Bridging the gap: understanding local perspectives on tourism in world heritage site Kaziranga National Park

Bharat Bonia; Nivedita Goswami

doi:10.5281/zenodo.16969797

Authors

Bharat Bonia Gauhati University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6876-948X
Nivedita Goswami Gauhati University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16969797

Keywords:

Wildlife Tourism, Local community, Perceptions, Kaziranga National Park

Abstract

Wildlife and nature-based tourism at Kaziranga National Park is growing at a fast rate and this has a differential impact on the destinations. The increasing tourism activities in the region have both positive and negative consequences on the destination. Perceptions of locals on these activities are the most crucial elements of the tourism development of a tourism destination. As the tourism industry progresses further, it is important, from time to time, to assess the views of locals toward the changes. In the research article, the aim is to analyze the views of locals toward perceived economic impacts, socio-cultural impacts, and impacts of tourism development on the environment using the methods of principal component analysis for data reduction and maximum representation. The findings of this study reveal that local residents benefited economically, socioculturally, and ecologically from the growth of the tourism industry in their area. However, there are certain instances where locals believe they are not receiving full advantages from tourism activity. The study’s findings will assist tourism policymakers and decision-makers in taking necessary actions to ensure that the advantages exceed the negative repercussions and that local inhabitants continue to benefit to the greatest extent possible.

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Author Biographies

Bharat Bonia, Gauhati University

Ph.D. student in the Economics Department at Gauhati University. Masters in Economics from Dibrugarh University, Assam, India. Bachelor's degree in Economics. Assistant Professor at Jagiroad College in the Department of Economics, teaching in the undergraduate programmes in Economics. His research interests are development economics, public policy, and tourism development.

Nivedita Goswami, Gauhati University

Ph.D. in Economics from Gauhati University, Assam, India. M.Phil from Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai; M.Sc in Economics from Gauhati University. Professor at the Department of Economics at Gauhati University; teaching in the research students, graduate, and undergraduate programmes in Economics.Her research interests include entrepreneurship and small enterprise development, tourism development, organizational behavior and public policy. CV: https://gauhati.ac.in/member/arts/economics/nivedita-goswami

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