Community-based tourism and sustainable development-a comprehensive review of sustainable tourism development related studies

Community-based tourism (CBT) is often discussed as a way to connect tourism activity with local priorities and the long-term stewardship of cultural and natural resources. This review considers how scholarship has linked CBT with sustainable development, including community participation, environmental protection, cultural continuity, local economic benefits, and governance. It also considers recurring limitations in the literature, such as short study periods, uneven geographic coverage, limited representation of community perspectives, and a tendency to emphasize successful initiatives. The review uses a narrative literature-review approach and draws attention to themes and research directions discussed in prior work. Because the search strategy and screening process are not fully documented in the supplied manuscript, the findings should be read as a thematic overview rather than a systematic or exhaustive evidence synthesis. Future research could strengthen comparisons across locations, assess outcomes over time, and relate locally observed effects to specific Sustainable Development Goal targets.