Author(s): Chitralekha Kumar and Kunal Jadhav
Tourists have demonstrated increased environmental awareness. It has been observed that ecotourism has considerable potential for integrating biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic development of the destination's local community. This study examines the ecotourism practises of the "Velas" village in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. This village on the coast of Maharashtra's Konkan region is home to the critically endangered Olive Ridley Sea turtle. The villagers discovered these turtle nests and began preserving them with the assistance of the non-profit Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra. The turtle hatchlings' release from their eggs is a delight for nature and biodiversity enthusiasts. The success of the ecotourism model in the village was determined by contacting 400 tourists to identify the factors that contributed to its success. Four major characteristics, namely environment, local culture, community involvement, and tourist satisfaction, were identified by the findings. Under these four pillars, 25 subjects were examined. The top six contributors were identified based on the most important perspectives of the tourists. The ecotourism development process followed by the villagers is supported by these four elements.