TOURISMOS is an international, multi-disciplinary, refereed (peer ...

MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
Madhusudan Karmakar
“Tourism management in most natural areas relies on a combination
of various management strategies and actions”(Newsome et al 2006:223).
For the present study area also several management strategies can be
adopted. The potential ecotourism spots of the area i.e, Buxa-Jayantia,
Chalsa, Fallut, Sandakphu, Gorubathan, Phallut and Bhutan Ghat, Gour ,
Pandua, Jagajivanpur areas have to be linked up with proper roads and
other infrastructural facilities. Recreational facilities like bathing,
climbing, libraries, souvenir shops, books and newspaper stalls etc. are to
be introduced in selected resorts; otherwise days in the study area would
not be interesting to the tourists. Proper flexible measures have to be
carried out for bookings of accommodation of the forest based ecotourism
destinations. In order to have a full benefit of tourism activity all
important ecotourism destinations have to be included with the ‘Tourist
Circuit’ concept. Thus the Hill, Heritage, and Forest added attractions
have to be brought under this concept. Again the co-ordination between
forest department and tourism department must be followed since most
of the tourist destinations of the area are forest based. Apart from this
emphasis should be given on the proper advertisement and publicity
programmes. Thus ‘with regard to product development, tourism
marketers should pay particular attention to the important relationship
between marketing and tourism planning’ (Cooper 2006:94). The task of
a planner does not end when a plan has been prepared for three years, five
years or seven years. “A system of constant revision and monitoring of
the plan progress should be a part of the exercise of the planning”(Bhatia
1985:124) Targets must be revised at times in the light of changing
resources, conditions and circumstances. Therefore, for the successful
ecotourism planning of the study area monitoring progress should be
adopted periodically.
CONCLUSION
The present study reflects an overview of present status of
ecotourism activity of different areas of North Bengal. It also provides an
analysis of the economic benefits that ecotourism projects of the different
areas contribute to some local areas as well as providing some baseline
assessment of its impact on social and resource development of North
Bengal. The fundamental findings are that ecotourism has improved the
regional economy through income and employment generation in
different National park areas of North Bengal. Several planning measures
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