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Tourism and Social Capital: Case Studies from Rural Nepal

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Reframing Sustainable Tourism

Part of the book series: Environmental Challenges and Solutions ((ECAS,volume 2))

Abstract

Tourism has a wide range of impacts on developing societies. The positive impacts of tourism on local economic growth are widely acknowledged. Concern has been voiced, however, about the social and cultural impacts of tourism due to observed changes in local norms, values and behaviour. This chapter proposes the concept of social capital to analyze the social and cultural implications of tourism in Nepal. Empirical evidence from a household survey and village case studies reveals a decline of bonding social capital and an increase in bridging social capital due to tourism. Tourism can exacerbate local conflicts and reduce the relevance of indigenous self-help mechanisms. At the same time, the formation of new institutions and opportunities to develop and expand hierarchical, extra-community networks have been promoted by tourism. Highlighting the interdependencies and trade-offs between economic advancement and changes in social capital for sustainable development, the chapter calls for a more pragmatic debate on tourism’s social impacts in developing countries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Development Research and Development Policy, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, Bochum, 44801, Germany

    Martina Shakya

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  1. Martina Shakya
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Correspondence to Martina Shakya .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA

    Stephen F. McCool

  2. University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA

    Keith Bosak

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Shakya, M. (2016). Tourism and Social Capital: Case Studies from Rural Nepal. In: McCool, S., Bosak, K. (eds) Reframing Sustainable Tourism. Environmental Challenges and Solutions, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7209-9_13

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