Existing Policies and Legal Framework for Ecotourism in India: A Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2021/v147i10/165716Keywords:
Ecotourism, Policies, Sustainability, Community Ownership, Conservation.Abstract
Ecotourism has grown by leaps and bounds since its emergence during the later part of the twentieth century. A number of policies and guidelines have been framed, both at the national and international level to ensure economic, ecological and social sustainability of the ecotourism ventures. However, the ground realities do not always reflect the cardinal principles as laid down in the policy guidelines. This review paper revisits the existing ecotourism policies and guidelines in India and discusses the salient features and drawbacks of each of them. Although all the policies have included low environmental impact, community partnership, visitor education and awareness as their major objectives, none of them (except NTCA guidelines) describes successful implementation strategies, thus requiring a relook, for better clarity and applicability.References
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