Residents' Perception of Tourism and their Satisfaction: Evidence from Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

This study aimed at assessing the influence of residents' perception of socio-cultural, economic and environmental impacts of tourism on their overall satisfaction with tourism. The moderation effect of residents' tourism economic dependency was also tested within these relationships. Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected from 160 residents living along the Mount Kilimanjaro climbing routes. Moderated multiple linear regression was used to test the hypotheses. The findings show that, generally, the residents are positive about the impacts of tourism in their areas, and that perceived economic and environmental impacts of tourism significantly influence residents' overall satisfaction with tourism. However, tourism economic dependency appears not to moderate the influence of perceived economic, social-cultural, and environmental impacts on residents' overall satisfaction with tourism. The study results offer implications to mountain destination managers on the use of perceived impacts of tourism in enhancing the residents' overall satisfaction as a means to sustainable tourism.