Factors influencing community participation in cultural tourism at Kit Mikayi in Kisumu county, Kenya

Abstract

High poverty level, especially in the rural area is one of the major developmental challenges in Kisumu County. This study is an analysis of factors influencing community participation in cultural tourism for poverty alleviation at Kit Mikayi in Kisumu County. The extent to which socio-economic characteristics of the local people influence their participation in cultural tourism was assessed, followed by an analysis on how education levels, as well as tourism policy framework influence participation in cultural tourism. Community participation in cultural tourism is at the center of development and the projects include community owned lodges and other facilities which provide positive economic benefits such as income, job opportunities and improved infrastructures. An exploratory and descriptive research designs were adopted, employing cross sectional survey with the use of questionnaires and key informant guides to get indepth information about the community. The sample size was determined through an approach based on precision rate and confidence levels. Systematic random sampling of households was done so as to draw a representative sample from the target population. Interview schedules were administered to the key informants while questionnaires were administered to the sampled heads of household. Data was cleaned for possible errors, organized, coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics with the aid of SPSS to generate tables, frequencies and percentages. Findings of this study revealed that high percentage of Kit Mikayi residents (78.6%) have low household income, which limits the ability to start cultural tourism enterprises. It is also clear from the study that majority (61.4%) have low level of education. Spearman‟s correlation test revealed a relationship between level of education and community projects. Residents of this community reported positively on Government interventions to develop cultural tourism for community development. However, community involvement in development process is very low. In conclusion, cultural tourism at Kit Mikayi can improve local people‟s livelihood by creating self employment, income generating activities and improved standards of living. Therefore community empowerment programs should be initiated to enhance their ability to participate in cultural tourism activities. The study has suggested further research for sustainable cultural tourism development in the tourists‟ destinations.