Abstract
Tourism in natural areas continues to grow. Especially, protected areas have been very attractive settings and resources for tourism. The development of this segment of tourism is often associated with its potential contributions to economic and social developments as well as to conservation of nature and management of protected areas. However, it is important that tourism in protected area be sustainable due to the sensitive and fragile nature of the resources.
Sustainable tourism requires prevention of detrimental impacts on natural environment, host communities while maintaining high levels of visitor satisfaction. In many cases, especially in developing countries, main focus is given on the quick economical benefits from tourism and the consequences on the natural environment have been neglected.
This study revealed characteristics and sustainability issues associated with tourism in protected areas in Sri Lanka by using a case study of a famous national park called Udawalawe National Park in Sri Lanka. A literature review of tourism policy and protected area management in Sri Lanka, interviews with relevant conservation authorities, visitor survey and direct observations of visitor behavior and tourism activities were conducted for data collection.
The analysis of the current park management system, visitor characteristics and their behavior showed that tourism disturbance, overcrowding and poor guide and interpretation systems as major issues associated with tourism in the park.
