As travel booms again, should India worry about over-tourism and find a balance?
Well let’s see, what will you read in this blog?
The dilemma faced by popular destinations like Ladakh, Spiti and Goa echoes global tourism hotspots such as Venice and Barcelona: more tourists mean more revenue post-pandemic, but at what cost to the local population and the region itself should that be?
3 years back, when I started travelling to Spiti and Himachal Eco zones, I never realised that the backdrops of this attractive option would see a sudden surge of tourists all around the year, eventually making it a mass tourism spot in India. So, I have been working with homestays and local communities to support their errands. However, how many tourists or travellers are willing to do this. Actually, it is a crucial point to mention because you can support local tourism and communities even if you are on a short trip. The fact is that if tourism in India is booming, that is the worry. And this is eventually hampering the destination on the whole.
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Tourism in India comes under the service sector, and we know North India is one of the favourite destinations among Indians and International tourists. The sector gives job opportunities to the youth and employment in the industries like sightseeing, adventure activities, handicrafts, souvenirs, agriculture and more. With rising incomes and the flourishing Indian economy, the spending limits of Indians have elevated. Eventually, they started spending a handsome amount of money on tourism.
In the post-Covid situation, we see a surge in domestic tourism in India. The number of Indians travelling has helped the income to grow, especially for the locals. All this said and done, we still face issues with Indian tourism.
There are several challenges which India is facing in mass tourism. The governing bodies and the tourists shall be making means to let tourism flourish correctly. However, the policies that are made by the government at times are not followed by commoners. On the contrary, the travellers have their say about the littering and sanitation issues at tourist places. Needless to say, that India also faces harassment and safety issues among women solo travellers in certain areas. Hence strict law and order and punishment shall be implemented. My point in writing this article is not to highlight how India is not a great country for travel. Still, I like to put the challenges upfront concerning the tourism sector so that the word goes out and on the ground level, we can boost our tourism economy in the right way, pushing away mass tourism hazards.
Unregulated tourism in India is the most unsustainable:
The work-from-home and moonlighting opportunities among working professionals in India have worsened things. This influx is unregulated and not on the charts as well. On the other hand, it gave homestays and travel operators a chance to row their incomes; furthermore, the destinations got flooded with humans, and the natural biodiversity and the environs got diseased.
A report titled Environmental Assessment of Tourism in the Indian Himalayan Region by Govind Ballabh Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE) has argued to address the disastrous effects of unregulated tourism in India. Arguing for the sustainable practices of tourism, the report highlights the negative impact of unregulated tourism on ecologies, the quality of people’s lives, and their well-being.
The sunny side of this story is that a couple of NGOs and Non-profit organisations are working hard on this issue. Like cleaning the Himalayas, building efficient solar energy distribution, and better water storage to conserve water for future generations; however, this is not enough because the influx is damaging the natural biosphere of the mountains and hilly areas. Examples are landslides, cloud bursts, excessive heat in the mountains, scarcity of fresh water, floods and more. I feel disappointed to witness this because mountains are my home, and being a solo traveller for 12 years, I know how much devastation these misty mountains and the villages on the foothills have faced.
All I want to convey is do travel, travel more and keep travelling, but only if you are responsible about your actions and you support locals and their communities, else Please don’t travel.
Especially not for hidden waterfalls, hidden gems, or hidden places and social media. Your intentions may be correct, but your content sometimes creates hazards for that place.
If you are a traveller, you can stop this menace, of course, the reforms from the government need to be strict but if you take a step rest will follow.
Keep smiling and travelling!
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