Application of analytical hierarchy process and GIS for ecotourism potentiality mapping in Kullu District, Himachal Prad
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Application of analytical hierarchy process and GIS for ecotourism potentiality mapping in Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh, India Nemai Sahani1 Received: 15 April 2019 / Accepted: 10 September 2019 © Springer Nature B.V. 2019
Abstract The aim of this study is to identify potential ecotourism site using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geographical information system (GIS) in Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh, India. For this analysis, 13 elements such as slope, topographic roughness, vegetation, surface water accessibility, elevation, protected area, climate, visibility, road proximity, village proximity, soil, groundwater and geology have been taken into consideration. Required spatial data and information were collected from satellite imagery and available maps. AHP is widely used to provide criteria and class weight, and GIS is effectively used for the identification of ecotourism suitable zone. The result reveals the fact that out of total geographical land of the district 41% area is considered as high to very high suitable zone for ecotourism site development. Keywords AHP · Ecotourism · Ecotourism potentiality · GIS · Kullu District · MCDA
1 Introduction Ecotourism emerged with the principles of sustainability and considered as a component of sustainable tourism. The concept of sustainable tourism was derived from the common notion of sustainable development (Garrod and Fyall 1998; Fennell 2001; Rinzin et al. 2007; Wood 2002; Elena and Thomas 2018), where tourism must be economically viable, environmentally sensitive and culturally appropriate (Wall 1997). To achieve the goal of sustainable development of tourism, alternative tourism model such as ecotourism is highly recognized. Ecotourism is considered as responsible travel to natural areas in order to conserve the environment and improve the welfare of local community (Western 1993). The concept of ecotourism came into reality due to the reaction of traditional mass tourism activities and its adverse impact on society, culture and environment (Dwyer et al. 2010). The spectrum of ecotourism encompasses nature-based, educational, environmental conservation, economic, sociocultural and sustainable management components (Diamantis 1999). The ecotourism mainly emphasized
* Nemai Sahani [email protected] 1
Department of Geography, Visva Bharati, Santiniketan, India
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on the ecological and sociocultural responsibility and sustainability (Cater 1994). Ecotourism emerged as a scientific approach for planning, management and development of sustainable tourism products and activities (Thomson 1991). Thus, ecotourism was regarded as a panacea to solve environmental and economic problems in the destination (Goodwin 1996). The quantitative assessment is needed for the management of tourism resources and sustainable development based on modern scientific principles and techniques. This paper focuses on the delineation of ecotourism potential zone using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) among different multiple criteria
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