Economic and Socio-Cultural Impacts of Tourism in Bhaktapur District

Abstract

This study was mainly focused on impacts of tourism in Bhaktapur district regarding the economic and socio-cultural aspects adopting simple random sampling and exploratory as well as descriptive research design. Where various respondents are included. 25 local people 10 tourists and 10 entrepreneurs are selected through sampling method. This study attempts to analyze the severity of socio-cultural degradation due to tourism in Bhaktapur. For convenience four major areas viz. Durbar square ,Taumadhi square, Dattatraya square, Pottary square were selected with special reference to BhaktapurThe analysis was made by collecting primary and secondary data. Mainly primary data were used from the field survey to provide the qualitative and quantitative analysis. In qualitative study,10 respondents were taken for Focus Group Discussion and for the key information the local people, Tourist guide, Students, Teacher, Businessman, Staffs of BTDC and BM were used. Apart from this, photographs were also taken as an important methodology research tool. The tourism industry has both its pros and cons but the main problem lies in explaining which one is greater; the negative aspects or the positive ones. Especially in a culturally significant area like Bhaktapur it is difficult to infer if tourism degrades the culture of revitalizes it. There is no doubt that tourism has both negative and positive impacts. Definitely it affects the cultural and social setting of a native society. Thus, the fieldwork was conducted to fulfill different objectives among which identifying the major impacts of tourism in society and culture was the important one. Even though the social attributes and the way of the lifestyle of locals are changing day by day, tourism has also helped in the revitalization of the arts and crafts as well as the customs along with providing employment to the locals of Bhaktapur. Although things seem to be remarkably beneficial as long as it concerns the economic aspects of tourism in Bhaktapur, it becomes a bit problematic when it comes to the socio-cultural aspects.The positive and negative impacts on society and culture are in no way mutually exclusive,besides,one can not easily determne which one overweights the other.It is also true that culture has been degrading as the flow of tourists have risen in Bkt,so,both positive and negative impacts co-exist and it is difficult to determine which one is greater.If the economic impacts are also taken into consideration along with cultural revitalization then definitely the significance of tourism becomes positive.A look at the study there is no doubt that Bhaktapuris guided by tourism and tourism on the other hand is boosting up because of cultural heritage. Hence it can be inferred that culture and tourism have reciprocal relationship and tourism may involve in the degradation of culture as well as its revitalization.So,for all in all both tourism and culture have to run the wheel of each other.