Ecotourism Practice with Community Based Home-stay Program in the Gandaki Province of Nepal

Abstract

Community based home-stay tourism (CBHST) has been promoted by the provincial government of Gandaki in recent years for the socioeconomic benefit it provides to the local people in Nepal. However, the degree of involvement of local people in community based home-stay tourism varies between different localities and districts of the province, depending on the natural and cultural attractions, and hospitality practices in the host communities. This study discusses the local participation, benefit sharing and the practices to preserve culture and nature based tourism products. The study explores the involvement of local people in home-stay tourism by analyzing the data collected using face to face interview with a targeted home-stay operators and members of the home-stay management committee. The study reveals that local people are actively involved in the operating and benefit sharing of CBHST, hence it is an appropriate ecotourism model for local involvement and promote rural tourism based on local skills, knowledge and resources.