Cultural and social capital and regional tourism

Traditional perspectives of regional development have emphasized on economic factors and innovation in exploiting techniques and resources. Similarly, regional tourism development is usually couched in economic factors, such as jobs and increasing land values. In this approach usually was ignored the local and community aspects of tourism development; thus it is necessary that the community be factored into planning and development strategies to balance the traditional economic perspective. Tourism systems include interaction between visitors and elements of the host community. It is argued in this paper that fostering innovation in regional development is much more than a process of community consultation. This paper outlines the key concepts of social capital and cultural capital and how they can further our understanding of regional tourism development. Tourism development depends on a level of social, political and cultural capital in order to be a tool of successful regional development. It does so within the context of regional tourism development and the concepts of systems of innovation and sustainable development.