Browsing by Subject "fair trade"

The objective of this pro gradu thesis is to examine how the Fair Tourism Project of the Association of Small-Scale Banana Producers of El Guabo (Asoguabo) has been constructed. This study examines the construction of the project from two different angles: First, how and why Asoguabo has diversified from banana production to tourism; and second, what kind of image has been constructed of the project through marketing, and how have the imageries used in fair trade marketing been adopted in the construction of fair tourism. The theoretical framework for the research consists of the ideas of nueva ruralidad, new rurality, which deal with changes in rural areas. Tourism has changed over the last few decades, and tourists are increasingly looking for real and authentic travel experiences. Simultaneously, tourism has been commodified by emphasising certain features of sustainable development, and especially in the developing world, tourism is often marketed under the brand of alternative, community-based, or ecotourism. As a new concept, fair tourism has joined this wide variety of different brands, and this thesis discusses the project of Asoguabo from the point of view of fair tourism. This thesis is a case study on the Fair Tourism Project of Asoguabo, and it is based on fieldwork of one month in Ecuador in January 2010, as well as on the author's previous experiences from Asoguabo. The data consists of 21 semi-structured qualitative interviews with sixteen informants, most of who were closely related to the Fair Tourism Project. Apart from the interviews, data were collected through participant observation and content analysis of the promotion materials of the project. This thesis shows how the Fair Tourism Project faces a number of challenges before it can achieve its objective of creating additional income for Asoguabo. The research shows how the project mainly benefitted those few members of the association, who work in the project as guides. These guides profit directly from the project by obtaining small additional income, by growing their social capital, and by getting an opportunity to learn through participating in different courses, for example. The results of the research also show how communication problems between the different actors in the project exacerbate the information flow and consequently activities of the Fair Tourism Project. These problems also increase the levels of uncertainty about the project among the farmers of Asoguabo. In addition, the thesis shows that, to some extent, similar imageries are being used in the marketing of the Fair Tourism Project as in the marketing of agricultural fair trade commodities. However there are surprisingly few producers portrayed in the promotion material and pictures of European tourists are often at the centre stage.