The Role of the Local Community in the Development of Tourism: A Field Social Study

This research aims to identify the roles and methods carried out by the local community in achieving and encouraging the development of tourism, and how to activate this role in the future. This study is a descriptive study because it exposes sociological description of the role of local community in achieving the development of tourism, and shed light on the problems that hinder the achievement of this development and how to reduce them. The study relied on a sample of the local community leaders concerned with tourism development and those who benefit from the development of tourism within the local community. The study has drawn a number of conclusions: to achieve integrated tourism development, popular and local participation in all development processes is a necessity; people must feel that they are the first and the last aim of the tourism development in order to ensure continuity, progress and success of tourism development.