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Research into the development of community-based tourism (CBT) within Central Asian economies that were part of the former USSR is underdeveloped. Even less understood is the role of government and international donor agencies in supporting CBT and the consequences for rural mountain communities; a gap addressed by this research focusing on the Republic of Tajikistan, specifically the Zerafshan valley and Fann mountains. In 2019, 20 qualitative interviews were conducted with a range of residents involved with three externally funded tourism development projects and/or with tourism. Project documents were analysed and the first author’s extensive experience of living and working in Tajikistan also informed the research. The findings demonstrate that CBT has created jobs and generated income. However, benefits were not equally distributed, causing social tensions. Additionally, development projects did not foresee or account for structural limitations relating to infrastructure and accommodation. The article concludes with recommendations for future donor interventions.
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Harris-Smith et al. (2021) studied this question.
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