 Zerafshan 山谷和 Fann 山脉解决了这一差距。2019 年，对参与三个外部资助的旅游发展项目和/或旅游业的一系列居民进行了 20 次定性访谈。对项目文件进行了分析，第一作者在塔吉克斯坦生活和工作的丰富经验也为研究提供了信息。调查结果表明，CBT 创造了就业机会并产生了收入。然而，福利分配不均，造成社会紧张。此外，开发项目没有预见或考虑与基础设施和住宿相关的结构限制。文章最后提出了对未来捐助者干预的建议。