Homecoming tourism and community social capital

Abstract

Tourism in rural contexts is often approached from a perspective that situates the tourist as a customer but not as an active part of the community. This generates the feeling that the loss of social cohesion, one of the great problems affecting the rural world, can only be tackled by those who reside permanently in the villages. Our research proposes a broader view of the issue through the concept of homecoming tourism, a phenomenon whereby emigrants return to visit their place of origin, becoming tourists while also being part of the community. Through an ethnographic case study in Extremadura (Spain) we analyse the implications of homecoming tourism for the rural crisis and its capacity to generate community social capital.