Assessing Sustainable Ecotourism Opportunities in Western Rajasthan, India, through Advanced Geospatial Technologies

A study identifies significant potential for sustainable ecotourism development in Western Rajasthan, India, with 64.16% of the region classified as having very high or high suitability. This finding is derived from a geospatial analysis using weightage sum overlay techniques, which integrated seven thematic layers: elevation, proximity to streams, land use/cover, population density, road connectivity, proximity to protected areas, and heritage hotspots. The research utilized ArcGIS 10.8 and ERDAS Imagine software to process data from the USGS website, ultimately generating a suitability map that categorizes ecotourism potential across five classes. This approach highlights Western Rajasthan's vast capacity for tourism-driven growth, particularly through its cultural heritage, historical sites, and wildlife, offering a blueprint for balanced development in this UNESCO-recognized region.

Chandel, R. S., Kanga, S., Singh, S. K., Ðurin, B., Oršulić, O. B., Dogančić, D., & Hunt, J. D. (2023). Assessing Sustainable Ecotourism Opportunities in Western Rajasthan, India, through Advanced Geospatial Technologies. Sustainability, 15(14), 11473. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411473