The exploration of value domain attribute in argungu community with an emergent voluntourism economy and its accrued benefits

Abstract

The paper focuses on residents’ perceptions of personal benefits derivable from voluntourism activity via host and guests relationships. Various paradigms has been attempted to filter rural- urban dichotomy but with less attention to residents’ attitudes and natural assets as a transit to rural revitalization thus necessitated the combination of theory of planned behaviour & sustainable livelihood factors (TPB & SLF). The strength of the theories rests on their receptiveness, ability to delve into rural natural endowments and exploration of resident’s behavioural patterns thus encapsulate the veracity of the approaches. The study was conducted through an extensive literature review combined with an in-depth case study analysis that identified a range of potentials in applying TPB & SLF to examine rural economy, residents’ attitudes and their livelihood assts. These in turns were examined based on socio demographic relationships and personal benefits through the administration of structured questionnaires. It reveals that the residents’ perceptions of personal benefits from voluntourism activity were closely related with their attitudes towards voluntourists in a positive direction. Hence, it reiterates the significant of economic perspective of tourism benefits for residents of Argungu where voluntourism is still a mirage. Precisely, the data aligned and gives credit to TPB &SLF in voluntourism explorations of resident’s benefits.