The Role of Local Government in the Development of Tourism in Iringa Region, Tanzania

This study assessed the role of the Local Government(LG) in the development of tourism in the Iringa Region. In this study, both primary and secondary data were collected and a sample size of 60 respondents was selected. The study used questionnaires, observation, Focus Group Discussion(FGD) and interviews to collect information from the targeted population. Data analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), content analysis, and Microsoft Excel. The study revealed that Local Governments have a crucial role in ensuring peace and security, development of tourism products, promotion of local tourism attractions, promotion of tourism awareness to the tourism stakeholders, formulation and execution of tourism development plans of the destination and control of land use planning. Challenges facing LG include inadequate budget, lack of tourism personnel, lack of tourism information offices and the lack of coordination of tourism roles between Local Government Authorities and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (MNRT). Furthermore, the study findings suggested measures to develop tourism including increasing budget allocation in tourism activities, enhancing strong coordination of tourism activities between the Central Government and LG as well as improving Public Private Partnership (PPP) in tourism development.


INTRODUCTION
Tourism as a product and service-oriented industry generates widespread benefits and impacts to the world economy and society.According to the International Tourism Statistics of 2015, travel and tourism are vital for the economic prosperity of the world whereas it has contributed 7,170 billion USD to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is 9.8% of total GDP (WTTC, 2016).The tourism industry in 2015 has generated 283,578,000 employments which is 9.5% of the total employments (WTTC, 2016).The tourism industry is regarded as the backbone of the economy in most countries in the world including Tanzania.Tourism in Tanzania is growing rapidly and has an important contribution to the growth of the economy.According to MNRT Statistical Bulletin (2018), tourism has generated 2.4 billion USD and according to the MNRT budget speech (2021/2022), tourism contributes 17% to the GDP and 1.6 million direct and indirect employments.
According to the UNWTO (2015), tourism contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) particularly getting rid of poverty, provision of quality education, clean water and sanitation, getting rid of hunger and promoting gender equality.Furthermore, tourism could be a source of revenue (foreign exchange earnings, tax revenue) to the government and because of its multiplier effect, could provide opportunities for local economic development (LED).Tourism is the largest source of employment opportunities and a huge wealth originator and a great contributor to the diversified economy (Manzoor et al. 2019).Additionally, for the tourism sector to bring desired outcomes including social, cultural, ecological and economic development in the country, needs closer supervision of both Central Governments and Local Governments with the collaboration of all key stakeholders such as national and international tourism organizations such as World Tourism Organizations (UNWTO) and World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).Although tourism has many players like Government institutions, private sectors and local community, Local Governments have a crucial role in ensuring the development of tourism in order to achieve the desired development goals such as maximizing the growth of the economy, poverty alleviation as well as the improvement of social and physical infrastructures in the country.In connection to that, Local Governments are very close to people and tourism resources but in most of the areas in Tanzania, they do not play a crucial role in developing tourism while most of the duties have been handled by the central government especially through MNRT.
There are different actors involved in tourism development including the private sector, government, donor agencies, civil societies and local people (Muganda et al. 2013).Local communities are regarded as an important asset in tourism development as tourism is within their premises where these activities take place.According to Nagarjuna (2015), active involvement of the local community in tourism activities is highly essential and inevitable since it is a basic way of increasing the benefits of tourism and minimizing the negative impacts on the economic, socio-cultural and ecological environments.Local communities are regarded as legitimate and moral stakeholders in tourism development hence, have to be involved in tourism through the provision of employment opportunities, benefit sharing as well as in policy and decision-making so that it will enhance the trust and confidence of the local people on the tourism industry (Nagarjuna, 2015).
URT (1999), has indicated the distribution of roles among various tourism stakeholders including private sectors, tourism organizations and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, particularly the tourism division.Local Governments are closer to people and tourism resources however, there is no study conducted to explore the role of Local Government in the development of tourism in Iringa Region.Thus, this study was designed to determine the role of Local Government in the development of the tourism sector in Iringa Region.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Study Area
This study was conducted in Iringa Region.Iringa Region is located south of the Equator between latitudes 6° 55 ' and 9° 00` while longitudinally is located between 33° 45` and 36° 55` east of Greenwich.Furthermore, Iringa Region has an area of 35,743 sq.Km with three administrative districts which are Iringa, Mufindi and Kilolo.Moreover, the region has five Local Government Authorities (LGAs) which are Iringa Municipal Council, Iringa District Council, Kilolo District Council, Mufindi District Council and Mafinga Town Council.According to URT (2012), Iringa region has a population of 941,238 people with an average population density of 26 people per square kilometer.

Research Design and Data Collection
The study employed a case study research design for easy collection of in-depth information through the use of both primary and secondary data sources.According to Rahi (2017), the population in research studies is defined as all people, units, or items that possess characteristics under study and for which findings of the research can be generalized.The target population for this study was 195 respondents consisting of 50 tourism business operators, 120 local communities involved in tourism, 10 heads of departments from Local Government Authorities, 5 district tourism officers, 2 tourism associations (Iringa Tourism Association and Tanzania Tour Guides Association), 1 Senior tourism officer from Kalenga Museum, Senior conservator from Isimila Stone Site, 2 Senior tourism lecturers from Iringa University, 2 tourism officers from Southern Highlands` Zonal Tourism Office and 1 tourism officer from Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB).
The study used random sampling and purposive sampling techniques.Through simple random sampling, a random number table was used to get a sample of 60 respondents from a total of 170 tourism business operators and local communities involved in tourism activities.Through purposive sampling, 25 respondents were selected according to their expertise and experience in the study including District Tourism Officers, Southern Highlands Zonal Tourism Officers, tourism officers from TTB (Southern circuit) and tourism institutions` staff from Iringa University, Kalenga Museum, Isimila Stone Site and Iringa Boma Museum.Also, through purposive sampling, the heads of natural resource and trade departments and tourism associations` leaders from the Iringa Tourism Association (ITA) and Tanzania Tour Guides Association (TTGA) were purposively selected.
The study used both secondary and primary sources of data collection.Data collection methods included questionnaires, interviews, FGD, observation and documentary literature review.Questionnaires were distributed to 60 respondents among the local community and tourism business operators whereas the interview method was used to 25 respondents including 8 tourism institutions, 2 leaders from ITA and TTGA, 10 Local Government heads of departments and 5 district tourism officers.FGD was conducted whereas 2 groups of six (6) members each from tourism institutions` management staffs and practitioners were purposively involved.In-depth observation was conducted in district tourism offices and tourism attractions.Also, the documentary literature review was used whereas, books, journals, government reports, census and statistics concerning tourism development were reviewed.

Data Analysis
Qualitative data analysis was conducted through content analysis and thematic analysis.Moreover, data were processed using both SPSS and Microsoft Excel.In the study, qualitative data interpretation methods were used whereby the nominal or responses of the respondents were coded then the main themes were identified.Finally, data were presented in tables, bar graphs and pie charts.The triangulation method was used to ensure validity whereas different methods of data collection were used.Moreover, the study considered ethical issues including informing respondents before conducting data collection.• Email: editor@ijfmr.com

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION The Role of Local Government in the Development of Tourism
The study explored the role of the Local Government (LG) in the development of tourism in Iringa Region.Respondents were asked to mention the roles of the Local Government in the development of tourism in Iringa Region (Table 1).The results in Table 1 show that, the majority of respondents (53.3%) agreed that Local Government plays a great role in ensuring peace and security.According to the research findings, it is not possible to develop tourism if the destination has no peaceful environment and security.Therefore, tourism needs the security of people and resources.During FGD, participants supported that, LG plays an important role in protecting tourists, community and resources that are used as tourist attractions.During the study, 46.7% of respondents accepted that LG plays a role in developing and diversifying tourism products and facilities (Table 1).For the tourism sector to be successful it is inevitable to have efficient and effective tourism products and facilities for maximizing tourists` experiences.Hall (2020) agrees with the study findings that Local Government is responsible for the development of local infrastructures and public amenities to facilitate the development of tourism.Also, the study findings indicate that LG plays a role in promoting local tourism attractions (Table 1).During an interview with the tourism officer from Iringa DC and Iringa MC it was reported that LG through district tourism officers promotes local tourism attractions through the use of local radios such as Nuru FM and Ebony FM, through attending domestic tourism exhibitions such as Utalii Karibu Kusini and Nanenane.Also, the study conducted by Godfrey (1998) supports that, LG is responsible for undertaking marketing of the destination.The study findings indicate that 38.3% of respondents accepted that, LG plays a role in promoting tourism awareness among tourism stakeholders (Table 1).During an interview with Mufindi DC and Mafinga TC tourism coordinators respectively it was reported that tourism awareness is promoted by LG through the provision of education to students and until October 2021 a total of 52 schools were visited such as Igowole secondary school, Luhunga secondary school, Ihowanza, Itengule,

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The Supervise and monitor standards of tourism services 3 5 Mkalala and Mdabulo secondary school to mention a few.Moreover, 36.7% of respondents said that LG plays a role in identifying tourism attractions on their premises (Table 1).To support this, the tourism coordinator from Mufindi DC said that: "In Mufindi DC we have discovered many attractions which are not known by people but when they know them they will be admired, Those attractions involve Kihansi River Basin which has unique frogs in the world, Malangali caves where Chief Mkwawa used for security against enemies, Natural basins like Ngwazi and Nzivi, Kihanga basin and Waga game reserve to mention a few".Furthermore, 31.7% of respondents supported that, LG has a role in formulating and implementing tourism development plans for the destination (Table 1).Under FGD it was reported that Local Government Authorities have to prepare short and long-term goals and formulate strategies and action plans concerning the development of tourism at the local level especially in product development and promotional strategies.More exploration of the study findings shows that 21.7% of respondents agreed that, LG makes supervision and controls land use planning for tourism development (Table 1).Under FGD it was reported that LG is necessary for the development of tourism since it supervises land use planning including the allocation of viable areas for tourism investment.For example, the Kihesa Kilolo area has been allocated for building the Southern Circuit Destination marketing center under the REGROW project.To support this, Iringa MC tourism officer said that, "Iringa Municipal Council has provided freely an area in Iringa Garden for cultural investors known as Masai Markets in order to conduct their cultural-based business since the area is highly reached by the majority of people".
8.3% of respondents agreed that LG provides technical advice to tourism stakeholders (Table 1).Also, the tourism officer from TTB in Iringa said, "LG has to play a great role in providing technical advice to tourism stakeholders on proper ways of doing tourism activities for example through making tourism stakeholders` meeting and making door to door visitation to tourism business operators".
Lastly, a few respondents (5%) agreed that LG has a role to supervise and monitor the standards of tourism services (Table 1) in order to improve the quality of services since the nature of services provided determines the level of tourists` experiences at the destination.

Challenges facing Local Government towards the development of tourism
In this study, respondents were asked to list various challenges facing LG in achieving the development of tourism in Iringa Region (Table 2).The findings presented in Table 2 show that, the majority of the respondents 66.7% agreed that lack of awareness of tourism among tourism stakeholders is the main challenge facing Local Government in achieving the development of tourism.According to FGD participants, Local LGAs as tourism stakeholders have failed to acknowledge the potentialities of tourism resources in enriching the development of the country and community hence, they are allocating minimal budget to finance tourism activities at the district level.One tourism officer as a key informant said that, "Local Government Authorities have little awareness of the tourism industry because once you prepare a budget for tourism projects every year they assume that, those activities will not be beneficial and they eventually decide to oppose the budget then everything goes worse".
The majority of the respondents (61.7%) accepted that LG fails to achieve the development of tourism due to the fact that, tourism is not given priority in budget (Table 2).One tourism officer said, "We have a lot of strategic plans and activities to do for example organizing stakeholders` meetings, improving tourism facilities and products as well as improving tourism information but we are given less than ten million shillings per year which is not capable of implementing those activities" Also, the study findings show that 45% of respondents accepted that the local Government fails to achieve the development of tourism due to the poor development of tourism products (Table 2).All key informants interviewed agreed that, although there are an adequate number of attractions in Iringa Region, still they are poorly developed and other supporting facilities are not in a good situation leading to the reduction of destination appeal to the visitors.Wade et al. (2001) agreed with the study findings that tourism development in Tanzania is obstructed by poor transport facilities, accommodation as well as information facilities.
In addition to that, 21.7% of respondents (Table 2) agreed that Local Government has no strategic linkage of roles with the Central Government in tourism development.There is no coordination of responsibilities in tourism development between the tourism department in Local Government and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.
Moreover, 21.7% of respondents said that conflicts over the use of resources are a challenge for the Local Government to achieve the development of tourism (Table 2).According to the key informants interviewed, conflicts over resources involve the invasion of protected resources by human activities such as agriculture, hunting as well as deforestation.Tourism officer from the Southern Highlands Zonal Office said that, "Community around Igeleke Rock Paints have invaded the area and they use that area for agricultural activities while some of them have started to build their settlements within the area leading to the reduction of the fascination of the area".
Furthermore, the efficiency in productivity in any sector needs the presence of adequate qualified and committed human resources.20% of respondents declared that Local Government fails to perform in tourism due to the scarcity of human resources (Table 2).Under observation in this study, human resources in the tourism sector in Local Government is very scarce.For example, there are only 3 tourism officers employed in Iringa Region while in other district councils, Local Government officers from other departments other than tourism are assigned duties to tourism activities.More exploration under study shows that 16.7% of respondents accepted that the local Government fails to develop tourism due to the poor involvement of key tourism stakeholders in various tourism programs (Table 2).Key informants interviewed reported that LG has minimal achievement in tourism development due to the poor involvement of key tourism stakeholders such as local community and tourism business stakeholders especially in domestic exhibitions as well as in the formulation and implementation of various tourism development plans.Notwithstanding the above, 5% of respondents agreed that the lack of tourism information offices (Table 2) is a hindrance to the development of tourism.According to the observation conducted, there is only one tourism information office which is in Iringa MC but other district councils have no tourism information offices.

Measures Undertaken by Local Government in Iringa Region to Develop Tourism
Table 3 presents measures to address challenges facing tourism development in Iringa Region.The majority of the respondents (66.7%) reported that, in order to develop tourism, LG should increase tourism awareness campaigns for the community and other key stakeholders (Table 3).According to URT (1999), in order to develop sustainable tourism it is inevitable to build awareness among the citizens or community on the importance of tourism and their position towards the development of tourism.
In both FGD groups, it was reported that it is necessary to incorporate tourism subjects in the education curriculum and there should be tour programs that must be conducted in all primary and secondary schools in Tanzania.This will plant a seed of loving tourism to the students then the whole community will have enough awareness of tourism.41.7% of respondents in this study indicated that, in order to develop tourism properly, LGAs should give the tourism sector a significant priority especially in budget allocation in order to finance various tourism programs (Table 3).Enough budgets should be allocated by the District Councils in order to finance various tourism projects including the development of tourism products and facilities at the destination.One key informant interviewed said that, "In order to develop tourism at the district level, the tourism sector should be given an emphasis especially through having its own cost center or making tourism an independent department contrary to the current where tourism is under the Land and Natural Resource department in which it is less considered in budget".Additionally, in FGD it was agreed that the allocation of sufficient budget by LG will lead to the enhancement of capacity building to the tourism service providers and staff as well as the development of tourism products and facilities.One tourism officer said, "The budget allocated for implementing various duties in the tourism sector is insufficient for example, we are getting less than ten million per year to accomplish all activities but it is impossible to implement even a quarter of those activities therefore, the Urban and Rural District Councils should allocate sufficient budget according to the total demands in relation to the proposed tourism activities or projects" Also, 36.5% of respondents suggested that, in order to develop the tourism sector successfully, there should be a strengthening of PPP in the tourism industry (Table 3).Key informants interviewed supported that, there should be integrated tourism development planning between public and private sectors, especially in product development as well as in preparation and participation in domestic and international tourism exhibitions.According to URT (1999), one of the main objectives of tourism is to increase tourism contribution to GDP and this becomes possible in the presence of effective marketing strategies.In this study, 30% of respondents stipulated that there should be improvement in marketing strategies for local tourism products in order to be successful in tourism development (Table 3).One leader from the tourism association as a key informant said that, "In order to develop tourism in Iringa Region, LGAs should put much energy into marketing and promotion of local tourism products through various means such as the use of local radios, district websites, online blogs, the use of brochures as well as through introducing tourism magazines which can be weekly or monthly".Moreover, 23.3% of respondents reported that, in order to develop tourism successfully, there should be an improvement of tourism infrastructures (Table 3).Under FGD it was accepted that tourism services and facilities such as roads, trails, communication systems, accommodation facilities, banking services, security systems, water and electricity supply should be improved in order to maximize tourists` experience.Furthermore, 18.3% of respondents suggested that there should be procurement of adequate and skilled personnel in order to develop fruitful tourism (Table 3).With reference to FGD, LG is required to procure professional and skilled tourism officers in each district council who will be responsible for the day-to-day supervision of tourism programs at the district level.
Notwithstanding the above findings, 15% of respondents proposed that there should be effective coordination of tourism roles between the Central Government and LG (Table 3).In FGD it was agreed that the national tourism policy, laws and regulations of the United Republic of Tanzania (URT) should be well communicated to the Local Government Authorities in order to prevent misunderstanding between MNRT and LGAs during the implementation.Also, district tourism officers interviewed suggested that, there should be collaborative efforts between MNRT and LGAs in implementing various tourism activities in their districts for instance in organizing tourism meetings and events, in conducting inspection of tourism business operators as well as in tourism trainings.
Further exploration under study shows that 4.6% of respondents suggested that, in order to develop tourism at the district level there should be built tourism information offices in all district councils (Table 3).Last but not least, 1.7% of respondents suggested that, in order to improve tourism development in the Iringa Region, there should be capacity building for tourism staff and service providers (Table 3).Even in FGD, it was suggested that tourism staff including tourism officers should be empowered through on-job training in order to improve their ability in executing various tourism duties.

DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS The role of Local Government in the development of tourism
The study found that LG has a significant role to play in the development of tourism.The study demonstrated that LG has a role in ensuring and maintaining peace and security for tourists and tourism resources.For tourism to be successful, peaceful and secure environments as well as the richness of resources are essential.This is consistent with Brokaj (2014) who found that LG protects and enhances visitor satisfaction, destination image and service quality.
LG has a role in enhancing the development and diversification of tourism products and facilities.The study conducted by Hall (2020) supports that, LG is responsible for the development of local infrastructures and public amenities to facilitate the development of tourism.LG promotes local tourism attractions.Tourism becomes beneficial to the government and community if tourism products are effectively promoted in order to get many tourists and revenues.The result is supported by URT (1999) which stipulates that LG has the responsibility to promote attractions that are within local premises.
LG promotes tourism awareness to the tourism stakeholders.
LG builds awareness on tourism through the provision of tourism education in primary and secondary schools whereas through this, the community as well as students become aware of the potentialities of tourism in local areas.This is proportional to Bramwel & Lane (2011), who suggested that LG has a role in enhancing and spearheading the development of sustainable tourism.Local Governments have a role in identifying tourism attractions in their local areas.It is inevitable to develop tourism without attractions, therefore, it is the role of LGAs to explore new tourist attractions followed by new product development and diversification whereas, in turn, it builds travel motivation and interests to the actual and potential tourists.The study agreed with URT (1999) which stipulates that LG has a role to play in developing local tourism attractions through developing land use planning for tourism, finding markets and disseminating information on those attractions.
Local Governments formulate and implement tourism development plans for the destination.This is proportional to Can et al. (2014) who found that LG is obliged to formulate destination planning and regulations as well as develop policies to promote and shape tourism development in their areas.In addition to that, the study found that LG supervises and controls land use planning for tourism.This involves the designation and allocation of adequate land for tourism investment in the local premises.The result is consistent with Hall (2020) who found that LG has the responsibility of planning for land use for tourism activities within the local boundaries.In addition to that, LG provides technical advice to tourism stakeholders, especially to the tourism business operators.According to Brokaj (2014), successful countries in tourism development such as China, South Korea and Turkey prospered in tourism since they acknowledged the position of LG in tourism hence allowing them to manage local tourism.Last but not least, LG supervises and monitors the standards of tourism services in order to improve the quality of services to maximize tourists` experiences.The results are proportional to the study conducted by Brokaj (2014) which indicates that LG influences the quality of tourism facilities and service delivery through the provision of education, training and use of qualified personnel.

Challenges facing Local Government towards the development of tourism
The study found that Local Governments are faced with various challenges towards achieving tourism development.Lack of awareness of tourism among the tourism stakeholders is the major challenge facing the Local Government, This blends with URT (1999) that, tourism development is hindered by inadequate awareness of the community on tourism especially in valuing tourism attractions.Another huge challenge is that tourism is not given priority in the budget to implement various tourism activities in local areas.This challenge is similarly addressed by Lamont and Ferreira (2015) who found that tourism development in Eden District (South Africa) is hindered by low budget allocation in financing tourism projects/activities.Local Governments are faced with poor development of tourism products/facilities.This study is consistent with Wade et al. (2001) who found that tourism development in Tanzania is obstructed by poor transport facilities, accommodation and information facilities.Also, it was found that there is no strategic linkage of roles between the Central Government and Local Government in developing tourism.All District Tourism Officers interviewed reported that various tourism activities are implemented in local premises by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (MNRT) without collaborating with District Tourism Officers.Also, Tonya and Lameck (2019) supported that, there is no political will to develop tourism sites by the Central Government especially MNRT whereby all responsibilities were left to the Local Governments although they have a limited budget.Local Governments are faced with the scarcity of human resources in tourism.According to the in-depth observation conducted in District Tourism Offices in the Iringa Region, it was found that there are only three Tourism Officers in the whole Region leading to the poor implementation of various tourism projects.The study results are supported by URT (1999), tourism development in Tanzania is obstructed by the shortage of skilled personnel in the tourism industry.Tourism development at the local level is faced with poor involvement of tourism stakeholders in tourism development.Under FGD it was found that there were few tourism stakeholders meetings conducted leading to the poor handling of various challenges facing the development of tourism at the local level.The study is supported by URT (1999) that, tourism development in Tanzania is obstructed by poor participation of local communities in tourism activities.Further, the study found that Local Government is faced with conflicts over the use of tourism resources.Based on FGD it was found that the local community and Local Government have a misunderstanding on the use of resources For example in Igeleke Rock Paints the community has invaded the conserved area and has introduced farming and construction activities.It was added that the invasion of the conserved area has reduced the appeal of the attraction.Lwoga (2013) found that weak internal tourism education is the challenge to the development of tourism in Sub-Saharan countries which in turn has reduced conservation initiatives to the community.LG is faced with a lack of tourism information offices.The lack of tourism information offices causes little awareness to the community and tourists towards tourism attractions and other necessary information about the destination.According to the study conducted in Romania by Nicula et al. (2012), it was found that the presence of few tourist information centers causes the number of tourists to be estimated only.

Measures undertaken by Local Government to develop tourism
The study found that there are several measures undertaken by the Local Government to ensure the development of tourism.LG to increase tourism awareness campaigns among the community and other key stakeholders.LG should increase tourism awareness campaigns through conducting stakeholder meetings, providing education to the community as well as providing tourism benefits to the community.Lwoga (2013) insists that, in order to develop tourism in Sub-Sahara African countries like Tanzania there should be designed strategies to involve and benefit the local community through empowering them in terms of knowledge, skills and attitude.Tourism should be given significant priority in budget allocation.Southern Tanzania Tourism development strategy (2015) indicates that the allocation of a sufficient budget is inevitable in order to improve tourism products and infrastructures which in turn will enhance the destination appeal.Another measure is strengthening PPP in tourism development.According to Smith (2011), the government can not afford to do everything to develop tourism due to the limited resources such as capital, human resources and time therefore, private sector participation is very necessary and it may exist in a wide range of activities including marketing and promotion, protection of resources as well as in products development.The study further suggested that there should be an improvement in marketing strategies for local tourism products.Southern Tanzania Tourism Development Strategy (2015) insists that marketing strategies should be improved to increase the volume of tourists in the Southern Circuit.There should be improvement in tourism infrastructures.The study conducted by Lwoga (2013) found that, in order to develop tourism there should be political will to strengthen tourism institutional and legal frameworks and to enhance investment in tourist facilities and infrastructures.Ensuring effective procurement of adequate and skilled personnel in the tourism sector.Under FGD it was agreed that tourism development needs qualified and well-trained personnel, therefore it is ineluctable to procure adequate qualified staff in District Tourism Offices.The study is consistent with Rekha and Reddy (2013) who found that today customers are discriminatory in looking for quality services therefore, it is inevitable to employ qualified and well-trained staff in the tourism sector.Furthermore, the study suggested that there should be effective coordination of tourism roles between the Central Government (CG) and LG.This study agreed with URT (1999) which stipulates that there should be the involvement of local institutions especially the office of District Executive Directors in managing tourist areas, land as well as in revenue collection.Last but not least is building tourism information offices.Tourism information offices should be built in each district in order to provide tourism information to both actual and potential tourists.This is consistent with the study conducted in Romania by Nicula et al. (2012) who found that tourism information offices are essential for the development of the destination since they provide updated and in-depth information about the destination, things to see, events and travel arrangements to potential and actual tourists.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusion
The main conclusion derived from the study findings is that Local Governments have crucial roles in tourism development especially enhancing peace and security, identification and development of tourism products, promotion of local tourism attractions as well as the formulation and implementation of tourism development plans of the destination.Other roles include supervision of service standards and land use planning for tourism.
However, Local Governments are faced with various challenges towards the development of tourism including a lack of awareness of tourism among tourism stakeholders, deficient budget, poor development of tourism products and little coordination of tourism activities between the Central Government and LG.Other challenges include scarcity of human resources, lack of tourism information offices and conflicts over the use of resources.
In order to achieve the development of tourism, LG has to increase tourism awareness campaigns to the tourism stakeholders, allocate sufficient budgets for tourism projects, strengthen PPP in tourism development and improve marketing strategies for local tourism products.Other measures involve the improvement of tourism infrastructures, procuring adequate and skilled tourism personnel and ensuring effective coordination of tourism roles between CG and LG.

Recommendations
According to the study findings, it is recommended that LG should employ tourism officers in each district.Local Governments should allocate sufficient budget to develop tourism including financing the improvement of tourism products and infrastructures.LG should formulate district tourism committees that will involve all key tourism stakeholders in order to achieve integrated sustainable tourism development.Also, CG through the Ministry of Natural Resouces and Tourism should prepare a joint and collaborative strategy with the Local Governments to develop successful tourism.CG and LG should enhance capacity building for the district tourism officers and tourism service providers by providing on-the-job training in order to improve the standards of services.CG and LG should review the Government Organisation Structure to allow tourism to be an independent department in LG.