Homecoming tourism and community social capital

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. • Rural areas can strengthen their social cohesion through homecoming tourism. • Homecoming tourism activates both formal and informal community networks. • Homecoming tourists are supporters and diversifiers of community social capital. • Homecoming tourism is strategic for understanding tourism in rural crisis contexts.