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Backpacker Tourism and Local Community Development: An Analysis of Hostels as Drivers of Poverty Reduction in Sri Lanka

Siriwardena, Gayani LU (2019) MIDM19 20191
Department of Human Geography
LUMID International Master programme in applied International Development and Management
Abstract
This thesis is an attempt to understand if hostels, being an essential component of the infrastructural support for backpacker tourism have been instrumental in lifting up local communities in light of socio-economic development. The analysis strives to explore not only the contours of change in the community level but also the changes in the institutions and structures within which the tourism industry operates to understand how the hostel communities create their own structures through exercising power, which is a manifestation of how capitals are accumulated and transformed. Primary fieldwork for this study was carried out in Unawatuna in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice was used to conceptualize... (More)
This thesis is an attempt to understand if hostels, being an essential component of the infrastructural support for backpacker tourism have been instrumental in lifting up local communities in light of socio-economic development. The analysis strives to explore not only the contours of change in the community level but also the changes in the institutions and structures within which the tourism industry operates to understand how the hostel communities create their own structures through exercising power, which is a manifestation of how capitals are accumulated and transformed. Primary fieldwork for this study was carried out in Unawatuna in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice was used to conceptualize how people start hostels and make a meaningful living out of backpacker tourism. The study is situated on two fundamental arguments that, (1) the non-mainstream tourism in most developing-country context calls for academic research as policy interventions seem to be minimal due to lack of hard data, and (2) with appropriate support from the government, the backpacker subsector of the tourism industry will flourish, which goes without saying that the livelihoods of those who support the subsector could potentially thrive. (Less)
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author
Siriwardena, Gayani LU
supervisor
organization
course
MIDM19 20191
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Backpacker tourism, Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice, Hostels, Livelihoods, Local communities, Networks, Poverty reduction, Sri Lanka, Tourism industry policy framework
language
English
id
8992291
date added to LUP
2019-10-17 13:42:40
date last changed
2019-10-17 13:42:40
@misc{8992291,
  abstract     = {{This thesis is an attempt to understand if hostels, being an essential component of the infrastructural support for backpacker tourism have been instrumental in lifting up local communities in light of socio-economic development. The analysis strives to explore not only the contours of change in the community level but also the changes in the institutions and structures within which the tourism industry operates to understand how the hostel communities create their own structures through exercising power, which is a manifestation of how capitals are accumulated and transformed. Primary fieldwork for this study was carried out in Unawatuna in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice was used to conceptualize how people start hostels and make a meaningful living out of backpacker tourism. The study is situated on two fundamental arguments that, (1) the non-mainstream tourism in most developing-country context calls for academic research as policy interventions seem to be minimal due to lack of hard data, and (2) with appropriate support from the government, the backpacker subsector of the tourism industry will flourish, which goes without saying that the livelihoods of those who support the subsector could potentially thrive.}},
  author       = {{Siriwardena, Gayani}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Backpacker Tourism and Local Community Development: An Analysis of Hostels as Drivers of Poverty Reduction in Sri Lanka}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}