Abstract
The empowerment of local communities has been a popular buzzword to assess the success of tourism development. However, there is concern regarding the implementation of empowerment in this industry, resulting in some problematic issues in developing tourist destinations. In response, this paper provides a critical analysis of empowerment programs initiated by external organisations in the tourism industry to develop a better understanding of how to achieve empowerment of marginalised individuals and groups. This conceptual paper argues that the most crucial component of empowerment is the agency of the empowered people so they can be self-directed.