Model-based strategic planning for the development of community based tourism: a case study of Ayodhya Hills in West Bengal, India

Indigenous people of a community, having a wealth of rich culture and traditions, should be involved in tourism as owners and not just as service providers. This can be fulfilled by the development of Community Based Tourism (CBT) which aims to involve the host community in planning and maintaining tourism development on their own, to cater to the development of the community directly. The present study tries to explore potentiality and limitations in the development of CBT in the drought-prone and poverty-stricken area of Ayodhya Hills of Purulia. In achieving this objective, the use of the hybrid method SWOT and AHP analysis was considered, which gives a picture of the strength, weakness, opportunity and the threat of the tourism industry of this region. The use of AHP with SWOT is done in this paper to yield analytically-determined priorities for the factors included in SWOT analysis and make them commensurable, thereby giving them the required weightage in the strategic planning process of the CBT. The priorities comparison of the SWOT group with the help of AHP (Analytical Hierarchical Process), reveal that the strengths and opportunities overweight threats and weaknesses; therefore the area is well suited for CBT. The results are utilized in the strategy formulation and evaluation process using the TOWS matrix. With strategic planning and initiation the development of CBT can go a long way in providing a supplementary source of income and livelihood and help to revive in the community members a sense of pride for their culture and environment.