Atna Journal of Tourism Studies

Self-Help Groups as Catalysts for Sustainable Community-Based Tourism Development in Jammu & Kashmir: A Structural Equation Modeling Perspective

Shailendra Kumar Bharal — 2026-06-19

This study explores the transformative role of self-help groups (SHGs) in fostering sustainable community-based tourism development in Jammu & Kashmir, employing a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. Drawing on a stratified random sample of 150 SHGs across seven districts (Budgam, Srinagar, Pulwama, Kupwara, Baramulla, Samba, and Jammu), the research examines the mediating mechanisms through which community empowerment, financial inclusion, skill development, and social capital facilitate tourism engagement and generate sustainable livelihood outcomes. The proposed integrated model demonstrates that SHG-led tourism development operates through a hierarchical structure of first-order constructs (community empowerment, β = 0.78; financial inclusion, β = 0.72; skill development, β = 0.65; social capital, β = 0.81) converging into a second-order latent construct of SHG Tourism Development, which subsequently predicts income generation (β = 0.69), women empowerment (β = 0.73), and sustainable development outcomes (β = 0.68). The structural model demonstrates adequate fit (χ² = 245.32, p > 0.05; CFI = 0.94; RMSEA = 0.058) and explains 54% of variance in sustainability outcomes. Findings underscore that SHGs function as critical institutional mechanisms for democratizing tourism benefits, empowering marginalized rural women, and ensuring inclusive development aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. The research contributes theoretically by advancing understanding of community-based tourism governance and practically by informing policy interventions for leveraging SHGs in tourism-led rural development within mountain destinations.

The Role of Tourism Education in Promoting Sustainable Tourism Awareness, Attitudes, and Behaviour among Secondary School Students in the Maldives

Johnson L I P — 2026-06-19

This study examines the role of tourism education in promoting sustainable tourism awareness, attitude, and behaviour in the islands of the Maldives among secondary students. Education represents a significant rank in nurturing sustainable tourism. Among the other courses, travel and tourism cultivates the majority of concepts about sustainable tourism. This study utilizes a mixed, descriptive, cross-sectional research design. This study contributes to tourism education literature by providing insights from a small island developing state. In addition, purposive sampling techniques are used to collect data from five schools via the tourism teacher. Figures were collected from 46 students in Grades 9 and 10 from schools in the Maldives, utilizing descriptive statistics, particularly mean, correlation, and linear regression. Open ended questions were analysed by thematic analysis. Responses from the 46 participants were carefully reviewed, coded, and grouped into themes. The questionnaire has five components: demographic information (gender, grade, and tourism subject studied), awareness of sustainable tourism (AST), the role of tourism education in sustainability awareness (TESA), attitudes and behaviour toward sustainable tourism (ABST), and an open-ended question about the participant’s opinions. Four components have questions quantified by the likert scale and interpreted. The last component is analysed by the thematic method. This study is to determine the relationship between Tourism Education in Sustainable Awareness (TESA) and Awareness, Attitude, and Behaviour towards sustainable tourism (AST & ABST). The results illustrate a positive correlation, indicating the impacts of TESA on AST & ABST, who adopt travel and tourism courses. This study also proposes that tourism lessons need to increase student awareness about climate change. Hence, tourism education should focus more on climate change and its impacts. School projects require augmenting relations with sustainable tourism, these can be secured by including these findings in the tourism education curriculum. The protection of natural resources should be encouraged in tourism education. Moreover, tourism education has the potential to transform the tourism industry in the Maldives into something more sustainable and responsible, supporting environmental protection and socio economic development. The results from the inductive thematic analysis shows that tourism education not only enhances the awareness among the students but also influences the behaviour pattern, making it a powerful tool for achieving sustainable tourism in the Maldives.

The limitation of this investigation is that this study is specific to four inhabited islands in the Maldives, which can affect the generalisation of the findings. The convenience sampling may introduce systematic distortion. However, Qualitative data provides deep insights that strengthen the findings. This study contributes to recognizing the importance of tourism education in the curriculum to develop a sustainable future. Evidence is limited to only tourism students; the research gap is to carry out further studies on the impacts of sustainable tourism among the secondary students, who can be distinguished as being in tourism courses and non-tourism courses.

Tourism, Waste Management, and Environmental Sustainability: A Bibliometric Review

Md Mainul S K — 2026-06-19

The rapid global expansion of tourism has intensified environmental pressures, necessitating an urgent transition toward circular and sustainable waste management. This study presents a rigorous and comprehensive bibliometric synthesis of 703 Scopus-indexed publications (2004–2025), utilizing Bibliometrix (R) and VOSviewer to map the field’s intellectual architecture. Findings reveal an exponential surge in research output after 2015, with the landscape organized into four primary clusters: sustainable tourism governance, waste management systems, circular economy, and marine pollution. The analysis uncovers a definitive paradigm shift from linear models toward regenerative frameworks, increasingly supported by smart technologies like IoT and machine learning. However, a persistent disciplinary divide between policy-oriented scholarship and technical research remains, hindering the development of truly holistic sustainability solutions. This work systematically identifies critical research gaps and proposes a socio-ecological roadmap for integrated governance. Policy recommendations underscore the need for cross-sectoral collaboration, circular strategies, and digital monitoring systems to enhance destination resilience. By effectively bridging the divide between technological innovation and policy formulation, this research provides a strategic foundation for the transition toward more sustainable and resilient global tourism systems.

Art Integration in Tourism: Exploring Its Role in Learning Skills Enhancement and Tourism Development

Chinmay Kumar Sharma — 2026-06-19

This bibliometric review of the study of Art Meets Tourism: A Study on Art Integration, Learning Skills, and Tourism Development synthesizes an extensive and varied research area, comprising 1,686 publications from 945 sources and exhibiting an Mean annual growth rate of 18.42. The research corpus is relatively new, with a mean age of 4.69 years, and achieves high citation rates, averaging 12.65 citations per paper. Research topics vary broadly, spanning cultural tourism, education, sustainability, and heritage conservation. In terms of authorship, there is considerable co-authorship: 21.23% of this work is an international cooperation, with a diverse geographical base headed by the USA, China, Australia, and the UK. Research journals like Sustainability (Switzerland), Geoheritage, and the Journal of Sustainable Tourism point to a solid link with sustainability concerns, while more educationally oriented journals indicate that there is a rising importance on learning skills within field of tourism. The analysis of keywords centers on tourism, a topic inextricably linked to art, cultural heritage, and geotourism and the sector's shift toward creative, competency-building, and socially conscious types of tourism. Strong evidence also demonstrates that the integration of art enhances the cultural capital of destinations, strengthens sustainable branding, and provides for experiential learning, making this an important confluence of cultural policy, learning, and tourism innovation.

Tourism Education and Entrepreneurship Readiness: A Comparative Content Analysis of Syllabi in Kerala and Karnataka

Sindhu Joseph — 2026-06-19

The increasing demands for entrepreneurial competencies in tourism are leading to calls for the transformation of the curriculum within higher education. This research assesses the degree to which tourism higher education programs in Kerala and Karnataka incorporate both competency-based learning and entrepreneurship readiness through examining the presence of digital competences, experiential learning, skill development and entrepreneurial orientation. Eight university curricula – four from Kerala and four from Karnataka – have been examined using a directed qualitative content analysis approach to identify regional disparities and examine conformity to UNWTO competency standards and NEP 2020 directives. Results suggest that the Universities of Karnataka have shown greater levels of incorporation of skills-based learning and structured practical elements when compared to the Programs in Universities of Kerala where the majority of programs were found to be theoretical with minimal operationalization of entrepreneurial elements. Although most of the programs included soft skills, significant gaps were identified in terms of digital training, innovative practices, and experiential entrepreneurship education. This study has demonstrated that there is a requirement for curriculum reform aligned to UNWTO competency standards and NEP 2020. This research also contributes to tourism education literature through providing a comparative framework and action-oriented suggestions for enhancing entrepreneurial preparedness.

From Place Distinctiveness to Tourism Support: The Role of Protecting and Supporting Behaviours of Meghalaya's Living Root Bridges Communities

Adelbert Majaw — 2026-06-19

One of the core factors that drives tourism is the uniqueness of the destination’s attractions. Residents’ supporting behaviour plays a critical role in sustaining tourism development, as it is heavily influenced by the distinct characteristics of their environment. Consequently, the Community’s Behaviour influences their support for tourism developments, and this behaviour is shaped by how distinct the attraction is. The Living Root Bridges (LRBs) communities of Meghalaya provide an ideal context to explore these relationships. 152 samples were collected from Nongriat and Tyrna village using a structured questionnaire, and the data were analysed through correlation and multiple regression analyses. The findings indicate that place distinctiveness significantly and positively influences both protecting and supporting behaviors, which subsequently enhance overall tourism support. This implies that when residents perceive their community as unique, they exhibit voluntary behaviours that foster tourism activities, thereby enhancing their economic and social wellbeing, while preserving their natural and cultural heritage. Therefore, this study contributes to the tourism literature by positioning Place Distinctiveness as a primary driver of Community Citizenship Behaviour toward support for tourism in an indigenous and rural destination.

Exploring the Impact of Seasonality in Northeast India and South Korea: A Study based on Economic and Strategic Prospects

S. Sochipem Zimik — 2026-06-19

Tourism has proven to be pivotal for economic sustenance in Northeast India and South Korea. Such recognition needs to be translated into informed analysis by examining the seasonal tourist inflow in the region from 2018 to 2024. Statistical approaches such as the Gini index, ARIMA, and SARIMA analysis would redefine the tourist's valuable information for the investor, scholar contribution, and management that accounts for the tourist’s attraction and expectations. This study provides robust and evidence-based insights, validated through statistical methodologies, to inform the strategy, competence, and awareness of policymakers and stakeholders. The seasonality index determination would highlight the best and most authentic information on tourism in the region. The study seeks to portray a significant information gap that has not been examined seriously through various statistical methodologies. One of the main takeaways of the study would be informative suffices, which has never been contributed and direct the tourist to identify the best favorable season to visit, and stakeholder to be conscious and competent with a strategic and efficient work for economic sustenance.