Rethinking community empowerment in tourism: A systematic review

Abstract

Participatory approaches to sustainable tourism have proliferated, yet many host communities remain marginalized despite rising involvement. This systematic review synthesizes 51 peer-reviewed studies (2015–2025) following a PRISMA-guided protocol to explain why participation frequently remains symbolic and when it can evolve into substantive empowerment. The thematic synthesis indicates that tokenistic engagement, elite capture, and weak institutional safeguards can generate participation fatigue, while empowerment is multidimensional and commonly begins with psychological mechanisms (self-efficacy, pride, and perceived agency). Durable improvements, however, depend on institutional mechanisms that formalize community rights, representation, and benefit-sharing rules. Building on these insights, we propose the Community Agency Reshaping Model (CARM), which links drivers, process stages, dual mechanisms, and outcomes to describe an iterative pathway from induced entry to consolidated community agency and more equitable tourism benefits. The model offers testable propositions and a diagnostic tool for intervention design.