Visitors’ satisfaction from ecotourism in the protected area of the Indian Himalayan Region using importance–performance analysis

ABSTRACT

Protected areas are increasingly becoming primary focus for ecotourism. Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary situated in the Indian Himalayan Region offers its visitors key ecotourism products like enjoying Himalayan vistas, nature trekking, bird watching, photography and the homestays. Visitors to ecologically fragile destinations form crucial tourism stakeholders and require understanding of their demands and satisfaction levels to sustain a flow of visitors in the increasingly competitive tourism market. The present research assessed the importance and performance of the service and facilities attributes offered by the sanctuary in order to measure visitor satisfaction from ecotourism experience, using an importance–performance analysis. Findings indicate good performance of service providers in terms of environmental conservation, ensuring safety of visitors and maintaining view point conditions. Whereas, efforts need to be concentrated in improving user facilities, nature guiding, signage and information, food quality, and accommodation facility attributes. Chi-square analysis revealed that visitors undertaking unplanned day visit to the sanctuary were more likely to be non-satisfied, raising questions on the type of visitors arriving at the sanctuary. In order to enhance visitors’ satisfaction levels, basic facilities within the sanctuary need improvement besides developing interpretations component, such that the intrinsic nature and quality of nature-based ecotourism destination is achieved.

保护区日益成为生态旅游的主要焦点。宾萨尔野生动物保护区（Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary）位于印度喜马拉雅地区，它为游客提供生态旅游产品，主要包括欣赏喜马拉雅山景观、自然徒步旅行、观鸟、摄影和寄宿家庭。到生态脆弱地的游客与旅游业的利益息息相关，了解他们的需求和满意度可以在竞争日益激烈的旅游市场中维持游客的流动量。本研究运用重要性-绩效分析，评估宾萨尔野生动物保护区提供的服务和设施属性的重要性和绩效，以此衡量生态旅游体验的游客满意度。调查结果表明服务供应商在环境保护、保证游客安全和维持动态角度方面表现良好。然而，需要集中精力改善的是用户设施、自然导游、标志和信息、食品质量和住宿设施属性方面。卡方检验对到达保护区的游客类型提出问题，结果显示在保护区进行无计划游玩的游客更有可能感到不满意。为了提高游客的满意度，除了开发解释组件外，保护区内的基础设施还需要改进，体现出自然生态旅游地的内在本质和质量。

KEYWORDS:

• Binsar
• ecotourism
• interpretations
• The Himalayas
• visitors satisfaction

关键词:

• 宾萨尔
• 生态旅游
• 解释
• 喜马拉雅山
• 游客满意度

Acknowledgments

The researcher duly acknowledges the reviewers for their insightful comments, the parent University for the Financial Assistance and the Dean USEM. The authors are grateful to the Regional Forest Department of Almora, Uttarakhand, India for providing logistic support and field assistance; the respondent visitors and the villagers for their cooperation; and Indira Gandhi Conservation and Monitoring Centre (IGCMC) of WWF-India for GIS guidance.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the parent University, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University under the Indraprastha Research Fellowship (Award letter number GGSIPU/IPRF/2012/85).