Benefits and Challenges of Community-Based Ecotourism in Park-Fringe Communities: the Case of Mesomagor of Kakum National Park, Ghana
Tourism Review International, Vol. 21, pp. 81–98 1544-2721/17 $60.00 + .00 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3727/154427217X14866652018947 Copyright © 2017 Cognizant, LLC. E-ISSN 1943-4421 www.cognizantcommunication.com BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF COMMUNITY-BASED ECOTOURISM IN PARK-FRINGE COMMUNITIES: THE CASE OF MESOMAGOR OF KAKUM NATIONAL PARK, GHANA ISHMAEL MENSAH Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana Community-based ecotourism (CBE) is seen as a viable model for achieving conservation and improved livelihoods for park-fringe communities. In view of that, many communities in Ghana, including Mesomagor, have embraced the concept. Yet, most studies have employed quantitative methods and failed to examine the challenges of community participation in ecotourism development. Therefore, this study employed qualitative methods to analyze the benefits and challenges of CBE in the Mesomagor community of the Kakum National Park. This involved key informant interviews of 15 stakeholders using a semistructured interview guide. The results of the study show that though the community had made some modest economic gains, especially in infrastructural development, the project was confronted with a number of challenges including apathy towards participation, limited employment and revenue-sharing opportunities, lack of local capacity to manage the project, and destruction of farms by stray elephants from the park. Key words: Community-based ecotourism (CBE); Community; Revenue sharing; Kakum National Park (KNP); Ghana Introduction miners, hunters, and gatherers, the pursuit of their economic activities could eventually result in the Community-based ecotourism (CBE) projects have depletion of natural resources.
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