There is a paucity of research on political trust in local government institutions involved in tourism development in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates the drivers of public trust and its influence on residents’ well-being by developing a theoretical model grounded in the social exchange theory. The model is tested using data collected on 1409 residents of four major cities in Cameroon. Results from the Partial-Least-Squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) suggest that residents perceived positive and negative impacts of tourism, knowledge of tourism, perceived power in tourism, and satisfaction with tourism significantly predicted their trust in government actors. Residents perceived positive and negative impacts of tourism were also significantly associated with their quality of life. The theoretical and practical relevance of these results are discussed.

This paper examines the relationship and impact of sharing accommodation on the hotel occupancy rate (HOR) from a developing country perspective. Using panel data on the monthly HOR and the number of Airbnb room occupancy rate for the periods 2012–2016 and 2015–2016, respectively, the study applies a hierarchical regression model to respond to the research questions. The Pearson correlation test reveals a positive relationship between the HOR and Airbnb room occupancy rate, thus indicating that an increase in the hotel room occupancy rate moves in tandem with a rise in the Airbnb room occupancy rate. Further test revealed that increase in the Airbnb room occupancy rate coincided with an increase in the hotel room occupancy rate. In addition, the Airbnb platform was found to appeals to a different tourist market profile than does that of hotels, and that, therefore, the two products may be viewed as non-competitors. Furthermore, inconsistencies in regulatory provisions, in terms of which hotels are required to undergo various legal procedures as opposed to such platforms, are evident. The study recommends that the Swaziland Government should undertake stakeholder consultations aimed at developing regulations to manage and monitor sharing accommodation platform participants that will incorporate its innovative and diverse dimensions. The study is important as it provides insights into tourism destination managers on the impact of the sharing economy from a developing country perspective where empirically based research that could be useful in policy formulation is scant.

Tourism is increasingly seen as a pathway to development. However, a condition for the developmental role of tourism is that it is properly planned and managed. This is usually based on specific tourism policy frameworks and research providing guidance and targets for planning and development actions. This research note is contextualised within a tourism planning and development situation in which tourism policy guidelines are missing, and supporting tourism research is extremely limited, with the case focusing on the emerging economy and tourism destination of Cameroon, in Central Africa. The paper provides a thematic overview of tourism research in the country, outlining the key issues and challenges in the national tourism governance and policy landscape. It is concluded that, to capitalise on the benefits of the growing industry, there is an urgent need for national tourism policies, supported by more intensive research on tourism and its role in development.

This paper builds on the premise of the destination branding theory regarding the influence of destination brand associations on the sport tourism experience. The paper presents an empirical analysis of perceived brand messages of South Africa from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders and major event attendees. Data collected from 403 respondents and in-depth interviews conducted with 24 key industry stakeholders of sport events and destination branding organizations, revealed that South Africa is a competitive destination for sport event hosting as the destination annually attracts a significant number of international sport tourists. Destination brand images that were auspiciously perceived are the destinations’ favourable climate, the currency exchange rate, and the natural landscape/setting. Other destination branding features such as improving safety aspects and more visible on-site branding are contingent on investment and leveraging strategies from both public and private entities. The paper theoretically contributes to the destination branding theory by focusing on the application of strategic constructs of co-branding in a unique, sport tourism environment. Accordingly, it advocates stakeholders to adopt useful approaches to augment long-term brand positioning strategies.

The study, which focused on Bobiri Forest Reserve and Butterfly Sanctuary in Ghana, sought to identify the challenges that the local communities face in contributing to the sustainability of the Sanctuary, to categorise the benefits that the local communities derive from ecotourism, and to evaluate the local involvement toward the sustainability of the Sanctuary. A mixed-methodological approach was employed in the data collection and analysis. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 387 respondents, selected from the six surrounding communities, at the study site. The study also purposively selected and interviewed some key informants. The study revealed that the local communities did not contribute much to the sustainability of the Sanctuary. At the time of the study, the national government received most of its economic benefits at the expense of the local communities. The study recommends the involvement of the neighbouring communities in the development of ecotourism in the Sanctuary, as well as the introduction of structures that help to ensure equitable distribution of the economic benefits accruing from ecotourism.