Assessment of geotourism potential of waterfalls and its management in the Eastern Chotanagpur plateau, India

Waterfall-based geotourism development depends on morphological and aesthetic factors, as there exists a strong association between scenery and waterfall attractiveness. To construct a scale measuring potential appeal, this study examines the waterfalls of the eastern part of the Chotanagpur Plateau region, covering the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal in India, to assess the Geotourism Attractiveness Index (GAI). The Beisel method was used to compute the geotourism attractiveness index of the selected waterfalls using three main indicators, namely physical characteristics, accessibility, and aesthetic value. Additionally, to determine the key variables influencing waterfall appeal, physical and aesthetic parameters were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Furthermore, an Accessibility-Attraction (A-A) analysis was conducted to assess the position of waterfalls based on accessibility infrastructure and attraction values. The above-mentioned analysis indicates that aesthetic beauty is the most important driving factor for waterfall-based geotourism development, as evidenced by a high correlation coefficient (0.963). Moreover, the Accessibility-Attraction (A-A) analysis also demonstrates that to boost geotourist visitation in the region, an improved accessibility network connecting these waterfalls is crucial. The TOWS-based waterfall management strategies identified the internal and external management factors that helped formulate four types of strategies: dissemination, improvement, preventive, and defensive strategies for the conservation and protection of the waterfalls. Moreover, these strategies will also be useful for waterfall evaluation and classification, thus facilitating geoeducation in the region and promoting the growth of waterfall-based geotourism.