Attitudes towards initial tourism development in a community with no prior tourism experience: The case of Bigodi, Uganda

This study used qualitative methods to assess residents' attitudes towards initial tourism development in the small, rural village of Bigodi, Uganda. Due to geographic and political isolation, residents of Bigodi had little or no experience with tourism prior to the 1990s. This changed in 1991 when a tourism development project was initiated there. Although much turbulence followed, tourism was eventually established. In 2003, residents were interviewed about significant events in the village's history, including initial tourism development. Residents uniformly recalled that their attitudes towards initial tourism development were suspicion, anxiety and fear. Residents agreed that it took several years before attitudes began to improve. Analysis shows that residents' attitudes were dependent on events which happened long before the introduction of tourism. This suggests that conceptualising tourism as a complex system is helpful for recognising the multitude of factors which can potentially influence residents' attitudes. Implications for sustainable tourism development are discussed.