Residents' perception and impact of COVID-19 on ecotourism in West Africa: The case of Banco National Park in Côte d’Ivoire

Ecotourism, as a means of fostering socio-economic level of local communities and contributing to the conservation of forest resources, is important for development in low-income countries. This work investigates the extent to which local people support the continuation of ecotourism during the COVID-19 pandemic and their attitudes towards resource conservation in Banco National Park in Côte d’Ivoire using social exchange theory (SET) as a foundation. A closed-ended questionnaire was used to conduct a survey with 150 informants selected among residents around the park. The data were analyzed using descriptive, correlational, and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approaches. The results showed that residents' perception of the impacts of ecotourism strongly affects their support for tourism development during the COVID-19 pandemic (β = 0.918, p < 0.05). The socio-cultural (β = 0.275, p < 0.05) and environmental (β = 0.309, p < 0.05) benefits of ecotourism are the key determinants of the residents' perception and their support for ecotourism within the park during COVID-19 pandemic. The findings also revealed that economic benefits from ecotourism are linked to residents' perceptions of the qualities of the tourism place (β = 0.363, p < 0.05). Overall, local people around Banco Park recognize that ecotourism produces more benefits than detriments. The COVID-19 pandemic, a painful and unexpected event, has not blunted their support for the continuation of ecotourism. This study calls for the integration of local residents' opinions in the development of the ecotourism sector in Côte d’Ivoire. It is a first step in determining residents' attitudes towards ecotourism in West Africa in a post-COVID context, and the results constitute a starting point for future studies.