Despite the theoretical potential for the attraction of niche markets to achieve the
development goals of communities in LDCs, there are some important issues that need to
be addressed. Where communities utilise tourism for development, priority is placed on
economic and social development. Even under the sustainable tourism paradigm,
development goals include major changes to the livelihoods of the community and the
improvement of essential infrastructure. These goals are reliant on the sustainability of the
industry, in terms of the continued growth of visitor numbers, to increase the income from
tourism to fund development goals. It can be argued that the scale of development required
in LDC communities for poverty alleviation in dependent on long term growth.
Therefore, conflict arises when communities utilising tourism for development require
continuous long term growth in visitor numbers. As these numbers increase, it will
ultimately alienate their original niche target markets in favour of broader, mass tourism
markets. If communities do not make this transition to more traditional markets, visitor
numbers will plateau, and growth will cease, which will impede the achievement of
development goals. The transition to more traditional mass tourism markets, however, will
increase the prevalence of negative tourism impacts which the original niche market was
designed to minimise.
In these cases, the prioritisation of development goals also negatively affects sustainability.
The expansion of markets beyond the original niche markets will increase negative effects of