Cultivating change: a scoping review of community-based tourism as a driver of sustainable practice

Purpose This review contributes to strengthening the theoretical and practical understanding of Community-Based Tourism (CBT) as a driver of sustainable development and clarifies its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach This study conducts a scoping review of 33 Scopus-indexed journal articles published between 2015 and 2025 to analyze the intersection of CBT and sustainability. Findings The findings reveal a dominance of qualitative research methodologies, highlighting the importance of context-specific analyses. Geographically, studies are concentrated in regions such as South Africa, the United States of America, China and Australia, with limited representation from Central Asia and parts of South America. Key themes include the role of CBT in poverty alleviation, community participation and environmental conservation, while challenges such as unequal benefit distribution and management gaps persist. Practical implications Practical implications for policymakers, practitioners and communities are discussed, along with recommendations for future research, including longitudinal studies and comparative analyses of CBT models. Originality/value The study underscores the need for holistic frameworks integrating economic, socio-cultural and environmental sustainability and highlights persistent implementation barriers related to governance and capacity building.