ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF TOURISM ACTIVITIES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LARABANGA COMMUNITY IN NORTHERN GHANA.

Tourism has been lauded for having a telling impact on the socio-cultural, environmental and economic fibres of particularly the host communities. These impacts can either be positive or negative. The main objective of this study was to assess the impact of tourism activities on the development of the Larabanga community. To carry out this, the research adopted both the quantitative and qualitative approaches in research. The respondents identified for the study included the chief of the community, community members, focus group of five and a member of the tourism management board. The simple random sampling technique was adopted in selecting the members of the community. However, the purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the chief, the member of the tourism management board and the focus group. The main instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire. The study revealed that the interaction between tourists and the host community has brought about a couple of socio-cultural, environmental and economic impacts. The study revealed some of the socio-cultural impacts of tourism in the community included preservation of culture, exchange of cultural values. Some of the environmental impacts also included the incidence of noise and air pollution. Some of the economic impacts also included the increment in the prices of goods, development of infrastructure and the increase in employment opportunities.