ABSTRACT
Ecotourism as a product and approach has gained popularity over the years, due to its contribution towards sustainability. Prudent maintenance and effective management strategies at ecotourism destinations can proffer substantially towards economic contribution and foster towards a semblance of sustainability.
This chapter has attempted to identify problems faced by tourists in ecotourism destination. The Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala, India, and examine if any difference persists in problems faced by tourists in peak and lean season. The sequential exploratory design has been adopted. Qualitative approach through Expert Interviews and quantitative analysis using Garrett’s Ranking, Kruskal-Wallis H test has been deployed to examine the statistical significance of the difference in problems faced in the peak and lean seasons.
The study has highlighted the need to evolve appropriate destination management strategies to address the requirements of tourists visiting ecotourism destinations in the case of protected areas, exclusively, in peak and lean seasons, to provide better holiday experience along with paradigm shift towards sustainability, thus, contributing both from short and long run perspective.
