Local community participation in tourism development around Queen Elizabeth National Park Rubirizi District

Abstract

This study aimed at assessing local community Participation in Tourism Development around Queen Elizabeth National Park. Specifically, three objectives guided the study ;(1) to examine the benefits of local people in Participation of Tourism Development,(2)to identify the strategies used to promote local people participation in Tourism Development and ,(3) to identify the challenges faced by local people participation in Tourism Development. A survey was conducted among 59 respondents were obtained. The results revealed that tourists bought mostly agricultural products, park employed people from the villages around and also people collected firewood from the park as benefits. Respondents suggested that promoting local people participation in decision making, employing community members, promoting education and awareness programs can be the strategies that should be used to promote tourism development. Conflicts among the park and the local communities included wild animals from the park destruction people’s properties, poaching, on the other hand, the negative impacts of tourism development included cultural erosion, over crowdness in town centers and also high crime rates. This study concludes that local people benefited from the tourism development by being given access to the park to collect firewood on weekends, employment opportunities, construction of roads by the park and also tourists bought their agricultural products, strategies that should be used to promote tourism development promoting include; local people participation in decision making, employing community members, promoting education and awareness programs, conflicts among the park and the local communities included wild animals from the park destruction people’s properties, poaching, on the other hand, the negative impacts of tourism development included cultural erosion, over crowdness in town centers and also high crime rates. Therefore, the study recommends that the park should promote equality in terms of the benefits it provides to the local people in their respective villages around the park, the government and or the park authorities should make efforts to ensure that the local people are involved in decision making, create awareness among the local people about conservation measures that can be used to sustain park resources and also consider employing local people. There should also be increased surveillance so that animals from the park don’t destruct people’s properties.