Poverty reduction through tourism: residents’ perspectives

Abstract

Increase in the number of people living in poverty in the world has led to an increasing search for strategies to address the situation, and tourism has been identified as one of the relevant tools for reducing poverty. The paper assesses the role that tourism can play in addressing the needs of the residents of the Lake Bosomtwe Basin. A study conducted in a traditional area in Ghana placed “the poor” in the centre of the search for appropriate strategies to tackle poverty. A resident’s survey undertaken in January 2006 reveals that the residents are fully aware of the problems of the area, and also, have an adequate knowledge of how tourism tied in to their needs. The paper confirmed the essential role tourism can play in reducing poverty and realizing other developmental goals. Based on the nature of the needs of the residents (hospital, potable water, good roads and security), it was concluded that their needs were compatible with the goals of sustainable tourism development as these are elements required from any good tourist destination. It was also concluded that “the poor” could be valuable partners in the search for solutions to reduce poverty in the world