Scope & Prospect Of Community Tourism –A Case Of Horinghata, Patharghata, Barguna, Bangladesh

Abstract

Community based tourism   interlinked with colossal factors addressing community livelihoods and sustainability. The study was to optimize the scope and prospect of community based ecotourism by investigating critically lying with the common interest and perception on environmental conservation and sustainability of the business in the study area. Key informant’s interview was the instrument in conducting the study. Total 60 respondents were interviewed using structured questionnaire to elicit scope, prospects and drawbacks beyond the prospects of such enterprise. Few factors were considered including biological diversity, the opportunities, importance of local production, women participation in tourism, employment handicrafts & artisans, role of host community and problems related to tourism. Cultural program (Rashmela) may contribute lots in ecotourism. Restricted hunting may play significant role to the biological diversity. Wild animals especially deer and other birds were weighted the value of ecotourism. Incidence of forest fires may cause serious threats to the new intervention. Several issues were denoted towards the opportunity including government initiatives, new occupation, income generation for the host community and quality of life will be improved for such intervention. The contribution of local foods including organic production and wild foods (sea and wetlands) enhance the degree of scope related to community based tourism. Women showed their eagerness to work in the prospective enterprise by adding new dimension of handicrafts business using local inputs and forest based available raw materials. The host communities were paid more attention in sustainable tourism in the study area.

Keywords: Ecotourism; sustainability; host community; organic production; wild foods; artisans