Typologies of Tourists and the Activities they do participate in at Kavumba Recreation Center in Wakiso District

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess typologies of tourists and the activities they do participate in at Kavumba recreation center in Wakiso district. It was guided by objectives; to assess the visitor typologies at Kavumba recreation center, to examine factors that influence people to participate in recreational activities and what do they prefer, to examine the level of tourist satisfaction in using facilities at Kavumba Recreation Center and to assess how tourist experience can be improved when using facilities at the center. The study followed a quantitative research method in order to attain the set objectives of the study. Probability sampling technique was employed in recruiting the participants. Purposive sampling techniques were used to generate the sample population in this study. The total target population included the recreation centre management / administrators, employees and tourists and structured self-administered questionnaires and interview guides were used in the survey that was conducted to obtain primary data. The study used both descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 23.0 was used to analyze the data. The study found that Tourists visit Kavumba recreation center mainly for their wildlife viewing/zoo tours, swimming, and study and education services. These visitors are comprised of mainly leisure and holiday tourists‟ typology of travellers, educational tourists as well as business and professional tourists. The study further revealed that factors such as the price of the tourism activities at the Kavumba, the safety and security of the place, recommendation from friends and relatives and advertisements were major factors influential in determining the traveller‟s participation in recreation facilities. Further it was found that factors such as the quality of recreational staff, accommodation facilities, safety and security, nature of roads were crucial in influencing the level of tourist satisfaction and tourists‟ satisfaction can be enhanced through recruiting more and train guides and having more aggressive marketing campaigns and rehabilitation of the roads especially leading to the recreational center. It was from these results that the study recommends that aggressive marketing campaigns should be done to make the place well known out to Uganda and other countries at large, the Local government in collaboration with Kavumba Recreation Center improve and rehabilitate the road so as to ease the movement of travelers and lastly recreational center should conduct regular workshops and training to their members to equip staff with staff proper multilingual skills.