Residents' preferences for tourism development in protected regions

Abstract of this study

Purpose- This study aims to uncover residents' individual perceptions of nature-based destination development and their preferences for infrastructure and tourism superstructure development among communities heavily dependent on wildlife tourism.

Design/methodology/approach - A discrete choice experiment was conducted among the Maasai community in the villages and towns near the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Attributes included type of tourist accommodation, location of tourist accommodation, type of access roads (tarred or gravel), number of tourists and desired land use options (between tourism development, livestock grazing and agriculture).

Results - It was found that the introduction of land use restrictions and the location of tourist accommodation were the most important attributes for respondents, with average importance scores of 30.36% and 24.02% respectively. A significantly less important attribute was access roads, with an average importance score of only 8.38%. The cluster analysis showed a wide heterogeneity of preferences.

Research limitations/implications - The survey was conducted in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, and therefore may not be relevant to alpine tourism in other contexts. The focus was also exclusively on the preferences of local residents. The results add to the body of knowledge on tourism development and resident support for protected area development and management.

Practical implications - For policy makers, conservationists and tourism operators, this study provides a reference source for understanding the development preferences of the Maasai community. In general, the study contributes to a better understanding of local communities in relation to tourism development and residents' support for protected area development and management.

This study contributes to a gap in the literature on tourism development and resident support for protected area developments by highlighting some boundaries of acceptable and desirable use of protected areas within a community that has a complex coexistence with a wildlife tourism destination. It provides an alternative perspective for future research by exploring residents' destination development choices and preferences for infrastructure and tourism superstructure development using an experimental approach.

Key findings

• The introduction of land use restrictions and the location of tourist accommodation were the most important attributes for the residents surveyed. Their average importance scores were 30.36% and 24.02% respectively.
• The type of access roads was a significantly less important attribute, with an average importance score of just 8.38%.
• The analysis showed a wide heterogeneity of preferences among residents. Three different clusters were identified: "land use-oriented", "tourism volume-oriented" and "location-oriented".
• In general, residents favored the construction of campsites and new tourist accommodations in the reserve as well as unpaved roads on common land. They rejected land use restrictions for livestock grazing.

Publication: Cynthia Richter Ojijo & Robert Steiger (2025)