Prof Papi Reddy’s co-authored research paper titled ‘Barriers to Sustainable Waste Management in Mountain Tourism: Evidence from India’ has been published in Tourism: An International Interdisciplinary Journal. Prof. T S Krishnan, Independent Researcher, Bengaluru, Karnataka; Prof. Kishore Kumar Gangwani, Marketing, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India; Prof. Kiran K, Information Technology & Operations Management, Goa Institute of Management, Sanquelim, Poriem, Goa, India; are his co-authors.
Waste generated due to mountain tourism leads to environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and poses a significant challenge to achieving the goal of sustainable development. Mountains which are characterized by uninhabitable terrain and remoteness, coupled with current tourism practices compound this challenge. The paper resolves this challenge by understanding barriers to sustainably manage waste using the Classical DEMATEL method. Based on data from 36 experts in India’s mountain tourism industry, barriers to sustainable management of non-biodegradable waste have been analysed. Results suggest that enforcement of regulations, waste collection infrastructure, and lack of transportation for waste transfer are the most prominent barriers that can be mitigated by collectively leveraging four tangible barriers: tourists’ motivation or achievement mentality, local government’s initiative, economic value of waste, and tourists’ lack of environmental awareness. Based on this, a policy intervention mandating certification standards for tourists is suggested before they embark on mountain tourism.