Determinants of community participation in community- Based tourism within Kisite Mpunguti ecosystem, Kwale County, Kenya

Abstract

In regions such as Kisite Mpunguti, Kenya, where tourism is a significant driver of economic development, the participation of local communities in tourism initiatives is essential to enhance the benefits to the local population and also to ensure the conservation of natural and cultural resources. Despite the recognized importance of community participation, achieving effective and meaningful participation remains a challenge in many CBT projects. There is a need to establish the necessary tools to bring out the full potential of CP. Though several studies in Kenya have investigated CP studies, none has used the CLEAR model to investigate determinants of CP in CBT and increase literature on the area of study. This study was conducted to assess the determinants of community participation in Community Based Tourism within the Kisite Mpunguti Ecosystem in Kwale County, Kenya. It was guided by six specific objectives; to assess nature of community participation in community based tourism; to examine the relationship between availability of tourism resources and community participation; to determine the relationship between community cohesion and community participation in CBT; to establish the relationship between stakeholders support and community participation and to examine the relationship between the present mobilization and community participation in CBT and to establish the relationship between timely response to CBT issues and CP. The study was guided by CLEAR Participation theory and Center for Scientific Collaboration and Community Engagement CP model. It adopted the convergent research mixed method design. Questionnaires were used to collect primary data from a target population of 940 community members from 8 Community Based Tourism Initiatives in Kisite Mpunguti ecosystem in Kwale County, selected using simple random sampling technique with a sample size of 273, derived based on Mugenda & Mugenda. In addition, interviews were conducted with 37 key informants from different tourism bodies in the Kwale County, selected through purposive sampling. Quantitative data were analysed using binary logistic regression while qualitative was analysed using content analysis. R 2 results indicated 74.8% of the variability in participation in CBT was explained by the five community participation determinants studied. The model was significant given the overall p-value of 0.037. Community cohesion (b=-.351, 𝜒 2 = 5.150, p˂0.016), stakeholder support (b=-7.529, 𝜒 2 =4.367, p˂ 0.037) had negative significant relationship with community participation, while presence of mobilization (b=1.849, 𝜒 2 =10.908, p˂0.001) and timely response to CBT issues (b=2.956, 𝜒 2 = 3.904, p˂0.048) had positive significant relationship with community participation. Availability of resources (b= -.402, 𝜒 2 =2.830, p˃0.093) on the contrary, had no significant relationship with community participation. Results from key informants revealed that tourism in Kisite Ecosystem has not been fully utilized by the local community yet there exist opportunities they can take advantage of. The respondents however singled out aspects related to lack of proper and clearly laid down policy on the participation of the community in community based tourism as major obstacles. The study concludes that community cohesion is a significant factor in community participation and is what has contributed to the long-standing of several projects at the study site. On the contrary, availability of resources did not prove to have any significant impact on success of community participation. The study makes significant contribution to the field of CBT in development of clear strategies to be used by stakeholders in ensuring effective community participation as well as full implementation of these strategies, furthermore it recommends that local community to take full advantage of available tourism resources and opportunities and prioritizing gender equity and empowerment to reduce disparity.