SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF HOST COMMUNITIE’S SUPPORT FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN THE HERITAGE DESTINATION OF PURI, INDIA

The study aims to examine the role of socio-demographic characteristics on the host community's perception of tourism impacts in heritage tourism destinations of a developing country. The variables discussed are age, gender, religion, level of education, length of stay in the community, and involvement in the tourism sector. A questionnaire survey method was adopted, and 450 samples were collected from three host communities of Puri, a heritage destination in eastern India. The analysis was carried out using descriptive methods like distribution of the mean, frequency, etc., and statistical techniques like t-test, one-way ANOVA, post-hoc test, etc. were used. The findings revealed religiosity as the most significant variable influencing the host community’s perception. The study also found level of education, and length of stay in the community as significantly influential variables. The study's findings will contribute to the literature on tourism impact assessment for heritage destinations in developing countries. It also offers practical implications for policymakers and destination managers in planning tourism development strategies.