Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

A TOURISTS’ ANALYSIS FOR ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN ORCHHA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, CENTRAL INDIA

Shrivastava Vineet K., Hore Upamanyu, Kala Jagdish C. and Srivastava Arpita

Abstract

Ecotourism offers communities an opportunity to improve their well-being and livelihood. It can also encourage individuals to conserve forests and wildlife. Ecotourism can also offer the economic justification necessary to establish a protected area and can create a constituency among ecotourists to promote conservation at the sites visited. Orchha Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as Orchha Nature Reserve, is bestowed with unique floral and faunal diversity of Bundelkhand region. It has strategic location adjoining historical town of Orchha with the 17th century monuments situated in the backdrop adds to the importance and aesthetic value of the Sanctuary for ecotourism development. One hundred domestic visitors and fifty foreign tourists were surveyed in Orchha using convenience sampling technique. Data were collected about tourists’ profile, demands, their attitude and perception about ecotourism activities and their level of satisfaction. Study reveals potential of the Sanctuary for ecotourism development.