Paridhi Brahma, Rejoice Gassah, Gaurab Talukdar and Chandan Goswami

Abstract: Avitourism has grown exponentially since the 1980s due to technological advancements. However, local communities living near abundant and diverse bird habitats face micro-level challenges in capitalising on available resources to their benefit. This study illustrates the case of Dosdewa, an emerging avitourism destination in India. The Khasi community living in Dosdewa used the design thinking process (DTP) to overcome the challenges of establishing Dosdewa as a sustainable avitourism destination. DTP is a multistage, human-centric approach to solving wicked problems through innovation. The innovation of a purposefully revised version of Suh Sim Um, a traditional sublime bird hunting technique of the Khasi community, helped avitourists observe 40 species of birds in a dipterocarp habitat. This technique is non-obstructive, non-intrusive, and non-consumptive. This technique requires minimal apparatus for birdwatching, reduces disturbance to birds, limits damage to bird habitats, reduces birdwatcher fatigue, strengthens community conservation values, benefits local communities financially, and facilitates the conservation of intangible cultural heritage. This study provides theoretical and practical implications for academia and tourism practitioners, respectively.

Keywords: Artificial bird calls, avitourism, bird hides, design thinking process, Khasis, traditional knowledge systemsurism, economic impact, impact evaluation, difference-in-differences (DID), DID estimation