Local people's perception of the impacts and importance of ecotourism in Central Nepal

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 17; no. 5; p. e0268637
• Main Authors: Upadhaya, Suraj, Tiwari, Sarada, Poudyal, Beeju, Godar Chhetri, Sagar, Dhungana, Nabin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 27.05.2022; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Alternative energy; Biodiversity; Biology and Life Sciences; Chi-square test; Community development; Conservation of natural resources; Conservation of Natural Resources - methods; Cultural resources; Culture; Demographics; Demography; Developing countries; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Economic aspects; Ecotourism; Evaluation; GDP; Gross Domestic Product; Humans; Income redistribution; Influence; Knowledge bases (artificial intelligence); LDCs; Low income groups; National parks; Natural Resources; Nepal; People and Places; Perception; Perceptions; Physical Sciences; Research and Analysis Methods; Resource conservation; Social Sciences; Socioeconomics; Sustainability; Timber; Tourism; Wildlife conservation; Nepal; United States > US
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268637

Ecotourism contributes to conserving natural resources and promoting natural and cultural resources stewardship. However, without the strong support and involvement of local people, it is not easy to achieve the stated goals. This study aimed to understand the local people's perception of the impacts and importance of ecotourism. We conducted a semi-structured interview of 167 respondents from Chitwan National Park (CNP), Nepal's prime center for ecotourism. The result revealed that more than 70% of respondents are interested in ecotourism activities, and their interests are significantly affected by their age, academic qualification, and occupation. Local people from the study area perceived that infrastructure development and increase in the knowledge base are significant impacts of ecotourism. The study showed that local people's socioeconomic and demographic characteristics significantly influenced their perceived impacts of ecotourism. Detailed understanding and consideration of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics can contribute to effective outreach and planning process, potentially resulting in the higher promotion of ecotourism.