Promoting Sustainable Tourism: Assessing Student and Non-Student Youth Involvement in Outdoor Recreation Activities in Morogoro, Tanzania

Abstract

Tourism, especially recreational activities, continues to be a major sector contributing to the country's foreign currency and national income. This study aimed at assessing the participation of both students and non-student youth in outdoor recreational activities so as to add knowledge by assessing students' and non-student youth’s awareness of the benefits of outdoor recreational activities, attitudes towards participating in outdoor recreational activities, and levels of satisfaction from participating in outdoor recreational activities among them. The study used a cross-sectional design, and purposive sampling was employed to include 120 respondents. Data were collected using questionnaires comprised of both closed and open-ended questions and data were analyzed using SPSS computer software together with an independent T–test to compare means of variables but descriptive data were analyzed and presented in frequencies and percentages. The results show that 55.7% of respondents were aware of the benefits of outdoor recreational activities that help in healthy and physical gains. The Majority of respondents about 44% responded that their attitude in participating in outdoor recreational activities is due to having fun with friends and family. Also, results found that there were no significant differences between male and female satisfaction in participating in outdoor recreation activities at (t88 = 1.329, P = 0.187). Finally, this study recommends that responsible actors and policymakers should do the promotion of outdoor recreation activities by raising awareness of the benefits of participating in various recreational activities.