Identifying the Potentials for Agro Tourism Development in Piimawala, Sri Lanka
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Date
2015
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Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka
Abstract
Agro tourism, perceived as an alternative to mass tourism, is a rapidly growing segment of the tourism industry. Pinnawala area has a number of features that can be developed as an agro tourism sector. Due to the lack of government involvement and support, lack of agro tourism awareness, lack infrastructure facilities, financial facilities, development, and promotion agro tourism segment have been slow down in Sri Lanka as well as in Pinnawala destination. At present, agro tourism is promoted by most of the countries in the world aiming at sustainable rural development. Thus, the main aim of this research is to study the potential and possibility of application of agro tourism in Pinnawala area. After the comprehensive literature review, a structured questionnaire was constructed and conducted. The target population of this research was tourists who are visiting Pinnawala area and the tourism stakeholders in the area. Convenience sampling technique was used in this study. The researcher collected data from 73 tourists and 7 tourism stakeholders. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect data. Data were collected from the tourists with a questionnaire and in-depth interviews carried out to collect data from tourism stakeholders. SP SS statistical software version 24 was used to analyze the data. Initially, descriptive analysis was carried out to screen the respondents' profile. Further, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient was carried out to measure the relationship between the main potentials and agro tourism development, Thematic Analysis was applied to theme out the tourism stakeholders' perspective in developing agro tourism in Pinnawala destination and Friedman Test was carried out to analyze the challenges and issues to develop agro tourism in the Pinnawala area, Finally, the research findings were discussed. This research paper has been identified two main potentials to develop agro tourism in the area, the perspectives of tourism stakeholders in developing agro tourism in the area and, most and least influencing challenges and issues to develop agro tourism in the Pinnawala area.
Keywords: Agro Tourism, Potentials, Pinnawala, Development
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Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management degree programme (HTE)