Tourism Management Issues in India’s National Parks: An Analysis of the Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) National Park

This paper analyses contemporary tourism management issues in India’s national parks. It begins by setting India’s national parks in the context of national parks globally, before examining the historical development of national parks in India itself. Based upon the author’s extensive qualitative research, the paper then discusses in general terms the tourism conflicts that have recently emerged in India’s national parks. It goes on to examine in detail the tourism management issues as they apply to a specific case study, namely the Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) National Park located in the state of Karnataka. It is concluded that the voices of indigenous communities needs to be recognised in the management of the park and in terms of tourism development efforts.     

Book Reviews

This paper explores the ways in which tourism development has resulted in new and competing forms of territoriality in the Peruvian Andes. In a predominantly subsistence economy, the income opportunities offered by tourism have intensified conflicts relating to territorial control. Analysis focuses on a dispute between the direction of the Lake Titicaca National Reserve and the Uros, an indigenous group living within the Reserve. Both have attempted to enforce their authority over the Reserve’s territory in order to control tourism flows and revenues. The Uros strive for the establishment of their own Communal Reserve, creating a new territorial division based on ethnic criteria. The elaboration of contradicting tourism use plans has created multiple normative frameworks used by both parties to support their claims for authority over the contested territory.     

Tourism and grey seals in south Devon: management strategies,voluntary controls and tourists’ perceptions of disturbance

Although grey seals are relatively common in Britain, their numbers elsewhere are believed to be decreasing, and some populations in Europe are listed as endangered by the IUCN. This case study focuses on the impacts of seal tourism on a colony of seals on the South Devon coast in the United Kingdom, the effectiveness of current management policies and tourists’ perceptions of the voluntary controls adhered to by tour operators. To monitor impacts, covert observations of the site were undertaken on 60 designated survey days in the summer of 2006, while a survey of tourists taking part in wildlife cruises to the site was conducted during the same period. The observations found that the voluntary codes had reduced disturbance from operators; however, there were still disturbances, mainly from private vessels. The results of the survey showed that tourists were aware of their potential impacts upon the wildlife, and were generally supportive of the voluntary codes in place. Therefore if an honest explanation and interpretation of the potential impacts of seal tourism are provided, it may encourage a protectionist predisposition in wildlife tourists and render the compliance of voluntary codes a highly satisfactory tourist experience rather than a negative one.