We are pleased to share with you our latest paper titled, ‘Influence of charismatic species and conservation engagement on the nature-viewing preferences of wildlife tourists’. The aim of the study was to understand Indian tourists’ viewing preference for biodiversity in wildlife parks.
Our scientists surveyed 516 tourists visiting three popular Indian national parks (Kanha in Madhya Pradesh, Bandipur in Karnataka, and Sundarbans in West Bengal) to understand their preferences for viewing wildlife and landscape. The study found that large mammals – especially tigers – and landscapes are the most popular attractions among tourists. Importantly, providing opportunities for tourists to support conservation during their park visits, and also for the public at different administrative levels, can impact their interest to view lesser-known species such as reptiles and amphibians.
A team of scientists led by Dincy Mariyam, Dr. Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan and Dr. Krithi K. Karanth, have published a new study that understands the tourists’ preferences as a significant factor to improve existing models and develop new models of nature-based tourism. It was published in the journal, Tourism Recreation Research.
You can access the full paper as a PDF here.
