Social-economic effects of tourism on local community living around protected areas. Case study Katunguru parish, Queen Elizabeth national park in Kasese district.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the socio-economic effects of tourism on communities around the tourist destinations and tourist attractions, with specific reference to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Qualitative and quantitative research designs were used. Data was collected using questionnaires and interviews. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 16 out of which appropriate interpretation was done.

The study revealed that there are various tourism activities that take place in Katunguru parish. These include Nature walks, game drives, cultural performances, site seeing, bird watching and sport fishing. The study also indicated that communities around the National Park are benefiting through employment, household income, urbanization, community pride and acquisition of new skills. Despite the benefits got from the park as a result of tourism related activities, the research findings indicate that local communities experience a number of constraints that limit their full utilization of tourism resources to improve their livelihood. The reported constraints include seasonality of tourism, over utilization of tourism resources, unequal distribution of resources, mismanagement of funds by the authority, limited inclusiveness in decision making.

The study therefore, recommends that the locals should be educated and sensitized about the importance of tourism participation, trained so that they are able to fully participate in tourism activities have proper planning not only for wildlife but also local communities within the park, and also invest in linking the local communities to to private in order to get financial support and market for their goods and services.