Health Literacy among Hotel Owners and Tourist Guides in Sauraha,Chitwan, Nepal: A Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

Health literacy is important in tourism sectors, so it is necessary to have knowledge of health literacy among stakeholders. The study analyzes the health literacy among hotel owners and tourist guides who are the main stakeholders of the tourism sectors of Sauraha Chitwan. Objectives of this study are to assess the level of health literacy among hotel owners and tourist guides, to examine training exposure related to health and safety, and to analyze the relationship between socio-economic status and health literacy awareness. The study followed the mixed-methods research design and used both primary and secondary sources of data. A field survey was used to collect the primary data from the field, and secondary data were gathered from documents related to tourism and health literacy.100 respondents, including 50 hotel owners and 50 tourist guides, were randomly selected for an interview. Quantitative data were analyzed by using statistical tools, and qualitative information was managed in thematic analysis. It is found that there is a positive relationship between socioeconomic status and awareness about health literacy.  There is moderate relationship between socio economic status and health literacy. There is moderate variance in respondents’ knowledge and practice of health promotion in study area and positive correlation between training and health literacy and preventive practices in the tourism sector. Like that there is average, 48% of the respondents have awareness or practice of health promotion and disease prevention.