COMMUNITY BASED ECOTOURISM IN HUNGARY: CITIZENS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS THE ROMA COMMUNITY

Abstract

This study sort to establish the perceptions of the Hungarian citizens on the involvement of the Roma community in ecotourism. The study targeted domestic tourists through an online survey. A descriptive survey research design was adopted and sampled 247 domestic tourists who had visited tourist destinations in Somogy County and Baranya County in Hungary. Analysis of the quantitative data collected revealed that Hungarian citizens perceive the Roma people‟s culture and their natural environment as have the potential to facilitate ecotourism development in rural destinations in Hungary. Approaches to full integration of the Roma community in ecotourism development in rural parts of Hungary are recommended.

Keywords

• community based tourism
• ecotourism
• economic development
• hungary
• involvement of roma