Attitudes of local community toward ecotourism in Ajloun Woodland Reserve
Akram Atef Rawashdeh, Department of Tourism, Faculty of Archeology and Anthropology, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan.
Abstract
The current study aimed to knowledge the Attitudes of local community toward ecotourism in Ajloun Woodland reserve and included four trends: the general attitudes toward tourism, as well as their attitudes toward economic, socio- cultural and environmental impacts of tourism in the region, and then examining the impact of this trends in accordance with variables such as sex, age, marital status, educational level, place of residence. A questionnaire was utilized for data collection which distributed to a sample of (242) citizens from villages surrounding the reserve (Urjan, Ba'oun, Umm Alyanabee, Mehna, Rason and Tyara). The primary results showed that there were significant differences in the attitudes from the sample side. Females, age group (20-29), singles and bachelor degrees holders, those who had monthly income less than 200 JDs, and the majority of Arjan village had a positive attitude towards tourism. The study recommended the need to distribute employment opportunities resulting from the establishment of protected areas and tourism activities over the surrounding villages in order to create a career loyalty and avoid antagonism.
Keywords: eco-tourism, Local community, Ajloun Forest Reserve.