The community concept has been defined, severally, usually in terms of space, social organization, as well as people and social interactions (Harwood, 2010). In terms of space, a community is defined as “a group of people, often living in the same geographical area, who identify themselves as belonging to the same group” (Sproule, 1996, p. 236). A community as a social organization comprises a social system made up of groups and institutions. When a community is defined in terms of people and their social interactions, their common identity, shared set of beliefs and practices are highlighted. James (2006) has categorized communities based on three basic standpoints, namely, place, identity-based and organizationally-based. According to him, “communities of place” ranges from the local neighbourhood, village, town, city, region up to the planet as a whole; “identity-based communities” groups individuals based on their ethnicity, religion or culture and “organizationally-based communities” are made up of different kinds of informal or formal associations and networks.
However, it is important to note that a group of people merely occupying a geographical space does not constitute a community in the context of Community-Based Tourism (CBT). There is a need for cohesion and shared aspirations among people in a community if their common problems are to be resolved for their progress and well-being. Though people belonging to a community have shared values and culture, there is hardly any homogeneous community. Indeed, all communities are heterogeneous, and community members could be stratified based on their gender, ages, levels of education, religion, marital status, income and social status. In the context of CBT, a community is defined as comprising of a group of people with shared values, living in a defined geographical area, who interact to achieve shared goals.