Author: Dincy Mariyam
This is the first article from our two-part series called “Ecotourism”.
The highlights are:
- Examined the perceptions and attitudes of tourists towards wildlife conservation.
- Noted that the majority of visitors were domestic tourists.
- Nature, tigers and scenic beauty were the highest ranked reasons for visiting protected areas.
- Urged to increase education and awareness among tourists to build support for conservation.
Wildlife Tourism in India has emerged with increasing disposable incomes and better accessibility to urban dwellers. It has provided greater publicity and has generated public interest in charismatic species surrounded by wild places. This growth presents an opportunity to engage tourists and the public in supporting conservation while building awareness about conservation challenges. Bringing together multiple stakeholders, wildlife tourism is a burgeoning phenomenon in multiple developing countries. However, current studies on tourism have gathered limited information about the perceptions and awareness of tourists. This creates challenges for building support for conservation through tourism.
Scientists at the Centre for Wildlife Studies, National Centre for Biological Sciences, and Columbia University conducted a study that examined the interest, awareness and support for conservation via wildlife tourism. In 2009, they conducted interviews with 436 tourists visiting three national parks across the country: Kanha in Madhya Pradesh, Nagarahole in Karnataka and Ranthambore in Rajasthan. The study revealed that the majority of visitors to these parks were domestic tourists. The tourists visiting for the first time accounted for 71 % of the interviewees and were college graduates. A total of 72% of tourists spent around $600 during their visit and most of them spent less than a week in the park. They listed opportunities to see nature, tigers, and scenic beauty as driving reasons for their visit. Reasons for visiting Nagarahole were less tiger-centric as compared to Kanha and Ranthambore. However, only 34% of respondents expressed the willingness to return to the parks if tigers were absent. The study suggests that relying solely on tigers, to attract tourists can undermine wider conservation priorities. It could reduce funds for parks that do not host tigers and lead upto unstable revenue from tourism. The authors recorded that half of the interviewed tourists were willing to pay higher entry fees. Most of these respondents spent less than $200 on their trip.
The views of tourists on the role of local communities and the forest department was examined. Approximately 80% of respondents did not assert the tourism management strategies implemented by the forest department. Therefore, tourists were asked for recommendations to improve the tourism experience. Almost 65% of tourists believed that local people benefit from wildlife tourism. However, the researchers say that local benefits are few. India’s growing interest in domestic tourism presents a myriad of opportunities and challenges to wildlife and ecological conservation. To ensure that tourism is beneficial in achieving conservation goals, park managers must responsibly manage the growth in tourism while creating awareness and educating park visitors about major conservation challenges currently facing the country.
You can find the link to the original article here.
