Ecotourism as a mechanism for local economic development in the communities adjacent to the Oribi Gorge nature reserve
Loading...
Date
2019
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Zululand
Abstract
Scholars and stakeholders involved in the tourism industry share a common view that ecotourism has demonstrated a great potential for attracting both international and local visitors. Consequently, ecotourism has been advocated as one of the most important pillars of the tourism industry mainly for conserving natural resources whilst boosting the socio-economies of the local communities. Review of literature indicates that most of the developed and developing countries use their scenic natural resources and distinct landscapes as tourism resources. However, the problem is that literature does not clearly state how ecotourism can be used as a mechanism for the development of local economies, especially in rural areas. Based on this literary background, the study sought to find out how ecotourism can be used as a mechanism for the development of local economies.
The study was conducted at the Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve and the adjacent communities under KwaNdwalane (Nsimbini) and KwaXolo Traditional Councils. A sample of 384 respondents comprised of the municipal official, community tourism organisation’s manager, Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve’s manager, community leaders, and community members of the study area was drawn from the population of 348 553 using convenience sampling technique. The sample size of 384 was based on the Research Advisors Spreadsheet [2006] at 95 percent level of confidence and 5 percent margin of error. Based on the chosen sampling technique, the sample comprised of the respondents who were accessible, knowledgeable about the issues related to the chosen topic, and willing to participate in the study.
The study adopted a mixed methods design, which suggests that both quantitative and qualitative modes of research enquiry were used during the collection, analysis and interpretation of data. Survey questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents through face-to-face surveys. The quantitative data were analysed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software which enabled the study to carry out statistical tests to determine the relationships between independent and dependent variables. In this study, Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationships between dependent and independent
vi
variables using bi-variate correlation coefficient analysis. Crosstabulations were used to establish reciprocal relationships between bi-variate variables that were considered essential for testing the hypotheses. Chi-square tests were performed by the study to test the hypotheses. The qualitative data were analysed through content analysis where the researcher sifted the meanings embedded in the open-ended responses in order to establish the respondents’ in-depth understanding and/or own interpretation of the subject under investigation. During this process, the successive parts or common threads from the data were classified according to their categories in order to generate themes and/or sub-themes for the purpose of interpreting the results against the research questions.
The study asserts that ecotourism is embedded and can be explained within a neoliberalism theory of development, where aspects of nature are packaged for tourism consumption and profit maximisation purposes. The study found that ecotourism contributes towards the local economic development of the study area through employment creation, capacity building, multiplier effect and revenue generation. The study established that ecotourism is not understood by the community members of the study area. The study found that ecotourism development towards the study area is influenced mainly by marketing strategies, proper infrastructure, and branding.
The study also found that community members of the study area do not participate in ecotourism development activities. Based on these findings; stance of the selected theories on local community participation in ecotourism development activities; shortcomings of the reviewed model approaches of local community participation in ecotourism development activities; and findings of the literature on the limitations to community participation in ecotourism, a model for improving local community participation in ecotourism development activities in the study area was developed.
Description
A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the academic requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Recreation and Tourism in the Faculty of Arts, University of Zululand, 2019.
Keywords
Ecotourism, local economic development, Oribi Gorge nature reserve