There are relatively few examples of successful and sustainable collective income from tourism. Examples from Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe illustrate that it can match wage income in scale and that in principle it can benefit all residents, although it can be difficult to manage. Negative economic impacts include inflation, dominance by outsiders in land markets and in-migration which erodes economic opportunities for the local poor. Impacts differ between men and women. On the negative side, tourism can reduce local access to natural resources, draw heavily upon local infrastructure, and disrupt social networks.
Tourism affects the livelihoods of the poor by changing their access to assets.
In several cases, tourism's impact on people's access to natural resources or physical infrastructure has been identified as the most important benefit or concern. A recent participatory assessment of livelihood impacts revealed that impacts on natural capital, particularly grazing resources, and access to physical infrastructure are more important to most members than the nearly 50 new jobs. The lodge's physical presence, radio, and vehicle help to keep others out and provide emergency access to a hospital, which was previously lacking. However, there are more numerous examples where local residents lose access to local natural resources. A comparative study by Shah and Gupta provides a range of examples.