Contribution of Ecotourism to the Community’s Economy in Coastal Areas of Tanzania

This study assesses the contribution of ecotourism to community economies in Tanzania's coastal areas, with a focus on Kisarawe village, Kunduchi Street, and Kaole village in the Pwani and Dar es Salaam regions. Using a cross-sectional research design that incorporated both qualitative and quantitative approaches, data were collected from 151 households within a 50-kilometer radius of the Pugu-kazimzumbwi Nature Forest Reserve, Mbudya Island, and the Kaole Historical Site through semi-structured surveys. Qualitative data was analyzed using relative frequency analysis, while quantitative data was examined using descriptive statistics, including mean, variance, and standard deviation. The analysis was conducted using MS Excel and IBM SPSS software. Results revealed that ecotourism contributed 41.15% of the total monthly household income, with a median monthly income of TZS 186,920 from ecotourism-related occupations. Six main ecotourism occupations were identified: service provision (25.5%), cleaning services (25.1%), tour guiding (24.7%), first aid nurses (8.5%), curio shops (8.1%), and nursery attendants (8.1%). Community initiatives supporting ecotourism included tree planting (26.4%), food services (21.0%), road maintenance (15.8%), and improvements to water supply (10.5%) and electrical services (10.5%). Local businesses supporting ecotourism provided food and beverage supply (26.3%), motorcycle transportation (5.3%), and other hospitality services (63.1%). While other income sources constitute 58.85% of household income, ecotourism has emerged as a substantial complementary source (41.15%) for coastal communities. The research highlights ecotourism's potential as a tool for economic development in Tanzania's coastal regions, suggesting the need for continued support of sustainable ecotourism to enhance community livelihoods