TITLE:
The Impact of Tourism Revenue on the Local Communities’ Livelihood: A Case Study of Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
AUTHORS:
Asantael Williams Melita, Samuel Mendlinger
KEYWORDS:
Ecotourism; Maasai; Economic Development; Indigenous Population
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Service Science and Management,
Vol.6 No.1,
March
29,
2013
ABSTRACT:
The tourism
industry is the world’s largest industry and is being utilized for economic
development and rapid growth in many developing countries. In Tanzania the
tourism industry is growing at an annual rate of almost 5% and contributes 17% to GDP. Tanzanian tourism is based
on wildlife tourism which requires not only programs for the conservation and
protection of flora, fauna and the environment but also for job and wealth
creation for the indigenous population who often pay a cost in lost land usage
for conservation and tourism. Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is unique in Tanzania
in that it is a conservation area but contains a population of almost 70,000
people (mostly Maasai) living in it. This paper, based on a survey of 119 local
Maasai and 39 employees of the NCA’s governing authority, examines whether
tourism revenue directed to the Maasai pastoralist communities has an impact on
their economic development and how much does this revenue complement other
income sources. We found that while members of the local community are
economically benefiting, many people are still not aware of tourism’s potential
for them.