Tourism and dependency: An analysis of Bigodi village, Uganda

Rural development is a priority in Uganda, East Africa and tourism is being promoted there for that purpose. However, in Uganda's Bigodi village tourism appears to have encouraged a dependency on Westerners—a situation contrary to development objectives like self-reliance. The research presented here investigated the relationship between tourism and dependency in Bigodi. Using qualitative methods, data were collected and analyzed during 10 months of fieldwork. Results show Bigodi's dependency is not a direct result of tourism. Instead, it results from a social-psychological condition known as an external locus of control. This condition has resulted from traumatic events in the village's past, such as civil strife and the creation of a nearby national park, which were acting on residents well before the introduction of tourism. This finding highlights the importance of understanding the social-psychological context into which any tourism development intervention will be injected. Management implications are discussed.