Economic benefits of natural tourism: Driving community's participation for conservation in Halimun Salak National Park, Indonesia

Abstract

Natural tourism development is expected to provide added value for ecological and economic aspects of protected areas. Natural tourism activities can generate revenue which can be allocated for conservation as well as provide economic benefits for local communities. With the proviso that tourism activities still benefit communities' economy, then it possibly will increase their awareness and participation in conservation activities. This research aims to determine the contribution of tourism activities for households' economy and national park management. Particularly, the contribution of Halimun Salak National Park tourism household income sharing, total household expenses, as well as stakeholder perception related to the conservation at HSNP. The results determine the economic benefits of natural tourism for the community. 66% of local household income was generated from natural tourism and tourism income meets 91% of household expenditure of local communities. Tourism activities could driving community's participation for conservation in Halimun Salak National Park due to their economic dependencies on tourism.