@article{bhatta_gajurel_tanaka_ohe_2024, title={Profitability in rural restaurants and owners' motivation to agritourism: A case from Nepal}, volume={26}, ISSN={1099-2340 1522-1970}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2651}, DOI={10.1002/jtr.2651}, abstractNote={Abstract Rural Restaurants (RR) are located in rural areas primarily to serve the owner's business interests. However, they also play a crucial role in providing economic opportunities for rural communities and are regarded as a center for rural economy. Rural areas often face challenges such as depopulation due to limited access to public services, inadequate infrastructure, geographical remoteness, economic hardships, educational barriers, and other factors. Thus, this study aims to investigate the profitability of RRs and owners' motivations for agritourism development, as profitability and business expansion are typically positively correlated. Data from 105 samples collected in rural Nepal in 2022 and 2023 were analyzed using Tobit and Ordered Logit regression models, respectively. The study conceptualizes and confirms various contributors to RR profitability, including factors related to the supply side, demand appeal, and those influenced by pandemic‐related factors. Additionally, we explored how owners' motivations for agritourism are influenced by the restaurant's characteristics, quality‐related factors, and other attributes. Policymakers need to support RR owners in developing agritourism initiatives and contribute to quality control through effective enforcement of consumer laws by a responsible and robust quality control team.}, number={3}, journal={International Journal of Tourism Research}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Bhatta, Kumar and Gajurel, Ram Prasad and Tanaka, Toshinori and Ohe, Yasuo}, year={2024}, month={May} }
 @inproceedings{bhatta_2023, title={Community-based agritourism: A literature review}, booktitle={International Workshop on Agritourism 2022 Conference Proceedings}, author={Bhatta, K.}, year={2023} }
 @article{roman_wiśniewski_bhatta_królak_trzcinka_togaymurodov_2022, title={Poles’ Perceptions of Extreme and Adventure Tourism}, volume={5}, ISSN={2645-8683}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jota.v5i1.48732}, DOI={10.3126/jota.v5i1.48732}, abstractNote={The purpose of this article was to present awareness of extreme and adventure tourism among Polish people. A diagnostic survey was performed in order to determine the actual state of understanding of leisure activities and preferences of the people regarding adventure tourism using online social networking sites like Facebook in July 2021. A total of 1080 Polish respondents participated in the study, and the data were analysed descriptively. In this study, we found that leisure tourism is mostly practiced (41%) among the respondents, and the extreme and adventure tourism market share is 14%. Around 40% of respondents said they never practiced adventure tourism, and 26% said they hardly practice once a year. This demands additional efforts to increase the market share for extreme and adventure tourism. Thus, tourism entrepreneurs and policymakers can promote extreme and adventure tourism in the country, focusing on young people. Similarly, 31% said adventure and extreme tourism are dangerous. This means people must first overcome their psychological fear of participating in such activities. Thus, to encourage people in adventure and extreme tourism, the tourists’ fears should be removed and psychologically motivated. Then, ensuring safety measures, short training, and awareness campaigns focusing on the young increases their participation in adventure and extreme tourism. The safety measures and positive psychology in younger people increase the adventure and extreme tourism market.}, number={1}, journal={Journal of Tourism & Adventure}, publisher={Nepal Journals Online (JOL)}, author={Roman, Michał and Wiśniewski, Andrzej and Bhatta, Kumar and Królak, Sylwia and Trzcinka, Magdalena and Togaymurodov, Elbek}, year={2022}, month={Oct}, pages={1–22} }
 @article{bhatta_gautam_tanaka_2022, title={Travel Motivation during COVID-19: A Case from Nepal}, volume={14}, ISSN={2071-1050}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su14127165}, DOI={10.3390/su14127165}, abstractNote={The tourism industry is one of the most affected industries by the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding travel motivation is necessary for the tourism movement, even in the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this quantitative study aimed to explore travel motivation and its determinants. We collected 181 samples through a web-based questionnaire survey of the Nepali people in January and February 2021. The data were analyzed using a probit regression model through two different travel companion perspectives, i.e., traveling with friends and traveling with family members. We found that travel motivation, attributes, travel purpose, and transport mode preferences differed in companion groups. Specifically, those who want to travel with friends are government employees, 20–29 years of age, set health and wellness purposes, choose the bike for transportation, are less willing to visit homestay and agritourism, and want to travel for around one week. Those who plan to travel with family members use the coach to travel, choose rural destinations, including villages, and spend around two weeks. Based on these findings, we suggest that the Nepalese tourism destination and public transport companies make tourism packages targeting the groups. Since both groups showed interest in visiting rural destinations, we can say that tourism in rural destinations may revive earlier than urban tourism after the pandemic. However, a low-risk travel environment should be ensured for traveling to attract more tourists during and the post-disaster.}, number={12}, journal={Sustainability}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Bhatta, Kumar and Gautam, Prakash and Tanaka, Toshinori}, year={2022}, month={Jun}, pages={7165} }
 @article{roman_kosiński_bhatta_niedziółka_krasnodębski_2022, title={Virtual and Space Tourism as New Trends in Travelling at the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic}, volume={14}, ISSN={2071-1050}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su14020628}, DOI={10.3390/su14020628}, abstractNote={The first European COVID-19 infection was recorded in February 2020, and Poland followed in mid-March. Restrictions were imposed on traveling between states and using public space. These movement restrictions forced a search for new, often innovative, forms of tourism. Google Earth virtual reality (VR), Google Street View, and the Chernobyl VR Project are just some of the selected opportunities to create virtual tours. Different activities using VR mean that people can experience the illusion of travelling in time and space, outside of their everyday surroundings, in a digitally constructed three-dimensional (3D) environment, for cognition or entertainment. Therefore, this study aimed to present virtual and space tourism as new traveling trends during various crises, such as health, economic, etc. A diagnostic survey with a developed questionnaire was conducted in June and July 2021 in Poland. A total of 564 fully answered responses were collected from randomly selected respondents. We found that around 82% of Polish people were aware of VR technology, and 70% believed that new technologies determine VR tourism development. VR presents the possibility of travelling to places that no longer exist in their original form, but have been reconstructed only in VR. Around 75% of the respondents agreed that VR tourism plays an essential role in tourism promotion in Poland and throughout the world. Moreover, VR and augmented tourism lets us visit fictitious and dangerous, politically restricted, and geographically as well as economically difficult destinations. For example, our results revealed that many people want to experience North Korea, the USA, Antarctica, Syria, etc. At the same time, people recommended the NASA space station as a visiting destination using VR and augmented reality. VR offers an alternative form of tourism during crises and pandemics such as COVID-19. We found over 26% of the respondents were satisfied with contemporary tourists’ cognitional needs during VR sightseeing. More than 87% of the respondents believed that VR tourism cannot substitute real-world tourism in the long run. However, VR tourism will be more beneficial for developing countries facing difficulties in economic aspects, and easier than attaining visas to enter developed countries. Furthermore, virtual sightseeing may also constitute an alternative for people who are disabled or sick, and who cannot undertake the effort of active tourism and explore tourist resources of the world on their own.}, number={2}, journal={Sustainability}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Roman, Michał and Kosiński, Robert and Bhatta, Kumar and Niedziółka, Arkadiusz and Krasnodębski, Andrzej}, year={2022}, month={Jan}, pages={628} }
 @article{wang_bhatta_ohe_2021, title={Evaluating Rural Tourism Operators’ Satisfaction: Evidence from Taining, Fujian Province, China}, volume={19}, ISSN={13488376 24361011}, url={https://doi.org/10.50839/sogokanko.19.0_1}, DOI={10.50839/sogokanko.19.0_1}, number={00}, journal={Japanese Journal of Tourism Studies}, publisher={Japan Society for Interdisciplinary Tourism Studies}, author={Wang, Ruying and Bhatta, Kumar and Ohe, Yasuo}, year={2021}, pages={1–9} }
 @article{roman_bhatta_roman_gautam_2021, title={Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Travel Decision-Making of Poles and Nepalis during the COVID-19 Pandemic}, volume={13}, ISSN={2071-1050}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su132011468}, DOI={10.3390/su132011468}, abstractNote={This study aimed to present the socio-economic conditions, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their effects on travel decision-making. Data were collected in January and February 2021 using an online questionnaire survey. We compared the data on personal attributes, socio-economic factors, and organizational-related factors of 957 Polish and 181 Nepalese respondents. We found that people would like to travel, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, in both countries; however, tourism in developed countries is expected to revive earlier than in developing countries. Tourists chose natural and rustic areas for travel destinations and family members and friends as travel companions in both countries. Similarly, the use of travel agencies decreased significantly as compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries. Levels of income and travel motivation were observed to be different between the two countries. Respondents from both countries similarly believed that the overall cost of travel had increased during the pandemic. Therefore, policymakers and authorities of tourism destinations should jointly introduce discounted or subsidized packages targeting family members.}, number={20}, journal={Sustainability}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Roman, Michał and Bhatta, Kumar and Roman, Monika and Gautam, Prakash}, year={2021}, month={Oct}, pages={11468} }
 @article{bhatta_ohe_2020, title={A Review of Quantitative Studies in Agritourism: The Implications for Developing Countries}, volume={1}, ISSN={2673-5768}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp1010003}, DOI={10.3390/tourhosp1010003}, abstractNote={This study reviews the published quantitative literature in agritourism from the supply, demand, and both supply- and demand-side perspectives to determine the implications for agritourism in developing countries. A total of 85 quantitative papers were reviewed. Most studies in the literature concern developed countries, and the motivations and attributes of the actors in this field have been investigated thoroughly, whereas few researchers have focused on quality tourism and identity in agritourism. This study suggests that policymakers in developing countries should promote females, insist on maintaining the quality of the workforce, ensure the availability of credit or subsidies to farmers, and guide and monitor the planning and development of agritourism. Furthermore, connecting different stakeholders and minimising the adverse effects in society through innovation in agritourism may lead to sustainable agritourism.}, number={1}, journal={Tourism and Hospitality}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Bhatta, Kumar and Ohe, Yasuo}, year={2020}, month={Oct}, pages={23–40} }
 @article{gautam_bhatta_2020, title={Medical Tourism in India: Possibilities and Problems of Alternative Medical Treatment}, volume={11}, ISSN={2458-9608}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.31201/ijhmt.634092}, DOI={10.31201/ijhmt.634092}, abstractNote={This study aims to explore the problems and potential of medical tourism in India. India has become one of the destination countries for medical tourists from around the world. However, due to issues at both the policy and operational levels, India, like many other such countries, faces a number of problems in the development of its medical tourism industry. Indian medical tourism can be divided into four categories: surgical treatment, cosmetic surgery, alternative medicine, and wellness treatment. In this study, the authors focus on alternative medicine and wellness tourism and explore the possibilities and problems.Results of the current study show that India’s medical tourism industry has great potential, as international tourists can visit India at a relatively low cost, there is an easy visa process, and India offers world-class and standardized medical services, services for alternative medical treatment, and more. Nonetheless, to realize this potential, the medical tourism industry in India must address with a variety of problems, including the absence of standardized herbal drugs and medicines as well as authentic raw materials, lagging processing technologies, the need for improved infrastructure, and lack of sufficient training for non-medical staff in cross-cultural sensitivity and language skills.}, journal={International Journal of Health Management and Tourism}, publisher={International Journal of Health Management and Tourism}, author={Gautam, Prakash and Bhatta, Kumar}, year={2020}, month={Nov} }
 @article{bhatta_2020, title={What is Agritourism in Nepal?}, volume={10}, ISSN={2467-9550}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jthe.v10i0.28766}, DOI={10.3126/jthe.v10i0.28766}, abstractNote={The agritourism (AT) concept in Nepal is growing. However, a proper definition based on the characteristics of the Nepalese economy and agriculture has not been given previously. Therefore, this study aims to define AT based on the Nepalese geographical division. Based on the secondary data, the author fist presented the definition of AT in international society and compared the AT between developed countries and developing countries. Then, the definition of AT based on the three geographical locations of Nepal i.e., Himalayan, Hilly, and Terai region, is given. For the successful Nepalese AT, the target should be given to the trekkers and hikers.}, journal={Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Education}, publisher={Nepal Journals Online (JOL)}, author={Bhatta, Kumar}, year={2020}, month={May}, pages={170–178} }
 @article{bhatta_ohe_ciani_2020, title={Which Human Resources Are Important for Turning Agritourism Potential into Reality? SWOT Analysis in Rural Nepal}, volume={10}, ISSN={2077-0472}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10060197}, DOI={10.3390/agriculture10060197}, abstractNote={Despite Nepal’s agritourism strategies for promoting agrarian villages, agritourism has not yet gained popularity. Based on two different surveys conducted in August 2017 and January 2019, we explore the agritourism development strategies and the agritourism potential for Phikuri village, an agrarian village in Nepal. Using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) matrix, we explore four main strategies and 15 sub-strategies. The four main categories are as follows. A maxi-maxi strategy characterised by strengths and opportunities, a maxi-mini strategy characterised by strengths and threats, a mini-maxi strategy characterised by weaknesses and opportunities, and a mini-mini strategy characterised by threats and weaknesses. A quantified SWOT matrix of the estimated total value of the internal and external factor evaluation matrices reveals that Phikuri village has more strengths than weaknesses and more opportunities than threats. We statistically compare the opinions of three different groups, organised by gender, age, and occupation. The results reveal statistically significant differences in the opinions of men and women, younger and older generations, and public and private workers. This study also shows that women are critical for agritourism development, even in a male-dominated society.}, number={6}, journal={Agriculture}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Bhatta, Kumar and Ohe, Yasuo and Ciani, Adriano}, year={2020}, month={Jun}, pages={197} }
 @article{bhatta_itagaki_ohe_2019, title={Determinant Factors of Farmers’ Willingness to Start Agritourism in Rural Nepal}, volume={4}, ISSN={2391-9531}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/opag-2019-0043}, DOI={10.1515/opag-2019-0043}, abstractNote={Abstract Agritourism in developing countries is regarded as a tool not only for rural development but also for poverty alleviation. However, up until now, the majority of the studies on agritourism have been conducted in economically strong countries, focusing on already-developed agritourism destinations. Thus, the main objectives of this study were to investigate farmers’ willingness before the establishment of agritourism and the factors that are driving their motivation. The results of an empirical questionnaire survey in rural Nepal conducted in August 2017 revealed that farmers are willing to engage in agritourism. Furthermore, the results indicate that agritourism has a statistical connection with elements related to tourism and an element related to agriculture. Specifically, willingness to start agritourism is connected with the types of tourist attracted and the farmers’ willingness to share land resources. Each factor is further explained by employing three different variables. In summary, those farmers who are 21 to 40 years old, have returned from foreign countries, are frequently involved in community activities, and are relatively educated are the potential agritourism practitioners in rural Nepal. This study suggests that policymakers should pay special consideration to farmers with the above traits for agritourism development.}, number={1}, journal={Open Agriculture}, publisher={Walter de Gruyter GmbH}, author={Bhatta, Kumar and Itagaki, Keishiro and Ohe, Yasuo}, year={2019}, month={Jan}, pages={431–445} }
 @article{adongo_choe_han_2019, place={Vietnam}, title={Farmers’ willingness to establish community-based agritourism}, url={https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rijt20/current}, journal={International Journal of Tourism Sciences}, publisher={Impacts}, author={Adongo, R. and Choe, J.Y. and Han, H.}, year={2019}, month={May} }
 @article{bhatta_ohe_2019, title={Farmers’ willingness to establish community-based agritourism: evidence from Phikuri village, Nepal}, volume={19}, ISSN={1598-0634 2377-0058}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15980634.2019.1621536}, DOI={10.1080/15980634.2019.1621536}, abstractNote={Despite an increase in farmers’ income due to community-based agritourism (CBAT), their willingness to undertake CBAT has never been investigated. Therefore, this study aims to investigate farmers’ willingness as software to establish CBAT where agritourism does not exist. Sixty-four farmers in rural Nepal were interviewed, and the data from their responses were analysed through an ordered logit regression model. The factors affecting willingness were first defined and structured into three categories – social, agricultural, and tourism-related issues – which were further explained by six variables. The empirical results of the investigation show that investment capacity and farmers’ knowledge of tourism had the largest marginal effects on willingness; all other factors had significantly positive effects too. To assist CBAT development, policymakers should first provide the support measures focusing on investment issues and capacity building.}, number={2}, journal={International Journal of Tourism Sciences}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Bhatta, Kumar and Ohe, Yasuo}, year={2019}, month={Apr}, pages={128–144} }
 @article{bhatta_2019, title={Prospects of Multifunctionality in Nepalese Agriculture: The Agritourism Perspectives}, volume={2}, ISSN={2645-8683}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jota.v2i1.25935}, DOI={10.3126/jota.v2i1.25935}, abstractNote={Multi functionality of agriculture in the developed countries is employed as a means of rural revitalization and economic circulation. Although farm diversification in the developing countries is much more crucial, in most of the rural areas of the developing countries, it is not performed, and it is delayed. In this regard, the main objective of this study is to explore the possibilities of the multi functionality of agriculture for the sustainable rural development for the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the developing countries. The empirical study was conducted in two of the rural districts of Nepal called Nuwakot and Rasuwa. The author intentionally chose these districts because it is one separate area north of the capital city Kathmandu and bordering to China. Further, even though the location is nearby the capital city, and the rural villages have excessive potentials for tourism activities, the farmers are still focusing on subsistence farming without getting benefits from tourism. Based on the macro data of Nepal government and field visit, the author conducted a case study. This study explored that most of the household heads are working in the agricultural sector, which can be one of the opportunities to launch multi functionality of agriculture. However, due to their weak educational background, they are expecting external supports in terms of knowledge, technology, and more importantly, supportive policy. The federal and central government should give subsidy to the farmers so that they canstart multi functionality in their farms, which lead to sustainable rural development.}, number={1}, journal={Journal of Tourism & Adventure}, publisher={Nepal Journals Online (JOL)}, author={Bhatta, Kumar}, year={2019}, month={Oct}, pages={108–118} }