Abstract

The local community is one of the most important stakeholders in tourism development. Local people could participate in tourism through policy and planning process; benefits sharing or owning community projects. However, in most instances, private benefit of conservation to individuals, households and even entire community are not made clear or may be non-existent. This research examines the level of participation by communities around Saiwa Swamp National Park, created primarily for the protection of the rare Sitatunga antelope in Rift valley Kenya. Chi-square test, ANOVA, t-tests and correlations were performed in order to investigate, if there is a direct relationship between residents' participation variables and support for tourism. In general, there is a direct relationship between involvement in decision-making and support of tourism.

Key words: Tourism, residents’ participation, Saiwa, Kenya.