Visitor Preferences of Landscape Components in Kashmir Region, India
Keywords:
landscape, tourism, landscape components, visitor perceptions, visitor preferencesAbstract
This paper explores visitors' perceptions of landscape preferences in Kashmir, India. Using purposive sampling, data were collected from 500 respondents via a self-administered questionnaire comprising mainly closed-ended questions. Among them, 120 (24%) were foreign tourists, 251 (50.2%) domestic visitors, and 129 (25.8%) local excursionists. Vegetation ranked highest in visitor preference (score: 7.30), followed by heritage (6.93), landform (6.45), water (6.23), and builtform (2.42). Except for built form, significant differences were observed among visitor groups based on their origins. Additionally, statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were found between male and female preferences for primary landscape components, except for built form (p>0.05). These findings highlight how landscape preferences vary across visitor demographics, underscoring the need for landscape development plans that accommodate these differences. This is crucial for ensuring the long-term sustainability of fragile tourism destinations like Kashmir.
References
Acar, C., Kurdoglu, B. C., Kurdoglu, O., & Acar, H. (2006). Public preferences for visual quality and management in the Kackar Mountains National Park (Turkey). International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, 13(6). https://doi.org/10.1080/13504500609469699
Ahmad, I. M., & Hussain, N. A. (2011). Impact of Turmoil on Tourism of Kashmir. In Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development (Vol. 2, Issue 7).
Bhattarai, K. (2005). Tourism, Terrorism And Turmoil In Nepal. Annals of Tourism Research, 32(3), 669–688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2004.08.007
Brassley, P. (1998). On the unrecognized significance of the ephemeral landscape. Landscape Research, 23(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/01426399808706531
Brown, G. (2006). Mapping landscape values and development preferences: a method for tourism and residential development planning. International Journal of Tourism Research, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.562
Burden, R., Watts, R., & Brown, B. (2002). The management of natural beauty: Challenges on Cranborne Chase. Geography, 87(1).
Chaudhary, M., & Ul Islam, N. (2020). Identification and mapping of religious tourist resources in kashmir valley. International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Systems, 13(1).
Craik, K. H. (1975). Individual Variations in Landscape Description. In E. H. Zube, R. O. Brush, & J. G. Fabos (Eds.), Landscape Assessment: Values, Perceptions and Resources. Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross.
Crofts, R. S. (1975). The Landscape Component Approach to Landscape Evaluation. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 66. https://doi.org/10.2307/621626
De Gregori, T. R. (1987). Resources Are Not; They Become: An Institutional Theory. Journal of Economic Issues, 21(3), 1241–1263.
Domon, G. (2011). Landscape as resource: Consequences, challenges and opportunities for rural development. Landscape and Urban Planning, 100(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2011.02.014
Gregory, D., Johnston, R., Pratt, G., Watts, M., & Whatmore, S. (2011). The Dictionary of Human Geography (5th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Hudson, B. J. (1986). Landscape as Resource for National Development : a Caribbean View. Geography, 71(2), 116–121. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40571081
Jain, A., Mukhopadhyay, D., & Jena, D. (2022). Nexus between Tourism and Economic Development in Jammu and Kashmir: A Review. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 26(1), 1–8.
Landscape Institute, & I.E.M.A. (2013). Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment. In Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203436295
Linton, D. L. (1968). The Assessment of Scenery as a Natural Resource. Scottish Geographical Magazine, 84.
Malik, M. I., & Bhat, M. S. (2015). Sustainability of tourism development in Kashmir — Is paradise lost? Tourism Management Perspectives, 16, 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TMP.2015.05.006
Naveh, Z., & Lieberman, A. S. (1984). Landscape ecology: theory and application. Landscape Ecology: Theory and Application.https://doi.org/10.3368/lj.4.2.134
Purushothaman, R. (2012). Evolving Traversed Landscape Preference for Vistas Between Selected Urban and Tourist Centers of Chennai Region. Anna University.
Price, C. (2017). Landscape Economics. In Landscape Economics. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54873-9
Purcell, A. T. (1992). Abstract and specific physical attributes and the experience of landscape. Journal of Environmental Management, 34(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-4797(05)80149-5
Sanderson, H. R., Meganck, R. A., & Gibbs, K. C. (2012). Range Management and Scenic Beauty as Perceived by Dispersed Recreationists. Management, 39(5), 464–469.
Scott, A., & Bullen, A. (2004). Special Landscape Areas: Landscape conservation or confusion in the town and country planning system? Town Planning Review, 75(2). https://doi.org/10.3828/tpr.75.2.5
SIMONIČ, T. (2003). Preference and perceived naturalness in visual perception of naturalistic landscapes. Acta Agriculturae Slovenica, 81(2). https://doi.org/10.14720/aas.2003.81.2.15305
Sofronov, B. (2018). The Development of the Travel and Tourism Industry in the World. Annals of Spiru Haret University. Economic Series , 18(4), 123–137. https://doi.org/10.26458/1847
Williams, P. W., Paul, J., & Hainsworth, D. (1996). Keeping Track of What Really Counts: Tourism Resource Inventory Systems in British Columbia, Canada. In L. Harrison & W. Husbands (Eds.), Practicing Responsible Tourism: International Case Studies in Tourism Planning, Policy and Development (pp. 404–421). J. Wiley & Sons.
World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). (2024). Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2024. https://wttc.org/research/economic-impact
Zimmerman, E. W. (1993). World Resources and Industries: A Functional Appraisal of the Availability of Agriculture and Industrial Resources. Harper & Brothers.
Zoderer, B. M., Tasser, E., Carver, S., & Tappeiner, U. (2019). An integrated method for the mapping of landscape preferences at the regional scale. Ecological Indicators, 106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.05.061
Zube, E. H. (1992). Environmental Evaluation: Perception and Public Policy. Cambridge University Press.
Zube, E. H., Pitt, D. G., & Anderson, T. W. (1975). Perception and Prediction of Scenic Resource Values of the Northeast. In E. H. Zube, R. O. Bush, & J. Fabos (Eds.), Landscape Assessment: Values, Perceptions, and Resources (pp. 151–167). Dowden, Hutchinson and Ross.
Zube, E. H., Sell, J. L., & Taylor, J. G. (1982). Landscape perception: Research, application and theory. Landscape Planning, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3924(82)90009-0
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Atna Journal of Tourism Studies
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
