ASSESSING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON NATURE-BASED TOURISM: A STUDY BASED ON THE WESTERN INDIAN HIMALAYAN REGION

Abstract

The impacts of climate change on nature-based tourism in the Indian Himalayan region can be significant and multifaceted, such as changes in weather patterns, biodiversity, water bodies or water availability, infrastructure, or services, and even changes in cultural and social patterns. Eventually, the impacts of climate change on nature-based tourism in the western Indian Himalayan terrain are projected to be substantial and complex. Hence, in this research work, we explored the consequences of climate change on nature-based tourism in the Western Indian Himalayan Region (W-IHR). This research study adopts a quantitative approach, using the survey technique, to assess the impacts of climate change on nature-based tourism. We used simple random sampling and selected 264 respondents as our study sample. The statistical analysis, i.e., multiple linear regression, was employed to test the study hypothesis to reach a conclusion. According to the findings, climate change has had a negative impact on nature-based tourism. Finally, this research stated that climate change impacts nature-based tourism by degrading the nature-based tourism resource base in the Western Indian Himalayan Region (W-IHR). Due to this alteration and degradation, tourism businesses such as tour operation agencies, hotels, restaurants, etc. would also be affected by increased risks.