The experiences of local communities in ecotourism businesses: A mixed-methods analysis of four local municipalities

Abstract

Ecotourism is believed to possess the ability to supplement income when compared to other sources of income. This study investigated the experiences of residents of four local municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. A missed-methods approach was adopted in the form of a questionnaire and interviews. Questionnaires were randomly administered to 204 participants 32 participants were purposefully selected for the interviews. SPSS and ATLAS TI applications were used for data analyses. The study revealed that communities struggled to get a share of the ecotourism pie due to extreme poverty. Most of these activities were informal and focused on meeting the subsistence needs of community members. The study concludes that communities in these local municipalities had more negative than positive experiences of ecotourism practice, partly due to a lack of relevant information, support, knowledge, and business skills on how best to capitalise on ecotourism opportunities.