Published Article / The economic value of tourism makes it an attractive sector for commerce. Ethiopia has experienced rapid changes during the last decade and can be regarded the leading economic stimulator of the Horn of Africa. The challenge is therefore not only to develop tourism in a sustainable way so that a growing population can be fed, but simultaneously to create better livelihoods for millions of people. The primary objective is to develop an overall education, training and multi-disciplinary research plan for Ethiopian universities with an integrated gender perspective in the field of (eco) tourism, taking into account the professional and/or educational needs of the labour market and the demand-driven research needs of relevant external stakeholders in Ethiopia. Specific plans for universities with regard to training courses, study programmes and demand-driven research programmes will be developed, while explicitly avoiding overlap and overprovision of the afore-mentioned courses and programmes at national level.

<p>This thesis explores communities’ participation and involvement in both wildlife-based and tourist activities in south Luangwa national park with particular focus on local participation/ devolution. Specifically, it assesses whether the legal provisions for community participation in wildlife management spelt out in the wildlife policy take into account various factors which enhances the effectiveness of local participation in CBNRM. It then examines various forms of community participation in wildlife management and small scale tourism activities. Finally, the study examines sources of conflict which may occur over natural resources in SLNP and adjacent GMA.</p><p>The study uses political ecology and protected area management paradigm as the theoretical frameworks. The former comprises four major elements, which include the politicization of the environment, a focus on actors as the contestants in this politicization, inequality in distribution of power between and among actors in the park, and the dynamic involvement of natural environment in this process. The latter, uses a CBC framework that is based on: allowing people living near the protected lands to participate in land-use policy and management decisions; giving people proprietorship or ownership over wildlife resources; and, giving local people economic benefit from wildlife conservation. A case study approach is adopted involving qualitative research method. Data were collected through personal observation, formal and informal interviews, focus groups and document review. In a case study approach, an empirical inquiry, which investigates contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context such like wildlife, is analyzed and interpreted through the selected theoretical frameworks.</p><p>The data reveal that, local people living near SLNP and in the Lupande GMA do not per se actively participate in land-use policy and management decisions. Further, data indicate that community resource boards in the three chiefdoms have not been given ownership over wildlife resources. ZAWA has continued appropriating all the revenues accruing from wildlife utilization in the area since its inception. This is contrary to what is stated in the wildlife policy and wildlife Act 1998. Also, data shows that many local people do not individually benefit from wildlife-based and tourist activities. Additionally, data indicates that different interest groups expect different types of participation to achieve their own goals. Accordingly, participation varied among various interest groups although much of it as reported by respondents concentrated in the two lower levels of Pretty’ typology. The findings are significant because they offer a framework for understanding challenges and conflicts related to wildlife conservation and tourism development.</p>

This thesis explores communities’ participation and involvement in both wildlife-based and tourist activities in south Luangwa national park with particular focus on local participation/ devolution. Specifically, it assesses whether the legal provisions for community participation in wildlife management spelt out in the wildlife policy take into account various factors which enhances the effectiveness of local participation in CBNRM. It then examines various forms of community participation in wildlife management and small scale tourism activities. Finally, the study examines sources of conflict which may occur over natural resources in SLNP and adjacent GMA. The study uses political ecology and protected area management paradigm as the theoretical frameworks. The former comprises four major elements, which include the politicization of the environment, a focus on actors as the contestants in this politicization, inequality in distribution of power between and among actors in the park, and the dynamic involvement of natural environment in this process. The latter, uses a CBC framework that is based on: allowing people living near the protected lands to participate in land-use policy and management decisions; giving people proprietorship or ownership over wildlife resources; and, giving local people economic benefit from wildlife conservation. A case study approach is adopted involving qualitative research method. Data were collected through personal observation, formal and informal interviews, focus groups and document review. In a case study approach, an empirical inquiry, which investigates contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context such like wildlife, is analyzed and interpreted through the selected theoretical frameworks. The data reveal that, local people living near SLNP and in the Lupande GMA do not per se actively participate in land-use policy and management decisions. Further, data indicate that community resource boards in the three chiefdoms have not been given ownership over wildlife resources. ZAWA has continued appropriating all the revenues accruing from wildlife utilization in the area since its inception. This is contrary to what is stated in the wildlife policy and wildlife Act 1998. Also, data shows that many local people do not individually benefit from wildlife-based and tourist activities. Additionally, data indicates that different interest groups expect different types of participation to achieve their own goals. Accordingly, participation varied among various interest groups although much of it as reported by respondents concentrated in the two lower levels of Pretty’ typology. The findings are significant because they offer a framework for understanding challenges and conflicts related to wildlife conservation and tourism development.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters Degree in Recreation and Tourism in the Department of Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2009. / The study was conducted with the view of investigating the development of ecotourism in the Dukuduku Forest Reserve and surroundings, with specific attention paid to policy and its implementation. In an effort to develop this natural environment, there has been much overuse and degradation of the natural forest reserve. What has also been implicit is that tourist visitation numbers at the Dukuduku Forest Reserve, could decrease, and these reduced numbers of tourists could affect the employment rate within the local community. Pursuant to these observations and problems, the researcher found it appealing and necessary to explore the attitudes and perceptions of the local communities towards the usage of the natural forest reserve in Dukuduku. This would be achieved by investigating the participation, practices, and patterns associated with the existing policies and their implementation in the the Dukuduku Forest Reserve environment. In an attempt to investigate the research problem, the following research objectives were formulated: (a) To find out the extent to which stakeholders understand the meaning and importance of ecotourism in and around the Dukuduku Forest Reserve. (b) To investigate the adequacy of the provision of nature-based tourism facilities for employment purposes in the study area. (c) To examine whether there is undue over-emphasis on the commercialisation of the natural resources in the study area. (d) To reveal the degree to which tourism stakeholders participate in ecotourism development initiatives in the study area. (e) To establish whether the ecotourism related policies and practices, existing in the study area are geared towards benefitting the local community. The above listed objectives were investigated using a methodology process that involved the collecting of data from the local community of Dukuduku and other stakeholders, by means of questionnaires. The data collected was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences [SPSS] computer programme, which led to acquiring research findings. The findings that emerged showed that among the majority of respondents there is a relatively good understanding of the meaning and importance of ecotourism as a human activity. Notwithstanding, the social involvement of local communities in activities of the Dukuduku Forest and Settlement Area, were seen as inadequate. The majority of stakeholders indicated that they perceived a substantial number of ecotourism resources or facilities as inadequate and not employment based. Regarding the upholding the policy of conservation in contrast to the commercialisation of ecotourism resources, the majority of respondents were in favour of upholding the policy of conservation of ecotourism resources. The respondents were also asked to reveal how they perceive local community participation in ecotourism activities, the majority of the respondents agreed that there was no beneficial participation in ecotourism activities in the study area. Finally it was established that respondents in the study area revealed that the existing ecotourism related policies and practices were not clear to them and that the policies were geared to benefit the local community. In this regard the majority of the local community and the service providers individually indicated that the existence of policy formulation and its beneficiation was poor in the study area. The study concludes by offering some recommendations associated with the objectives of the study listed above.

Advancement of eco tourism with the building of a wellness centre. Consideration to indicators in strategies to build the new brand in order to maximise ROI / The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the health spas embark on marketing strategies and how they will deal with the increased consumer demand. On the one hand, a case study of two recognised health spas will illustrate how the spas integrate marketing strategies to build credible relationships with their customers and will demonstrate successes and failures of each health spa. On the other hand, an exploration of the market dynamics will present a consciousness of the customers’ expectations and suggest whether the level of service quality in the health spa is adequate to meet these needs. The practical implication of the study will assist in the design of a proposed model with best marketing practices for the sustainability of this competitive industry.

The purpose of this report has been to answer the following questions: - To what degree do visitors in Kiruna, take their environmental impact into caution when travelling? - In what way does ecotourism have an impact on the local ecosystems? - What does the future look like in terms of sustainable tourism in Kiruna?This report initially starts by explaining the meaning of ”Sustainability” and the subject is then being placed in relation to tourism. A web-based survey was sent to people who visited Kiruna during the winter 2015/2016. The visitors answered questions regarding their choices of transportation, accommodation and activities during their stay. A survey did also take place among the tourism companies within Kiruna. The participants answered questions regarding sustainable tourism. The results shows that the environment is not being prioritized in any further extent. However, European travelers and travelers from outside of Europe tend to prioritize their environmental impact in a higher grade than Swedish travelers. The interest in sustainable tourism among companies in Kiruna was shown to be high. However, in the present time, it is not being practiced in a large scale. When it comes to sustainability, the companies are requesting better marketing and information from the municipality. Even though the interest of participating in sustainable tourism has shown to be low among the visitors, a bright future can still be seen in the area.

Abstract Eco-tourism gives consideration to both ecological conservation and recreation, aiming to protect resources by means of making tourists recognizing the importance of ecosystem."Houbihu Marine Conservation Area "in the National Kenting Park is established for the conservation of biological diversity from protecting sea urchins in 2003 to all marine organisms two years later. Recovery of marine resources encouraged the idea to develop eco-tourism in the area; not only to propagate the benefits from resources conservation by allowing tourists for near contacts to marine ecosystem and sharing the achievements of protection, but also to promote transformation of local fishers and to improve their economic conditions. This study explores the feasibility of this idea, by literature reviews, questionnaire survey and in-depth interview with the six groups of people: tourists, managers, enforcement officials, experts (including scholars), industries and non-government organization. Discussions on the results and recommendations were provided in the study. ¡ikeyword ¡jEco-tourism¡BBiologicaldiversity¡BHoubihuMarine¡Bliterature reviews¡Bquestionnaire survey¡Bin-depth interview

Due to scarce natural resources and problems of governing the commons, alternative management of the commons has again emerged. The earlier known governing methods used by international and state conservation are state or private ownership. Governing the commons with local institutions was brought to attention in 2009 by Elinor Ostrom. In this case-study of governing the commons, a national park is the objective. There are many stakeholders, with a focus on the community institution. The co-management of governing the national park between the local institution, the state and the NGO is analysed to find out if sustainable governance can be achieved in Rio Limpio National Park, and if so how? The rules are set on the conditions of the state about the regulations of the national park, although its protection is legitimized by the activities of the local institution. The regulation that prohibits the use of the natural resources within the park is enforced in a situation -where poor people are directly dependant on the natural resources and have few employment alternatives. This creates conflicts between the state, the NGO and the community of the environmental policies. The study has shown that increased benefits of the community, as with social protection and local participation in decision making, will lead to more successful nature resource management as well as sustainable development.

Advancement of eco tourism with the building of a wellness centre. Consideration to indicators in strategies to build the new brand in order to maximise ROI / The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the health spas embark on marketing strategies and how they will deal with the increased consumer demand. On the one hand, a case study of two recognised health spas will illustrate how the spas integrate marketing strategies to build credible relationships with their customers and will demonstrate successes and failures of each health spa. On the other hand, an exploration of the market dynamics will present a consciousness of the customers’ expectations and suggest whether the level of service quality in the health spa is adequate to meet these needs. The practical implication of the study will assist in the design of a proposed model with best marketing practices for the sustainability of this competitive industry.

Pixaim assentou o seu lugar no mundo sobre dunas móveis da margem alagoana da foz do rio São Francisco. Não há registros históricos sobre a origem do povoado, mas a partir de levantamento de memória oral podemos estimar um século de assentamento no território. No passado as pessoas de Pixaim viviam da cultura do arroz em fazendas na várzea do São Francisco. Com a subtração desta atividade, a população do povoado diminuiu e a sobrevivência material e cultural ficou comprometida. Em 1983 foi criada a Área de Proteção Ambiental-APA de Piaçabuçu que abarcou Pixaim e outros povoados como o Pontal da Barra, na foz do São Francisco e, com os qual as pessoas de Pixaim desenvolveram uma prática de apropriação conjugada e valorativa do lugar de habitação. Com a APA os povoados passaram a ser merecedores de proteção ambiental especial e o uso dos recursos disponíveis no meio ambiente ficou vinculado a prescrições definidas em lei. Com o desfecho de um conflito explícito os moradores do Pontal da Barra foram expulsas da foz pela gestão da APA, e a área “recuperou” feições cênicas adequadas ao turismo ecológico. Neste contexto, a paisagem de Pixaim se transformou em objeto de desejo e consumo do turismo ecológico. Neste estudo buscou-se compreender as mediações na construção do imaginário turístico sobre Pixaim, através das representações disponíveis em fontes informacionais. Procurou-se analisar as narrativas nas fotografias veiculadas sobre o povoado em sites de turismo de Piaçabuçu, município do qual Pixaim e a foz do rio São Francisco são integrantes. Valendo-se da fotografia, os próprios moradores de Pixaim registraram o cotidiano do lugar para um “álbum” que, neste trabalho, revela os olhares “de dentro” (moradores de Pixaim) e “de fora” ( agentes envolvidos na promoção do turismo ecológico). O estudo foi estruturado em uma abordagem qualitativa, com pesquisa e análise das informações em suportes midiáticos, mais a metodologia da etnografia, história oral, observação participante e entrevista. / Pixaim settled its place on the world of moving sand dunes of the Alagoas margin at the mouth of the São Francisco River. There are no historical records of the origin of that village, but the oral memory survey allows us to estimate a century of settlement in the territory. In the past, people of Pixaim used to make their living by rice farming on farms in the lowland of the São Francisco River. Along with the subtraction of this activity, the population of the village decreased as well as the survival of its material and cultural life were jeopardized. In 1983, it was established the Area of Environmental Protection (APA) of Piaçabuçu that comprises Pixaim and other settlements at the mouth of the São Francisco River, such as Pontal da Barra, with which the people of Pixaim has developed a practice of conjugal and evaluative appropriation of the dwelling place. The establishment of the APA has led the settlements to a special environmental protection, as the use of its available environmental resources are attached to what has been prescript in law. An outcome of an explicit conflict, the people of Pontal da Barra were banished from the mouth of the river by the APA’s management and the area “recovered” scenic features appropriate to the eco-tourism. In this context, the landscape of Pixaim has become an object of desire and consumption of ecological tourism. In this study, we sought to understand mediations in the construction of the tourist imaginary about Pixaim through the representations available in multimedia information. An attempt to analyze the narratives presented on photographs on tourist sites of Piaçabuçu, municipality of which Pixaim and the mouth of the São Francisco River are members. The photographs taken by the residents of Pixaim recorded the daily life of the village for an “album” that, for this work, illustrates the confrontation between the “inside” gaze (the residents of Pixaim) and “the outside” one (the agents involved in the promotion of eco-tourism). This study was structured in a qualitative approach, with information research and analysis in media added to the methodology of the ethnography, oral history, participant observation and interviews.