Community participation in sustainable tourism development in ziro valley of Arunachal Pradesh

Sustainable tourism is based on the principle that successful tourism development must sustain the local community's socio-cultural, natural and built environment as well as contribute to the economic upliftment. For making this viable, community participation in the whole tourism development process is of utmost importance. The paper examines the participation and involvement of the Apatani tribe in the development of tourism in Ziro valley located in the Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh. To achieve the main objective, the study examines the key aspects: involvement of community in tourism sector; income generation through tourism; participation in tourism related meetings; incorporation of community views in planning decisions of tourism development; and participation of community in decision-making process. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. Fieldwork has been done in a mixed methods approach, including interviews and questionnaires. By staying within the community, observations of the local community and their participation in tourism activities were also made. The findings of the study about the participation of local community in the tourism development in Ziro valley reveals that although the participation level of the people in tourism sector is satisfactory, however more awareness about the significance of the industry and their involvement in planning and decision-making is required for a better and efficient management for the long term sustainability of tourism.