An Asset-based Community Development (ABCD) Approach to Integrating Natural Capital as Touristic Assets

Abstract

Touristic assets, whether natural, cultural, human, social, built, or political are the backbone of tourism development. They attract visitors and make the destination a unique one.  Now, more than ever, the community is considered an exceptional touristic asset. They are the capital of community-based tourism (CBT), an alternative route to mass tourism development. Anchored with the path of a resource-focused approach called the Asset-based Community Development (ABCD) framework, this ethnographic study discovered the natural capital of select indigenous sitio in Panaytayan, Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. Connecting the dots between touristic assets, CBT, and ABCD, this study strengthens the significance of the bottom-up approach in tourism development- a growth perspective from the inside out. Mapping and observation were done to explore the unexplored beauty of the community through team fieldwork.  The study reveals that the community has a wide array of flora and nature-based destinations that served as the community’s means of survival and shaped their livelihood. 
This study supports the importance of gauging the community’s assets to help them become self-sufficient. The result of this mapping urged the researchers to propose an eco-drive capability training program to protect their natural capital not solely for tourism but more for environmental sustainability, especially for younger generations.  It is also recommended to strengthen the role of ABCD through inclusive community participation and asset mobilization. Forthcoming researchers may go beyond the natural capital by showcasing intangible assets like traditional crafts, storytelling, indigenous practices, and local cuisine to deliver experiential memories as potential tourism draws.