Tourisme et socio-économie dans les espaces ruraux au Cameroun : entre survivances culturelles et mutations

• Main Authors: Yomb Jacques, Tefe Tagne Robert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Université des Antilles 2016-07-01
• Series: Études Caribéennes
• Subjects: cultlural resilience; local development; mutation; tourism; rural area; social link
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/etudescaribeennes/8820

In a changing world whose development strategies are diverse, the rural world is not left behind. Rural areas that essentially represent cultural resilience sites are challenged in building development strategies in a globalized world characterized by notorious poverty. In this context tourism, which remains an economic rent for rural, is influenced by exogenous conditions. This paper aims to analyze the social bond between the players enrolled in the development of rural tourism. The analytic process is supported by the following questions: How to resist the modern behaviour of rural tourists in a globalization context? Are the lifestyles of rural tourists compatible with locals? How do tourists influence the lifestyle of rural stakeholders to the point of causing socio-economic innovations? The theoretical framework focuses mainly on the theory of social ties focusing on the purpose of exchange. The method is qualitative, as this study highlights the interactions between the stakeholders. The results show that: a) Rural tourism is a source of income for locals; b) there is an innovation in managing traditional time; c) sources of income are not only from agricultural production but also from services; d) rural lifestyles are profoundly changed by the dynamic brought by tourists.