Are local communities participating in ecotourism projects?
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A well-crafted ecotourism strategy that encourages the participation of poor rural communities could create opportunities for local communities’ residents. This study investigated whether the local communities are participating in the implementation of ecotourism projects. A mixed-methods approach was adopted in the form of interviews and questionnaires. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and ATLAS TI applications were used for data analysis, respectively. The findings indicate that community members had not been properly informed about ecotourism services across the four local municipalities, thereby, community participation in ecotourism activities was somewhat sporadic, inconsistent, and informal. An improved communication network is recommended to encourage local participation in ecotourism businesses.