The extent of community involvement in tourism development and conservation activities in Eastern Rwanda

Abstract

This study investigated the extent of local community involvement in tourism development and conservation activities in eastern Rwanda by using Akagera National Park as a case study. The study used a structured questionnaire to collect data from local residents, while face-to-face interviews were conducted with key informants from Rwanda National Tourism and Conservation Agency and local government officials as means to obtain deeper insights. Tosun (2000:626) contends that community involvement in tourism can be considered from at least two viewpoints, namely the decision-making process that would involve community participation and the benefits of tourism development such as employment and business opportunities. Results of this research suggest that community participation in Akagera National Park has been recognised by Rwanda National Tourism and Conservation Agency and the government of Rwanda only in the sense of helping local people to obtain economic benefits via employing them as workers within industry [though, still at a low rate], whilst encouraging them to operate small scale businesses such as curio shops, rather than create opportunities for them to have a say in the process of decision making of tourism management and conservation policies. Although Rwanda has opted for a decentralised system in its rural development plans, it is evident that it has failed to do so in the areas of tourism and conservation - at least in Akagera National Park. The researcher believes that in the light of the research results, the decision making system for Akagera National Park tourism and conservation development plans is still highly centralised, which, conversely, work against participatory development approach. The study recommends that local communities in the Akagera area should be consulted and involved in development programmes within their villages from the start, as this process will present a significant step towards ensuring more adequate participation in conservation and tourism. Finally, the researcher recommends that further studies should be conducted to engage in evaluation of impacts and successes of governmental policy of 5% revenue sharing, which should be implemented in communities around Akagera National Park.