B.1.1. Local Community Engagement

B.1.1. Local Community Engagement
B.1.1. Social Pillar - Community engagement - Local Community Engagement

Why does this matter?

Tourism should benefit local people. When residents are involved:

  • The experience becomes more authentic.
  • Economic benefits stay in the community.
  • Social ties are strengthened.
  • The destination becomes more resilient.

What does it take into account?

It checks whether local residents are genuinely involved in the tour:

  • Execution - Are activities led or co-led by local residents?
  • Interaction - Is there direct contact between visitors and residents?
  • Design - Were residents consulted or involved in the tour's design?

How is it calculated?

The score is based on three elements:

  • Number of resident-led activities
  • Direct visitor-resident contact (Yes/No)
  • Resident involvement in tour design (Yes/No)

Each element receives a score. These are added together to create a participation score. The result is then converted into a final score from 0 to 5, based on fixed percentage ranges. The more local involvement in leadership, interaction, and design, the higher the score.

About the Score
Very Poor
Score 0
Local residents are not involved in the tour.
Poor
Score 1
Local participation is rare or occasional.
Satisfactory
Score 2
More than one activity involves local residents.
Good
Score 3
Several activities are led or co-led by local residents. There is direct interaction and some collaboration in planning the tour.
Very Good
Score 4
Many activities are led by local residents. Interaction and collaboration with the community are clearly established.
Excellent
Score 5
Local residents play a central role in delivering and shaping the tour.

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Touristic Footprint Index (TFI) by Portugal Outdoor Alliance (POA) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License CC BY SA