366 research outputs found
Seed dispersal by megaherbivores: do Asian elephants disperse<i>Mallotus philippinensis</i>, a main food tree in northern India and Nepal?
No full textBhatt, Pragya, Pradhan, Narendra M.B., Wegge, Per (2011): Seed dispersal by megaherbivores: do Asian elephants disperse Mallotus philippinensis, a main food tree in northern India and Nepal? Journal of Natural History 45 (15-16): 915-921, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2010.538088, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2010.53808
Wildlife tourism in Chitwan National Park, Nepal: Unpacking visitors’ preferences and sentiments with TripAdvisor reviews
No full textIntroduction
Wildlife tourism is an important component of nature-based tourism, which is a large and growing sector of global tourism (Gnanapala et al. 2017). It can generate revenue, contribute to local economies, and increase peoples’ appreciation of wildlife and its conservation (Gnanapala et al. 2017). To enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of wildlife tourism destinations it is important to understand tourists’ experiences including their preferences and satisfaction.
Increasingly tourists share information about their experiences with wildlife and other types of tourism online including via social media (Teles da Mota and Pickering 2020), and review websites such as Trip Advisor. Such user generated content is often seen as more reliable by others than information provided by tourism organizations (Garay 2019). Researchers have started to evaluate online tourist created content, but mainly for tourism destinations in high-income countries (Teles da Mota and Pickering 2020). However, access to detailed low-cost data about visitor experiences can be even more valuable for low-income countries with popular wildlife tourism destinations, but where resources are limited (Bhatt and Pickering 2021, 2022).
We use TripAdvisor reviews of Chitwan National Park in Nepal as a case study to explore how such online data could be used to understand tourists’ experiences. Elephants are important for tourism in the Park, both wild elephants and those in semi-captivity, some of which are used for elephant rides. Therefore, we assessed overall themes in tourist’s reviews, how they rated their experiences and the sentiments they expressed, including those talking about elephants.
Methods
Chitwan National Park is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the most popular nature-based tourism destination for domestic and international tourists in Nepal (Bhatt and Pickering 2022). Reviews for the Park from 2015 to 2021 were downloaded from TripAdvisor using the ‘Selenium’ tool in Python. This included the text of the reviews along with metadata such as home location of reviewer (if provided), date the review was posted, and their ratings of the Park on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = terrible and 5 = excellent). Leximancer, a text analytics tool, was then used to identify major themes in the reviews and generate concept maps, while the VADER (Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner) lexicon was used to analyse the sentiments expressed in the reviews using NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) package in Python. This was done for all reviews, and then for just those that talked about elephants. The ratings and sentiments were then compared between reviews about elephants and others using Chi-squared tests in Excel.
Results
There were 399 reviews about the Park posted by tourists from 47 countries, with most tourist reviewers from the USA (57), India (53), UK (49), Nepal (36) or Australia (32). The reviews mainly focused on nature, wildlife, and tourism activities (Figure 1a). More than half the reviews (52.6%) talked about elephants including their welfare, such as how they were chained for long periods (Figure 1b).
Most tourists rated the Park as excellent (58.1%), or very good (26.8%) and expressed positive sentiments (85.7%), but a few considered it average (8.5%), poor (2.3%) or terrible (4.3%) and expressed neutral (2.8%) or negative (11.5%) sentiments (Figure 1c). Those talking about elephants were less positive (82.9% vs 88.9%) or neutral (1.4% vs 4.2%) and expressed more negative sentiments (15.7% vs 6.9%) than other reviews (Chi-square = 9.996, p < 0.05). Rankings also differed with fewer excellent (54.3% vs 62.4%) or average (6.7% vs 10.6%) reviews, and more poor (3.8% vs 0.5%) or terrible (5.7% vs 2.6%) reviews about elephants than others (Figure 1d) (Chi-square = 11.081, p < 0.05).
Figure 1: Results from the analysis of TripAdvisor reviews about Chitwan National Park: a) concept map of all reviews b) concept map of reviews about elephants, c) proportion of ratings and sentiments for all reviews, and d) proportions of ratings and sentiments for reviews about elephants.
Discussion
On TripAdvisor tourists described how they enjoyed many aspects of their visit to Chitwan National Park with generally high ratings and positive sentiments expressed in reviews. However, there was concern about the welfare of elephants including lower ratings and more negative sentiments in some reviews. This is of concern and could impact wildlife tourism in the Park, as elephants are one of the main attractions and there is growing concern about elephant welfare in tourism more generally (Gnanapala, et al. 2017). Further research into these reviews for the Park, but especially those for the Elephant Breeding Centre in the Park, are likely to provide additional insights including into visitor’s specific concerns regarding elephants in semi-captivity and elephant rides.
References
Bhatt, P., & Pickering C.M. (2021). Public perceptions about Nepalese National Parks: A global Twitter discourse analysis. Society and Natural Resources, doi: 10.1080/08941920.2021.1876193
Bhatt, P., & Pickering C.M. (2022). Destination image of Chitwan National Park, Nepal: Insights from a content analysis of online photographs. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 37, doi:10.1016/j.jort.2022.100488.
Garay, L. (2019). Visitspain. Breaking down affective and cognitive attributes in the social media construction of the tourist destination image. Tourism Management Perspectives, 32, 100560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2019.100560
Gnanapala, A., Buultjens, J. and Ratnayake, I. (2017) Managing wildlife tourism in Sri Lanka: Opportunities and challenges. In: Fatima, J.K. (ed.) Wilderness of Wildlife Tourism. Apple Academic Press, Palm Bay, pp. 162–183.
Teles da Mota, V., and Pickering, C.M. (2020). Using social media to assess nature-based tourism: Current research and future trends. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. 30, 100295. https://doi.org/10/1016/j.jort.2020.100295.No Full Tex
Destination image of Chitwan National Park, Nepal: Insights from a content analysis of online photographs
No full textThere are millions of publicly available photographs posted by people visiting protected areas on social media, but can they enhance our understanding of the preferences of nature-based tourists, and if so, how are such areas marketed? To explore the uses of this still novel source of data, we compared the content of photographs posted by tourists (perceived image(s)) with those posted by tourism organizations online (projected destination image(s)) using Chitwan National Park in Nepal as a case study. This involved comparing the content of 645 photographs posted online by government and tourism companies with 1214 photographs taken by tourists in the Park and posted to the social media platform Flickr. The findings highlighted similarities including the popularity of wildlife and landscapes in photographs, but also discordances in how cultural attributes were more popular in photographs posted by tourists than those promoting tourism. When the geolocations of Flickr photographs were mapped across the Park, spatial and temporal hotspots were identified relating to specific content, while the popularity of photographs with others on Flickr indicated that potential future tourists may also value wildlife and culture in the Park. The findings highlight how destination marketing online could better match what tourists shared about the Park and identify what they valued where and when in the Park. It also illustrates how other parks where nature-based tourism is economically, socially, and ecologically valuable, but resources limited, could harness free and readily available social media content to improve destination marketing and management, despite some recognized limitations with social media data.Full Tex
Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Visitation in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal: Insights from Geolocated Social Media Images
No full textMountain protected areas are popular tourism destinations. Those managing such landscapes and activities require data on when and where people go, but obtaining such information is difficult for large and often remote areas, particularly when resources are limited. We illustrate how geolocated images posted on social media could be used to assess tourism by analyzing geolocated images taken in the Annapurna Conservation Area in Nepal and posted to the image-sharing platform Flickr. Data from 577 visitors covering 3 major periods—pre-2007 (limited roads and Maoist insurgency), 2008–2014 (post-insurgency and better roads), and 2015–2020 (post-blizzard and earthquake)—and 4 meteorological seasons were analyzed. We found monthly patterns based on photo user days correlated with recent official visitor data. When finer resolution mapping of photo-user-hour data was visualized using heatmaps, seasonal and spatial patterns were apparent. Visitors mainly stayed on trails, roads, or in villages, with few images off trails, at high elevations, or from the remote north, while visitation was greater and more dispersed in spring and autumn compared to summer and winter. The results highlight the concentrated nature of visitation and hence opportunities to promote new destinations, events, and activities, particularly in summer and winter. They also show how roads and trails have expanded the use of the area. Although beneficial, social media has limitations, as few visitors post to social media, platforms vary in popularity and access to data, and there are increasing ethical and privacy issues with data from social media that need to be considered.Full Tex
The Cassandras in Exile: A Study of the Diasporic Sensibility in the Poetry of Meena Alexander, Sujata Bhatt, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Moniza Alvi and Jean Arasanayagam
No full textNot availabl
Public Perceptions about Nepalese National Parks: A Global Twitter Discourse Analysis
No full textPublic participation in managing natural resources is important but obtaining diverse perspectives remains challenging. To assess how Twitter, a globally popular and influential public forum, could provide insights into diverse views about natural resource management in developing countries, we examined tweets about Nepalese National Parks. The content and sentiments of >9,000 tweets posted by >4,500 Twitter users from >90 countries were evaluated. Most tweets were sent by accounts in Nepal, India, USA, UK, Australia and Canada, with tourism, charismatic fauna, landscapes, culture, ethnic people, and issues relating to managing parks common topics. Twitter users’ origin/home location influenced which park and topics they discuss and with what emotions. The number of Twitter users was not correlated with park visitation but rather tweets were often sent in response to specific events and news. Twitter can provide insights into perceptions about parks including in low income countries, but there are important limitations.Full Tex
Topology-aware distributed graph processing for tightly-coupled clusters
No full textCloud applications have burgeoned over the last few years, but they are typically written for loosely-coupled clusters such as datacenters. In this thesis we investigate how one can run cloud applications in tightly-coupled clusters and network topologies, namely super-computers. Specifically, we look at a class of distributed machine learning systems called distributed graph processing systems, and run them on NCSA Blue Waters. Partitioning the graph is key to achieving performance in distributed graph processing systems. We present new topology-aware partitioning techniques that better exploit the structure of the network topologies in supercomputers. Compared to existing work, our new Restricted Oblivious and Grid Centroid partitioning approaches produce 25-33% improvement in makespan, along with a sizable reduction in network traffic. We also discuss optimizations such as smart network buffers that further amplify the improvement. To help operators select the best graph partitioning technique, we culminate our experimental results into a decision tree.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2020-05-01The student, Mayank Bhatt, accepted the attached license on 2018-04-23 at 17:13.The student, Mayank Bhatt, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2018-04-23 at 17:20.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2018-04-24 at 15:21.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #12435 on 2018-08-31 at 17:21:19Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-04T20:36:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Erratum: Hybrid group recommendation using modified termite colony algorithm: A context towards big data (Journal of Physical Chemistry (2018) 17:2 (1850019) DOI: 10.1142/S0219649218500193)
No full textWe would like to make the following correction to this article. The third author a±liation should be read as follows: Chintan Bhatt U. & P. U. Patel Department of Computer Engineering Charotar University of Science and Technology Changa, Gujarat 388421, India [email protected]
The Dementia Dilemma in India: Addressing the Care Challenges with a Layered Interventional Model (LIM)
No full textThis project presents a literature review focused on the growing public health challenge of dementia in India. With the aging population increasing rapidly, the burden of dementia-related care is expected to intensify in coming decades. The review examines existing research, health system gaps, and sociocultural challenges related to dementia care across urban and rural settings.
The core contribution of this work is a proposed layered interventional model designed to strengthen dementia care through a combination of community-based services, caregiver support, primary health integration, and policy-level reforms.
The goal of this project is to:
Highlight critical gaps in dementia care infrastructure and awareness
Synthesize research on existing care models and interventions
Propose a strategic, layered approach to improve dementia outcomes in India.
Author: Jessica Bhatt
Affiliation: Independent Researcher
Date: May 2025
Tags: Dementia, Care Pathway, India, Challenges, Potential Solutions, Geriatric Care, Health Systems, Literature Revie
Analysing spatial and temporal patterns of tourism and tourists’ satisfaction in Nepal using social media
No full textInformation on where and when tourists go and what they value about their visits is important when promoting, planning, and managing destinations, particularly for countries reliant on international tourism income. Metadata from social media posts are starting to be used to monitor tourism but are they useful at larger scale across developing countries such as Nepal? Here we test how social media can provide insights using timestamped geolocated data and text from photographs on Flickr in Nepal. Based on posts by 3223 people, equivalent to 18,817 visitor days (Photo-User-Days), tourists to Nepal mainly visit two cities (Kathmandu and Pokhara) and four protected areas (Annapurna Conservation Area, Sagarmatha, Langtang, and Chitwan National Park), and mostly in autumn and spring, which is similar to the results from the limited official tourism statistics. An Importance-Performance Analysis of the text associated with the photographs revealed culture and natural landscapes were important to tourists although some people expressed dissatisfaction with specific attributes. These findings highlight the importance of diversifying tourism in Nepal by promoting other destinations, as well as additional natural and cultural attractions, and new activities including outside peak seasons. They also highlight the need to manage tourism in peak periods in popular destinations and to better address tourists’ preferences and experiences. More broadly, the results highlight the benefits of social media data for monitoring tourism in developing countries but also emphasize important limitations with such data, including inadequate representation on Flickr of some cohorts including tourists from China. Management implications: Social media is increasingly used in tourism research but studies to date are focused on a few developed countries. This study demonstrates how social media data can be used to assess spatial and temporal patterns in tourism and analyse tourists’ sentiments and satisfaction in developing countries such as Nepal. The findings highlight that Nepalese tourism is mostly limited to a few destinations, focused on a few attributes and times. Expansion to other destinations and seasons, additional natural and cultural attractions and new activities should be promoted to improve tourist satisfaction and minimize negative impacts of tourism.No Full Tex
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