Original scientific paper
Residents' perception of tourism impacts in Kilimanjaro: An integration of the Social Exchange Theory
Dev Jani
orcid.org/0000-0002-3760-6714
; University of Dar-es-Salaam Business School, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Abstract
This study aimed at examining residents' perception of tourism impacts around Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa. Using the Social Exchange Theory as an overarching theory, economic benefits, involvement in planning and contact with tourists were used to group the residents and their perceptions compared. A structured questionnaire was in collecting data from 160 conveniently selected residents around Mount Kilimanjaro. Mann-Whitney tests were used to appraise significant differences in residents' perception between groups. The results indicate residents who derive economic benefits from tourism, having direct contact with tourists, and those who participate in tourism planning to have relatively more positive perception of tourism impacts. The findings support to the Social Exchange theory and subsumed theories under it including Dependency, Contact hypothesis, and Power/Empowerment theories. The study findings offers practical implications to Destination Management Organizations in planning and interacting with the tourists as well as finding avenues for residents to benefits economically, socially, and environmentally from tourism, and thus alleviate the rampant poverty in the areas around the mountain. Unlike previous studies this study integrated different theories in understanding residents' perception of tourism impacts. Contextually, this study reveals findings in a relatively less researched area in Africa.
Keywords
residents' perception; contact; dependency; empowerment; social exchange; Tanzania
Hrčak ID:
202744
URI
Publication date:
29.6.2018.
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