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Engagement as transformation: Learnings from a tourism development project in Dunga by Lake Victoria, Kenya

2017; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 15; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/1476750316678913

1741-2617

Eva Maria Jernsand,

Hospitality and Tourism Education

Participatory tourism development projects are considered effective and democratic since they engage people in interactive learning processes that change individuals and societies. In order to be transformative, a relational and social process must be acheived which challenges prior knowledge and beliefs. The purpose of this article is to explore engagement as a transformative feature of research and development practice. Three aspects of engagement are proposed through which higher learning loops and transformation can be enhanced: embodied and situated learning, relationship-building, and acknowledging and sharing power. These three aspects of engagement are explored through the case of developing an ecotourism site by Lake Victoria in Kenya.