A Study on Tourist Visitations in Protected Areas of Central Western Ghats in Karnataka

A study was undertaken to find out various aspects of tourist visitations to the protected areas in Central Western Ghats of Karnataka. The rich biodiversity in this region attract lot of tourists and nature lovers. Kudremukh National Park, Someshwar sanctuary and Mookambika sanctuary were selected as study area. Data on number of visitors taken from records of Forest Department and a questionnaire based study was conducted to gather information on socio-economic status of visitors, their willingness to pay for visiting the sanctuaries, their preference to see wildlife and their impression on the hospitality and facilities in the sanctuaries. The study showed that majority of the visitors is attracted by the rich wildlife and scenic beauty in the area. Most of the visitors wanted to see tiger during the visit. Only 5.6 % of the visitors regarded butterflies as part of wildlife and wanted to see them. Gender details, educational and economic profile of visitors as well as their willingness to pay for visiting the sanctuaries and thus supporting conservation measures were analysed.