Biodiversity and nature based tourism at Zika Forest in Entebbe

Abstract

Tourism is one of the essential sectors contributing to economic development of most of the developing countries. Most developing countries depend on the gift of nature for tourism. Nature based tourism is among the major and important tourism sectors that attract a large number of tourists, and is frequently described as one of the fastest growing sectors (Balmford et al., 2009). It encompasses ecotourism, adventure tourism and many other outdoor-oriented tourism experiences Bahmanpour et al., (2012). (It further involves different types of entrepreneurs, many of which are relatively small, located in rural regions and may only work part-time in tourism combined with agriculture, forestry or other rural means of livelihood (Fredman et al., 2010). In the Nordic region (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden), nature-based tourism is framed and strongly flavored by specific socio-economic and environmental features such as the large forest lands of the interior north and the mountainous arctic of Sweden, Norway and Iceland (Fredman et al., 2010). The tourism industry and its economic businesses are able of mitigating the economic imbalances among regions and significantly contribute to national economic development with efficient utilization of resources and maintain competitiveness in the tourism industry (Batinoluho, 2022) Nature-based tourism is also promoted by many countries in east and southern Africa, for example in Botswana, where 39% of land in the country has been reserved for wildlife and nature-based tourism management (Hambira, et al., 2022). In Tanzania, tourism development has remained strong and accounts for more than 14% of the Tanzania’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is expected to grow by more. This is because Tanzania in the northern tourism circuit has diverse attractions of Kilimanjaro Mountain, Arusha National Park, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, and Ngorongoro Conservation Area along with many other attractions, such as beautiful beaches, national parks and game reserves with a variety of flora and fauna, historical sites, culture and traditions (Batinoluho, 2022).