Ecotourism and alternative livelihood strategies in Cameroon’s protected areas
- Authors: Harilal, Vyasha , Tichaawa, Tembi M.
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Mount Cameroon National Park , Douala Edéa Wildlife Reserve , Sustainable livelihoods framework
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/277098 , uj:29679 , Citation: Harilal, V. & Tichaawa, T.M. 2018. Ecotourism and alternative livelihood strategies in Cameroon’s protected areas. E u r o E c o n o m i c a, 1(37):127-142. , ISSN: 1582-8859
- Description: Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the alternative livelihood strategies that local community members utilise to insulate themselves against the fragmented nature of the tourism industry. The study employed a mixed method research approach, based on two case study areas (the Mount Cameroon National Park and the Douala Edéa Wildlife Reserve) in Cameroon. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 383 households, collectively, in the two study areas, and in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with key informants. Key findings of the study suggest that many locals engage primarily in various agricultural activities as a livelihood strategy. Although the ecotourism activities present an opportunity in which the locals can engage, it is necessary to secure alternate forms of generating income, due to the seasonality and resultant instability of the industry. The extent to which the communities are impacted upon by ecotourism differs in each case study area. The study advises destination managers to devise plans, policy and strategies that will valorise the sector and facilitate participative management, including the local communities in decision-making processes and in the implementation of ecotourism in their communities.
- Full Text:
The socio-economic and environmental impacts of ecotourism : stakeholder perceptions in Cameroon
- Authors: Harilal, Vyasha
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Ecotourism - Management , Ecotourism - Cameroon , Tourism - Cameroon
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/423204 , uj:36146
- Description: Abstract: Many countries within the Global South have adopted tourism as a strategy to spur on economic growth and development in their economies. Cameroon, which is often referred to as ‘Africa’s miniature’, is no exception to the above, and it has adopted strategies for the growth and establishment of an ecotourism sector. As a country rich in natural resources, flora, fauna and diverse landscapes, Cameroon’s potential for a dynamic ecotourism sector is immense. However, key issues need to be addressed before the sector can reach its full potential. The aim of the current research was to examine the community and stakeholder perceptions of the socio-economic and environmental impacts of ecotourism in Cameroon, with a distinguishing feature of this research being that it was conducted across the unique geopolitical spectrum in Cameroon, which consisted of two national groups: the majority francophone population and the minority anglophone population. The study employed a mixed-method research approach, based on two case study areas (the Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP) and the Douala-Edéa Wildlife Reserve (DEWR)) in Cameroon. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 442 households throughout both the case study areas, using a systematic random sampling technique. Additionally, in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with selected key stakeholders associated with ecotourism in Cameroon, chosen via the application of a purposive sampling technique... , Ph.D. (Tourism & Hospitality)
- Full Text:
Community perceptions of the economic impacts of ecotourism in Cameroon
- Authors: Harilal, Vyasha , Tichaawa, Tembi M.
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Ecotourism , Economic impacts , Cameroon
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/460782 , uj:41016 , ISSN: 2223-814X , Citation: Harilal, V. & Tichaawa, T.M. (2020). Community Perceptions of the Economic Impacts of Ecotourism in Cameroon. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 9(6):959-978. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46222/ajhtl.19770720-62
- Description: Abstract: This study aimed to investigate community perceptions of the economic impact of ecotourism in Cameroon. Using a mixed-method research approach, based on two case study areas (the Mount Cameroon National Park and the Douala Edéa Wildlife Reserve), community surveys were administered to 442 households. In addition, in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with relevant key informants. Key findings suggest that, while respondents generally agreed that ecotourism has many positive economic benefits, such benefits are often concentrated at government level, or contained within privately owned businesses. The lack of benefit sharing can be attributed to the low level of involvement of locals in the sector, unsuitable management practices that promote neither inclusiveness, nor the nomination of locals as economic beneficiaries of the sector, and an absence of dedicated ecotourism policy to guide the overall development and management of the sector. The study recommends that policies and strategies that encourage local economic development from ecotourism be established in the country, to ensure that the appropriate structures are put in place for the equitable distribution of the economic benefits to locals.
- Full Text:
Travel Stokvels, Leisure on Lay-by, and Pay at Your Pace Options: The Post COVID-19 Domestic Tourism Landscape in South Africa.
- Authors: Adinolfi, Maisa C. , Harilal, Vyasha , Giddy, Julia K.
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: COVID-19 , Domestic tourism , Savings culture
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/488809 , uj:44544 , Citation: Adinolfi, M.C., Harilal, V. & Giddy, J.K. (2021). Travel Stokvels, Leisure on Lay-by, and Pay at Your Pace Options: The Post COVID-19 Domestic Tourism Landscape in South Africa. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 10(1): 302-317. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46222/ajhtl.19770720-102 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.46222/ajhtl.19770720-102
- Description: Abstract: As the world came to a relative standstill during the initial stages of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly all countries having enforced some kind of COVID-19 regulations, the global tourism economy was one of the hardest hit. Travel bans and border closures resulted in many tourism businesses having to enter business rescue or shut down indefinitely. This new economic climate forced the tourism economy to imagine a new reality and to consider a negotiation of its revival in a post-pandemic world. Coupled with the impact on tourism itself, the pandemic resulted in a subsequent economic crisis, which unarguably, impacted upon travel, particularly leisure tourism. The South African tourism sector is no exception and will need to explore several avenues in addressing this new status quo. With domestic tourism being a weighty component of many countries’ tourism economies, it serves as an important building block for the resurgence of the industry. This is especially the case in a time when uncertainties are particularly prevalent for the re-emergence of international travel. Therefore, domestic tourism in South Africa has been a key starting point as travel restrictions have slowly started to lift, a context, which has been highlighted in current debates amongst South African tourism stakeholders. This paper explores the potential opportunities for opening up tourism to cash-strapped South Africans by specifically addressing their savings and travel cultures and prospects for future travel. The paper presents a desktop review of the recent introduction of savings and payment schemes available to travellers in South Africa, with particular focus on travel stokvels, leisure on lay-by and pay at your pace options.
- Full Text:
Travel Stokvels, Leisure on Lay-by, and Pay at Your Pace Options: The Post COVID-19 Domestic Tourism Landscape in South Africa.
- Authors: Adinolfi, Maisa C. , Harilal, Vyasha , Giddy, Julia K.
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: COVID-19 , Domestic tourism , Savings culture
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/488810 , uj:44545 , Citation: Adinolfi, M.C., Harilal, V. & Giddy, J.K. (2021). Travel Stokvels, Leisure on Lay-by, and Pay at Your Pace Options: The Post COVID-19 Domestic Tourism Landscape in South Africa. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 10(1): 302-317. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46222/ajhtl.19770720-102 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.46222/ajhtl.19770720-102
- Description: Abstract: As the world came to a relative standstill during the initial stages of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly all countries having enforced some kind of COVID-19 regulations, the global tourism economy was one of the hardest hit. Travel bans and border closures resulted in many tourism businesses having to enter business rescue or shut down indefinitely. This new economic climate forced the tourism economy to imagine a new reality and to consider a negotiation of its revival in a post-pandemic world. Coupled with the impact on tourism itself, the pandemic resulted in a subsequent economic crisis, which unarguably, impacted upon travel, particularly leisure tourism. The South African tourism sector is no exception and will need to explore several avenues in addressing this new status quo. With domestic tourism being a weighty component of many countries’ tourism economies, it serves as an important building block for the resurgence of the industry. This is especially the case in a time when uncertainties are particularly prevalent for the re-emergence of international travel. Therefore, domestic tourism in South Africa has been a key starting point as travel restrictions have slowly started to lift, a context, which has been highlighted in current debates amongst South African tourism stakeholders. This paper explores the potential opportunities for opening up tourism to cash-strapped South Africans by specifically addressing their savings and travel cultures and prospects for future travel. The paper presents a desktop review of the recent introduction of savings and payment schemes available to travellers in South Africa, with particular focus on travel stokvels, leisure on lay-by and pay at your pace options.
- Full Text: