Factors That Strengthen Community Resilience to Externally Initiated and Controlled Tourism in Post-Conflict Destinations: The Role of Amenity Migrants and Management Policies

This study examines community resilience in post-conflict tourism destinations of the Global South, where externally initiated and controlled tourism development often prevails. Using a conceptual research approach grounded in a comprehensive literature review, the paper identifies critical conditions for resilience-building in these fragile contexts. It demonstrates that post-conflict tourism development typically unfolds in three stages: an initial phase of rapid growth driven by external stakeholders, followed by community awakening to tourism’s impacts, and culminating in community-led efforts to regain control. The study argues that even when initial tourism development exceeds local adaptive capacities, it can initiate a gradual process of resilience-building through proactive community action and supportive policies. The transformative potential of amenity migrants is emphasized, as they can shift from being stressors to becoming agents of change, fostering resilience, provided they are successfully integrated into local communities. The paper also advocates for longitudinal research to better understand the dynamics of amenity migrants’ assimilation and their role in resilience-building, particularly in the Global South, where empirical evidence remains limited. The findings provide valuable insights for designing strategies to achieve sustainable and inclusive tourism development in post-conflict and other vulnerable destinations, offering a pathway to empower local communities and foster long-term resilience.