Sustainable Tourism
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF NORTH EAST AND
LADAKH
ABSTRACT
Tourism acts as a backbone for majority of nations especially the growing economies while the adverse impacts of tourism on the environment and the sociocultural are not ignorable. The tourism sector, if driven well in the right direction, can play a holistic process of economic, social and environmental sustenance as well as development. Sustainable form of tourism not only ensures the profitable income but also contribute in employment for local stakeholders as well as local community with its minimal stress on environment and traditional value system. To understand the concept of sustainable development and its contribution towards local community development for Himalayan Indian States, the case studies of North Eastern region and Northern most Himalayan Region of Ladakh are well-suited. Furthermore, the present study is also an attempt to address the key determinants of sustainability of tourism industry in the North Eastern India and to establish the importance of local entrepreneurship or local community participation in ensuring sustainable tourism development. It focuses on three major aspects of tourism industry like sustenance including region-specific sustainability considerations; entrepreneurial awareness towards sustainability and suggestive measures to ensure sustainable norms in tourism development in the region.
KEYWORDS
Sustainable Tourism Development, Region specific sustainability norms, Tourism awareness, Strategic entrepreneurial focus, Local entrepreneurship, Community
Participation.
INTRODUCTION he concept of sustainability has its origin in the growing environmentalism of 1970s. As defined in the Brundtland Commission Report (1987), sustainable development is the ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations’ to meet their own needs’
(WCED, 1987, p. 43). The report categorically stated
LADAKH
ABSTRACT
Tourism acts as a backbone for majority of nations especially the growing economies while the adverse impacts of tourism on the environment and the sociocultural are not ignorable. The tourism sector, if driven well in the right direction, can play a holistic process of economic, social and environmental sustenance as well as development. Sustainable form of tourism not only ensures the profitable income but also contribute in employment for local stakeholders as well as local community with its minimal stress on environment and traditional value system. To understand the concept of sustainable development and its contribution towards local community development for Himalayan Indian States, the case studies of North Eastern region and Northern most Himalayan Region of Ladakh are well-suited. Furthermore, the present study is also an attempt to address the key determinants of sustainability of tourism industry in the North Eastern India and to establish the importance of local entrepreneurship or local community participation in ensuring sustainable tourism development. It focuses on three major aspects of tourism industry like sustenance including region-specific sustainability considerations; entrepreneurial awareness towards sustainability and suggestive measures to ensure sustainable norms in tourism development in the region.
KEYWORDS
Sustainable Tourism Development, Region specific sustainability norms, Tourism awareness, Strategic entrepreneurial focus, Local entrepreneurship, Community
Participation.
INTRODUCTION he concept of sustainability has its origin in the growing environmentalism of 1970s. As defined in the Brundtland Commission Report (1987), sustainable development is the ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations’ to meet their own needs’
(WCED, 1987, p. 43). The report categorically stated