Abstract:
Wildlife-viewing has become a popular nature-based tourism activity worldwide
providing opportunities for tourists to enjoy wildlife in natural habitats such as protected
areas, marinas, and underwater settings. Equally, the significance of wildlife-related
activities is increasing though little empirical evidence is available in Sri Lanka. It is
critical to understand what drives residents’ support for such activities to design
successful wildlife tourism activities. The main purpose of this study was to examine
residents’ attitudes and participation in wildlife tourism and to explore factors that affect
residents’ support and participation in tourism-related activities around Udawalawe
National Park in Sri Lanka. 160 local residents in the study area were the respondents to
the self-administered questionnaire. The data were analysed using Structural Equation
Modeling (SEM) with smart PLS and SPSS tools. The findings revealed that there was a
significant relationship between community participation and community perceived
impacts. Hence, there was a significant relationship between community participation and
support for wildlife tourism and there was no significant relationship between the
perceived impact and wildlife tourism support. It can be concluded that community
participation can be increased by the education level of residents to understand their rights
and the need for greater participation in the decision-making process. Thus, the study
argues that increased education and understanding of the importance of wildlife of local
residents can result in successful wildlife tourism in a community. A qualitative approach
to understanding deeper thoughts, attitudes, and feelings of individuals is recommended
as a future research area to further understand this context.
Keywords: Wildlife tourism, Community participation, Community perceived impact,
Tourism support
