Pro-Poor Tourism as an Antecedent of Poverty Alleviation: An Assessment of the Local Community Perception

Abstract

Tourism is a creative instrument for poverty reduction. Pro-Poor Tourism (PPT) provides economic, socio-cultural and even environmental benefits to the globally impoverished community. The main goal of this study is to demystify the constructs of Pro-Poor Tourism and investigate the local community perception regarding the role of tourism in poverty alleviation. The present study attempts to understand the development of pro-poor tourism from social, cultural and economic dimensions by delving into the perceptions of the locally disadvantageous community providing tourism services in the Kashmir region of India. Primary and secondary data have been collected from the targeted respondents through a structured questionnaire for conducting this research. The study areas that have been selected for conducting the present study are Gulmarg (Study Area A) and Pahalgam (Study Area B) from the Kashmir region. The data collected were analysed through descriptive statistics, factor analysis and regression analysis to draw reliable and representative interpretations. The findings of this study may help the strategy makers and other community groups develop effective policy interventions for developing creative tourism practices as an anti-poverty programme that has local and global implications for promoting tourism for Poverty alleviation, ensuring sustainability.

Keywords: Pro-Poor Tourism, Tourism Development, Poverty Alleviation, Local Community

View PDF