Tourism is the most rapidly growing and biggest civilian industry in the world and ecotourism forms the largest proportion of the present tourism. Since ecotourism involves maximum number of stakeholders, from local communities to the corporate world, proper capacity building of the major stakeholders for effective planning and management of ecotourism has become a prerequisite for the sustainable ecotourism development. This book attempts to fill in this gap. The book addresses the key issues concerning ecotourism management, with special focus on community participation. It deals with a range of topics including the basic concept, forms, potential assessment, planning and case studies of ecotourism. At the same time, it discusses the new concepts and techniques of ecotourism, viz. carrying capacity, community participation and auditing. The book will be useful for practitioners, researchers and other stakeholders in planning and implementation of ecotourism.

Presentations at the workshop organized by the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal.

In recent years, there is an increasing awareness on the need to sustain the environment and to protect it from the various damages caused by human activities including tourism. Ecotourism is viewed as a panacea to protect the environment from the negative impact of mass tourism and is considered as a sustainable option to bring employment, income and livelihood opportunities for host communities. This book Ecotourism, Economics and Environment is a compilation of research papers analyzing the economic, social, cultural and environmental impact of tourism in India. The papers focus on the positive effect ecotourism can bring about in making tourism development environmental friendly and sustainable. In general the essays included in this book covers the theoretical aspects related to ecotourism, with a stress on practical issues from a developing countries standpoint and case studies that highlight the stumbling blocks for migration from mass tourism to ecotourism in a developing nation.

This volume provides a comprehensive account of the valuable tangible and intangible benefits of the development of heritage tourism. Tourism development is widely acknowledged as a crucial tool to foster the development of rural and urban areas. To this end, this book presents nine case studies from international authors that reflect how tourism development is helpful—economically, socially, and otherwise—for community capacity building. The case studies from the countries of Spain, Portugal, Australia, Dubai, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and India demonstrate the uses of various management strategies and methods for rural and urban areas, and cover some of the major topics related to community-based tourism, community capacity building, and community participation in developing heritage tourism. Chapters consider the conservation of heritage resources and tourism promotion of destinations that provide opportunities to local communities to strengthen their economies and social standards. Key features: water conservation in urban landscape as natural, cultural, and historic tourism resources spiritual and religious heritage tourism cultural tourism and the support of public and private funds economic development and its effect on cultural and natural resources public-private-partnerships to ensure sustainable development talent management challenges tribal tourism and tribal festivals, which are the mirror of their culture and could be major tourist attractions The methodologies and proposed management strategies discussed by the book's researchers and professors will be valuable for policymakers, administrators, tourism promoters, researchers, and academicians who are involved with the tourism industry.