Effect of Tourism on Small Business in Lulusar-Dudipat National Park (LDNP) Kaghan Valley, District Mansehra: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Lulusar-Dudipat National Park is an attractive eco-tourism spot for people across the country and the majority of foreigners visit the park to see its beauty and scenery. Eco-tourism plays a major role in earnings and creates employment opportunities for local communities. The main objective of the study was to investigate the effect of tourism on small businesses in the study area. Simple random sampling and proportion allocation sampling technique was used for the selection of 93 sample respondents in the study area. The data were collected through interviews and questionnaires from sample respondents in the study area. In this study, data was collected and analysed through descriptive statistics, Paired t-test, and Binary Logistic Regression model by using SPSS software. The results of the study show that there is a significant effect of tourism on small businesses in the study area. The difference between the means of occupation of the sample respondents is 0.18 between on-season and off seasonal. The study concludes the difference between the incomes of the respondents is -0.44. Similarly, the results of this study show the effect of tourism on prices of livestock products during tourist season and after the tourist season is -0.37. Furthermore, it is also concluded that the effect of the tourism industry on the community and the number of tourists visiting the study area is 0.56. Along with that, the effect of tourism on small businesses in the study area was also analyzed through Binary Logistic Regression. The study recommended that the government should make policies for the promotion of eco-tourism by providing proper facilities to the tourists and follow the ideas from the other advanced countries.