2022, Vol. 4, Issue 2, Part A

author(s)
Scolastica Twili Nzomo and Dr. Lemmy Mureti Muriuki

abstract
One of the important tools for economic development in developing countries is rural tourism. In many developing nations, rural tourism is seen as a strategy for economic development. In Kenya, tourism is primarily practiced in established cities and towns, ignoring regional locations with the potential to develop tourist-related products. The economic benefits of tourism are hampered by a lack of sectoral cooperation and community involvement in rural places like Makueni. Adoption of an integrated rural tourism development plan can help the marginalized rural communities to benefit more from tourism industry. This research sought to ascertain how integrated rural tourist planning in Makueni County affected local employment. The target population of this study, which used a cross-sectional survey approach, was 182, 000 residents, and a sample size of 385 respondents was considered to be representative. While respondents were chosen using stratified random, the study sites were determined using purposeful sampling. Structured questionnaires that were sent to the local populations in the chosen sub-Counties were used to collect primary data. In order to establish the impact of integrated rural tourism on communities' employment, data were analyzed using SPSS software and significant levels were sought at p≤0.05. According to the findings, seasonal employment (p=0.01), contract employment (p=0.01), and permanent employment (p=0.05) were all statistically significant. The findings demonstrate that integrated rural tourist planning positively impacts local communities' ability to create jobs. The study came to the conclusion that community participation in planning for the growth of rural tourism in Makueni County has a significant impact on the generation of jobs for local residents.