A Case Studyon the perceptions of local community in Varkala beach towards Social, Environmental and Economic impacts of Tourism

Abstract

Community based tourism is a form of tourism in which the tourism activities directly or indirectly benefit the local communities. The community members are involved asdaily workers, entrepreneurs, hotel employees, freelance sales agent, and other travel related businesses. It enables to tourist to discover local habitats and wildlife, celebrate and respect traditional cultures, rituals and wisdom. In order for any destination to effectively develop, it is important for both the tourists as well as the local community to be involved and have a positive outlook towards its impacts. This study aims to explore the general perceptions of the local communities towards social, environmental and economic impacts of tourism. The setting for this study is in the coastal town of Varkala in the state of Kerala, India. This beach destination was chosen due to active involvement of community members in tourism. Besides, tourism growth is estimated to grow significantly in the coming years. An interview schedule and observation schedule was used for data collection. The interview schedule was used to determine the perceptions of the community members involved in tourism whereas, the observation schedule was for observing the type and activities of community members involved. The responses and observations were analyzed and cross checked with secondary data. The interpretations are presented to coverthree prime areas- Environment, Economic and Socio cultural areas. The results indicated that community members arebenefitting from tourism and are working for the growth of it. They also fear that increase in competition will affect their incomebut believe that with the help of the state government and other regional organizations, their share will be substantial in the long run. Tourism is growing in Varkala and the growth, if managed on a controlled way will go a long way in the sustainable development of the community