OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF ECOTOURISM WITH REFERENCE TO ITS EMPLOYABILITY POTENTIAL: UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA

The growing tourist demand is resulting in an increase in pressure on our natural and other resources. Ecotourism has received much attention in recent years especially within the developing world. Eco-tourism can also be termed as management of tourism and conservation of nature in a way so as to maintain a fine balance between the requirements of tourism and ecology on the one hand and needs of the local communities for jobs, new skills, income generating employment and a better status for women on the other. It also aims to educate the tourist, to inform them, to provide funds for conservation of ecology, causing direct benefit to the economic development and political empowerment of local communities and areas, and foster respect for different cultures and for human rights. New projects have been started for strengthening ecotourism in Uttar Pradesh where visitors avail of improved tourism facilities such as accommodation, field infrastructure etc. This has resulted in promoting ecotourism in the state. In India domestic and foreign tourist arrivals have increased substantially from 2000 onwards. Uttar Pradesh received the big share of these visitors. Among all the states Uttar Pradesh was ranked 2nd in terms of domestic tourist visits and 3rd in terms of foreign tourist visits in India in 2016. This favourable statistics of tourism in Uttar Pradesh is capable of generating employment to both skilled and unskilled workers, directly and indirectly. At the same time it presents a lot of future challenges such as lack of good quality tourism infrastructure, global concerns regarding health and safety of tourists etc. This paper is aimed at exploring the opportunities and challenges of ecotourism in Uttar Pradesh with special reference to employment generating potential.