Abstract:
Community-Based Tourism (CBT) has been pushed as one of the strategies for poverty
alleviation and it might enhance the sustainability of marginalized regions and communities. However,
tourism has also been argued to carry seeds for its own destruction and therefore presents a great
dilemma and developmental paradox. This research sought to establish perceptions of the citizenry
towards community-based tourism as a sustainable development strategy for rural regions in Kenya.
The study focused on the awareness levels of CBT, and perceived contributions of CBT to the
socio-economic and physical sustainability of rural regions in Kenya. A descriptive research design
was adopted with a sample of 395 respondents. Data collected were collated and analyzed using
SPSS 25 and Nvivo 12. Findings revealed that agriculture and other economic activities can be
integrated with tourism and hospitality to deliver sustainable development in rural regions given
the vast resources and attributes ideal for CBT. The majority of the respondents were noted to have
a fair understanding of what CBT entails and thus calling for more capacity building, training and
appropriate technical support to unlock the full potential of CBT as a sustainable development
strategy. Overall results showed favorable perceptions towards CBT as a tool that can contribute to
the sustainability of the socio-economic and physical environments in Kenya’s rural region.
