Abstract

Stakeholder commitment is required in the successful implementation of ecotourism in the environmentally sensitive areas, in particular. Horton Plains National Park (HPNP) in Sri Lanka is a notable illustration of a critical case where conservation goals are conflicting with the growing tourism pressures. The article addresses the dynamics of stakeholders and the key limitations to effective ecotourism activities in HPNP revolve around governance, participation, and benefit-sharing. The approach employed was the qualitative case study, which was based on semi-structured interviews and in-the-field observations of four groups of stakeholders: state-centered agencies, local communities, outside tourism facilitators, and tourists. The thematic analysis was carried out with the help of the Relative Importance Index (RII) as the means of interpreting the results. Results revealed that the stakeholders put a high emphasis on environmental conservation (RII = 0.90), which is a high awareness and conservation intent. Such an intention is, however, not reflected well in practice. Thematic analysis indicates structural impediments that have prevailed, such as youth exclusion (28%), frequent cases of poaching (20%), illegal mining across the borders of the park (16%), and pollution by tourists (14%). Even though the stakeholder is highly dependent on the HPNP, local communities allege that they are not involved in making key decisions and have limited access to tourism-related benefits. Governance weaknesses, such as inadequate communication, inadequate infrastructure, and centralized decision-making, further undermine cooperation and long-term commitment. The study concludes that effective ecotourism in HPNP requires more than environmental concern alone. Participatory governance should be further enhanced, and transparency and equitable economic inclusion must be enhanced to gain the trust of the stakeholders and ensure sustainable outcomes. These results justify the implementation of co-management strategies, specific infrastructure development, and improved local economic integration as ways to reach resilient community-based ecotourism governance in Sri Lanka.

Keywords: Barriers, Dynamics, Ecotourism, Effective, Stakeholders