Tourism development theory and practical implementation has evolved over time. In an attempt to find approaches that can minimise the negative impacts of tourism, research has been emphasising efforts to reduce the tensions created by the interaction between the tourism industry, tourists, the environment and host communities. Furthermore, the sustainability debate has framed these discussions on meeting the triple bottom line in adherence to the goals of sustainable development. Much of this research draws on constructivist and realist theories that advocate for tourism as a tool for development. Though this study appreciates the various methodologies recommended for sustainable tourism development, such methodologies lack a holistic approach that can concurrently address a destination's economic, environmental and socio-cultural challenges. This research therefore focuses on integrating approaches to the tourism development process and the implications of such an approach for the triple bottom line. The Mount Elgon region of Kenya comprise two protected areas and one national park, and serves as a case study to better understand the application of an integrated approach. The research is informed by conceptual insights into sustainable tourism that underpin planning. Planning is central to outlining methodologies that can foster tourism in underdeveloped regions. The conceptual framework used in this study proposes the application of three approaches, namely ecosystem management, multistakeholder engagement and geospatial analysis of the tourism resource base. Each of these approaches is aligned to a key positive output of tourism development in protected areas. These outputs, as identified in literature, are biodiversity conservation, socio-cultural enhancement and economic growth. They are central to understanding the significance of the three pillars of sustainability. The research utilised a mixed-method approach that included qualitative analysis by means of policy document review, in-depth and semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, participant observation and participatory rural appraisals. These different data sources were employed to develop an integrative framework for tourism development in the protected areas within the Mount Elgon region. Content analysis was used to study the open-ended data, all the while considering the economic, environmental, and socio-cultural dimensions. The analysis of these three dimensions in relation to the study area revealed many of the challenges that stakeholders in tourism development in the Mount Elgon region face. By exploring these methodological avenues, the research identifies the linkages and overlaps that can be united in an integrative framework. Initial outputs consist of an analysis of the implications of creating integrated approaches and synergising it into an integrative framework for the purpose of developing tourism in protected areas. The findings indicate that integrated approaches can be applied to understand the roles of the primary stakeholders in building or enhancing tourist destinations, local participation, environmental preservation and conservation and market sustainability of tourism enterprise development. The intention is to create a mechanism that will go beyond providing recommendations for Mount Elgon region stakeholders to embrace responsible nature-based tourism, and that allows researchers to adopt this methodology in similar environments and destinations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uct/oai:localhost:11427/23024 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Kariithi, Jacqueline Nduta |
| Contributors | Meadows, Michael E, Spenceley, Anna |
| Publisher | University of Cape Town, Faculty of Science, Department of Environmental and Geographical Science |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Doctoral Thesis, Doctoral, PhD |
| Format | application/pdf |
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