Logo image
Think globally, act locally: Current understanding and future directions for nature-based tourism research in Sri Lanka
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Think globally, act locally: Current understanding and future directions for nature-based tourism research in Sri Lanka

D. Sumanapala and I.D. Wolf
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Vol.45, pp.295-308
2020
url
Link to Published Version *Subscription may be requiredView

Abstract

For nearly a century, researchers have observed the ecological impacts arising from increased numbers of visitors using natural areas for tourism and recreational activities. This study reviews the recreational ecology literature as it is relevant to Sri Lanka providing a rare linkage between global research and local applications of this research. The likely ecological impacts of recreational activities undertaken in natural areas in Sri Lanka are identified with a particular focus on walking/hiking, camping, wildlife watching and motorized activities. We conclude by establishing a research agenda that is relevant for developing countries from the Global South and South Asia that aspire to develop their nature-based tourism industry in a sustainable manner. A particular focus should be on fundamental visitor data collection and relating such data to environmental impacts of specific recreation activities, the establishment of research networks, experimental cause-effect studies, and interdisciplinary studies. We embed this research agenda in a novel conceptual model of the factors and relationships relevant for managing impacts of nature-based tourism as a theoretical contribution to the field of recreational ecology.

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Source: InCites

Metrics

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Citation topics
6 Social Sciences
6.223 Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism
6.223.247 Tourism Impacts
Web Of Science research areas
Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism
Management
ESI research areas
Economics & Business
Logo image