DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2020.v08i07.003

Pages: 353-360

Ecotourism is getting popular in Nepal. This study was conducted in Sauraha, buffer zone area of Chitwan National Park (CNP) to access about the ecotourism and its impact. The main thrust of this study was to analyze the positive and negative economic, environmental and socio-cultural impacts of ecotourism on local community. Primary information was collected by using various tools of PRA including semi-structured questionnaire, focus group discussions and key informants interview. Index of Relative Ranking and Index of Perception Availability were used to analyze the people perception towards ecotourism. Almost all the respondents have positive response towards the economic and socio cultural impact of eco-tourism while some of them have pointed the negative environmental impact. Index of Relative Ranking was received maximum (0.93) for Jungle safari which indicates that most of the tourist visit Sauraha for Jungle safari in CNP. Generation of new employment opportunities, conservation of local culture and emergence of noise and visual pollution were found as impact of eco-tourism in Sauraha.