Version 1
: Received: 22 April 2023 / Approved: 23 April 2023 / Online: 23 April 2023 (05:07:16 CEST)
How to cite:
Meretu, T.A.; Abebe, E.T.; Gessese, G.M. A Tale of Two Worlds: Community perceptions on ecotourism impacts in the World Heritage Site of the Simien Mountains National Park. Preprints2023, 2023040776. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0776.v1
Meretu, T.A.; Abebe, E.T.; Gessese, G.M. A Tale of Two Worlds: Community perceptions on ecotourism impacts in the World Heritage Site of the Simien Mountains National Park. Preprints 2023, 2023040776. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0776.v1
Meretu, T.A.; Abebe, E.T.; Gessese, G.M. A Tale of Two Worlds: Community perceptions on ecotourism impacts in the World Heritage Site of the Simien Mountains National Park. Preprints2023, 2023040776. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0776.v1
APA Style
Meretu, T.A., Abebe, E.T., & Gessese, G.M. (2023). A Tale of Two Worlds: Community perceptions on ecotourism impacts in the World Heritage Site of the Simien Mountains National Park. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0776.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Meretu, T.A., Endalakchew Teshome Abebe and Gashaw Mulu Gessese. 2023 "A Tale of Two Worlds: Community perceptions on ecotourism impacts in the World Heritage Site of the Simien Mountains National Park" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0776.v1
Abstract
This study aims to examine households' perceptions of the socio-cultural, economic, and environmental impacts of ecotourism in the protected area, focusing on Simien Mountain National Park, North west Ethiopia. Using a mixed research approach with a sequential explanatory design, we collected data through a single-round cross-sectional survey, interviews, focus groups, discussions, and secondary sources of information. Three districts were selected using a multi-stage sampling method, and 397 respondents were surveyed. We analyzed the quantitative data using percentages, averages, t-tests, ANOVA, and regression models, and examined the qualitative data using thematic analysis. Our findings suggest that households living in the park generally perceived the social, economic, and environmental impacts of ecotourism as favorable. However, the study also revealed that the benefits of tourism are not being fully utilized, indicating the potential for further development. We found significant differences in how people perceived ecotourism based on their gender, education, and residence location. Specifically, men and respondents with higher levels of education were more likely to perceive ecotourism positively. The logistic regression model revealed a statistically significant direct cause-and-effect relationship between three demographic factors of household respondents' participation in ecotourism (dependent variable) and gender (B = 1.85, p = 0.023), educational attainment (B = 0.23, p = 0.003), and location (B = 0.42, p = 0.041). In light of these findings, the authors recommend that the local government and the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Agency should develop sustainable plans for tourism that will benefit nearby communities and improve living conditions in the park.
Keywords
Ecotourism; Participations; Perceptions; Impact; Protected area
Subject
Social Sciences, Tourism, Leisure, Sport and Hospitality
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
