URBAN DECENTRALIZATION AND QUALITY OF LIFE: INSIGHTS OF TOURISM SECTOR STAKEHOLDERS IN CAMEROON

Abstract

One of the main objectives of tourism development (TD) is to enhance the quality of life (QOL) of communities and stakeholders. The enhancement of tourism activities can progressively enhance the popular possibilities for community regeneration. Decentralization in the tourism sector will enhance the livelihood of residents and stakeholders. This study aimed at investigating how decentralization in the tourism sector can enhance and improve the life of tourism stakeholders and the local residents. This research is a qualitative research that involves the stakeholders from various public and private tourism sectors in both the English and French speaking regions in Cameroon (both control by a single government). In addition, in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with relevant key informants. The results indicate that tourism is still at its unawareness and infant stage. Vital outcomes suggest that, while respondents generally agreed that decentralization has many positive benefits on tourism stakeholders, such benefits are often concentrated at government level (centralized), or contained within privately owned businesses. The lack of decentralization sharing can be attributed to the low level of involvement of residents and stakeholders in the sector, unsuitable management practices that promote neither inclusiveness, nor the nomination of resident. The study recommends that policies and strategies that encourage urban development should be decentralized rather than centralized in the country, to ensure that the appropriate structures are put in place for the equitable distribution of the economic benefits to resident to enhance their quality of life. This paper is to demonstrate how well decentralization can enable and improve the life of tourism stakeholders.