Assessing the Socio-Economic Impacts of Community–Based Ecotourism in Some Selected Communities in the Ashanti Region

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August, 2016
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The Community Based Ecotourism destination of the selected communities in the Ashanti region has witness tremendous attraction over the years from both domestic and international tourist. This paper critically assesses the socio-economic implications of the ecotourism development in the lives of the people in the selected communities. In particular, the level of public awareness, major contributing factors to the socio-economic impact of ecotourism and the level of local participation of the residents towards ecotourism development were examined. Data were collected by the combination of structured questionnaires, direct field observation and interview from key stakeholders including, the host communities, tourists, wildlife division of the Forestry Commission, Ghana Tourism Authority and FORIG. In all, one hundred and fifty (150) respondents were contacted. The study involved the use of both qualitative and quantitative design to gather the information. Although, findings reveals that, level of awareness is high in the community but below average outside the locality. The results from the regression analyses carried out on the impact of participation on the social and economic wellbeing of community members within the ecotourism sites show that the wellbeing of the members have improved. Also, ecotourism potentials within the three areas have the capacity for job creation, poverty reduction, economic growth and general transformation of the area if all the stakeholders such as the government, NGOs, individual and the general public are committed to the development of this worthy industry by improving the existing infrastructure, enhance image of the destination and intensify the level of awareness. The study recommends that stakeholders must initiate the promotion of tourism awareness programmes in the region; an expansion in the local tourism industry to ensuring massive community participation and the development of attraction sites.
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A Thesis submitted to the School of Business, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Master of Business Administration in Strategic Management and Consulting.
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