Travelling off the beaten path? A look at the burgeoning community-based ecotourism industry in Tanzania

Community-based ecotourism (CBET), an extension of community-based conservation (CBC) in Tanzania is gaining attention from tour operators through the promotion of a tourism industry that will benefit local community members and encourage conservation of Tanzania's wildlife. Wildlife, the bread and butter of safari tourism (and the Tanzanian government), has historically been viewed by local communities as the unjust basis for a substantial loss to their livelihood. The establishment of protected areas has resulted in the displacement of local people and strict regulations restricting their access to natural resources. As such, local people often gain little from wildlife while others involved in safari tourism benefit tremendously. As a result, local people have a less than sympathetic attitude toward wildlife conservation. In an effort to promote wildlife conservation and bring benefits to local communities, a small network of tour operators, government officials, academics and non-profit staff are currently at the forefront of CBET initiatives throughout the northern safari circuit. This thesis explores the success of CBET as a rising strategy for wildlife conservation and community development in East Africa. Drawing from field work during the summer of 2008, online forums, and growing literature on CBET, I investigated the Tanzanian tourism industry by asking: is CBET succeeding at its objective to simultaneously facilitate local participation (that is active, engaging, and empowering) in the tourism industry. I argued throughout the thesis, that in some aspects CBET is succeeding in Tanzania while in others it is not.