Social and Economic Benefits of Tourism to the Local Community of Santiago City

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the social and economic
benefits of tourism to the Local Community of Santiago City. The
descriptive research design was employed using survey questionnaire
and structured interview in gathering the data. There were one
hundred five participants (105) comprising of LGU employees involved
in tourism planning, project formulation and policy making; people who
are directly involved in tourism business such as travel agencies, food
industry, hotel and resort establishments; and local entrepreneurs such
as souvenir shops and shops offering locale delicacies and independent
providers of other tourism products and services. Frequency,
percentage, weighted mean and the Likert scale were used for the
statistical data analysis. On the other hand, thematic analysis was
used for the interpretation of the participants’ responses as regards the
interview questions. Results showed that individuals, families and the
community as a whole enjoy the social benefits of tourism to a great
extent while the tourism benefits to the local economy of Santiago
City was rated to a great extent using the areas of individual income,
employment, foreign exchange, infrastructure, foreign investment,
local entrepreneurship and tax revenue as bases.