Demand and the Perceptions of Tourists about Heritage Sites: A Study in Arunachal Pradesh.

This paper seeks to explore the demand and perceptions of visitors/ tourists in TawangMonastery and Parshuram Kund which are considered as important cultural and religious heritage sitesof the state, Arunachal Pradesh. The study also examines the trend and growth of tourists’ inflow intoTawang Monastery and Parshuram Kund from 2015 to 2023 based on secondary data. To examine thenature and structure of tourist demand and perceptions of tourists about heritage sites, a sample surveyof 400 tourists each from both the site were collected randomly. Both the sites have their own value andsignificance, Parshuram Kund is an important pilgrimage tourist destination whereas Tawang Monasteryis one of the important cultural and religious tourist destinations of the state. The study analyses data byusing statistical tools such as percentage, annual growth rate, graph, diagram, etc. The study showed thatthe inflow of tourist in both the sites has been fluctuating. On the basis of the empirical observation ofprimary data collected from the tourists visiting both the site it has been found that tourists demandbetter connectivity to the place, maintain cleanliness and hygiene, provide cafeteria facilities, trainedtourist guides and better management of the sites. Perception of the tourists showed that despite thedifficulties faced by them, tourists revealed that they have enjoyed visiting the sites and also said thatthey liked the sites and would visit again in future. The study is expected to provide valuableinformation to the policy maker in designing appropriate policy for the development of tourism atTawang Monastery and Parshuram Kund.