Community Perspectives of Tourism Benefits - The Link to Conservation Attitudes and Livelihoods

Abstract

Tourism has often been seen as an approach to link conservation and development. Its potential rests in providing economic benefits while maintaining environmental integrity (Stem et al, 2003). In protected areas, nature-based tourism offers the economic justification for establishing protected area (Brandon, K. 1996) through park entry fees and other tourism related activities. The economic benefits provided through tourism development also help generate conservation support from local communities and can be used to improve conservation efforts. Numerous studies have shown that the incentives for local people to support conservation are recipient of tangible economic benefits. However, despite this popular notion, it is remains to be seen what role tourism benefits play in conservation attitudes, and its interactions with other social economic factors that are in play. In face of a lack of information on the role tourism plays in livelihoods improvement and conservation attitudes, this study attempts to explore how tourism in protected area help link biodiversity conservation with community development. It evaluates the positive and negative effects tourism has had on local residents, and explores whether those factors lead to positive conservation attitudes. The study took place in buffer zone community in Chitwan National Park, Nepal’s first protected area and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the nation. By providing the context of this study, the paper introduces the study method and analyzes the results it revealed. Such information will provide policy implications for governments and future tourism operators to prioritize factors that generate supportive attitudes towards tourism and greater support for conservation. The study also helps to develop a better understanding of community needs for designing future development projects that meet community expectations.