Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the factors influencing local communities’ participation in ecotourism
development initiatives. The study examines a small-scale ecotourism initiative - Mangalajodi Ecotourism
Trust (MET) known as one of the best migratory birds’ sanctuary located in India. A survey method was
adopted to collect quantitative primary data through a semi-structured questionnaire among 174 local
community members employed by the Mangalajodi Ecotourism Organization. The analytical results
identified three factors influencing local community’s participation (Community based tourism) in
ecotourism, classified as community economic development, destination development and sustainable
development. Principle Compound Analysis was performed among these three factors to find the
significance among these factors. Based on these factors, k mean cluster analysis was performed to
establish the variables that strongly influences participation of local communities in ecotourism
development. Thus, this study widens the understanding of community based ecotourism initiatives for
community development. From this study, it is concluded that local community members have a positive
perception towards the development of community based ecotourism organizations. It is recommended that
ecotourism organizations should exploit the existing development opportunities and adopt appropriate
strategies for sustainability of the ecotourism initiatives and destinations. The findings could hopefully inform
future tourism development decisions and strategies for this and similar tourism ventures.
