Sustainable Community-based Tourism:

Exploring the Socio-economic Benefits Enjoyed by the Gairezi Community, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The paper seeks to explore the sustainability of the socio-economic benefits derived from the Gairezi ecotourism project based on the community’s narratives. Relativist ontology and subjectivist epistemology were adopted in order to best understand the community’s experiences and perspectives regarding how they benefit from the ecotourism project. The research identifies the different groups within the Gairezi community to explain the sustainability concept in terms of degree of community involvement, the project’s impact on the quality of life, contribution to the community’s economic activities and preservation of tourism resources. Thematic content analysis was used to present the community’s narratives and results were interpreted through an analysis of the community’s experiences and perspectives. The research findings indicate that the Gairezi CBT initiative has managed to conserve the area’s natural resources. The local residents expect more direct monetary benefits, and current income sources are wages and sale of handicrafts. Furthermore, the study found that the CBT’s benefits were enjoyed by a few individuals and the project provides no linkages with the community’s economic activities. The researchers concluded that the socio-economic benefits derived by the community from the ecotourism project are limited. This research elaborates the different ways in which the Gairezi community is benefitting from the CBT project with much focus on the sustainability principles. It provides future direction to researchers and policy makers on the ability of the ecotourism project to sustain rural livelihoods