Perceived Waste-Management Quality and Satisfaction with Waste-Management Conditions: Evidence from Two Himalayan Destinations in India

This study examines whether perceived waste-management quality is associated with tourist satisfaction after accounting for destination and selected visitor characteristics. It also describes how reported awareness and the stated influence of waste management on return and recommendation decisions vary across two Himalayan destinations. An intercept survey of 763 tourists in Gulmarg and Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, was conducted from May to July 2026. The study treats TPB and PSR as interpretive traditions rather than as tested causal models. Perceived waste-management quality accounted for the largest relative contribution to explained McFadden pseudo-R2 in the primary satisfaction model (54.4%), followed by destination (42.2%) and origin (3.3%). The association remained similar after adjustment for repeat visitation and length of stay (OR 3.48, 95% CI 2.39–5.13). Longer stays were positively associated with reported awareness of negative waste-management impacts, but this does not establish within-person change over time. The findings support closer examination of visible waste-management provision and maintenance. Communication and behavioural interventions need further evaluation in future research.