Time we tackled overtourism

There are hundreds of trails which are lying idle and nobody is walking on them, except only a handful

Climbing, trekking and exploring the globe for around 30 years now, Tejbir Singh Anand, Vice President, ATOAI & Managing Director, Holiday Moods Adventures, talks about the pressing issue of overtourism in the country and suggests measures that can help deal with the threat.

Having been on the forefront of adventure tourism in the country, Tejbir Singh Anand has seen the industry

very closely and has been a vocal speaker of overtourism at adventure sites in different states. Explaining the concept in a nutshell, Anand says, “The existing tourism circuits are getting overburdened. There is a complete lopsided demand and supply ratio and the same circuit and destinations are getting more footfalls than they can handle. If I talk about adventure travel, we have been seen treks like Triund, near Dharamshala, being at the receiving ends. On this small meadow, there have been instances where more than 500 tents have been pitched, with inadequate facilities. Such cases are putting a lot of pressure on the environment and destinations,” he explains. Anand says that at many popular tourist spots, hundreds of people have started camping together and it’s more like a civilised tent jungle which has come up in most of the walking trails. He says, “There are hundreds of trails, which are lying idle and nobody is walking on them, except only a handful.” Unorganised sector Anand reiterates that the unorganised sector of the industry, the unlicensed operators, are also one of the reasons for overtourism. “The unorganised sector is far bigger that the organised sector. If I give you a ratio, it is an alarming situation where licensed adventure operators may be around 150, while the number of operators in the unorganised sector can touch a few hundreds. We must ensure that only legitimate operators carry on this business,” he says. Promoting the new Anand says that new destinations should be launched and the existing trails should be decongested or closed down for some time for them to regenerate. According to him, new trails are on offer in each state, we just need to recognise them. “For example, there are a lot of wonderful treks in Kumaon itself. Near the Pindari glacier in Uttarakhand, Pakwa Top is more scenic than any other place around. On the similar lines, there are other treks like Namik glacier, Ramganga to Nanda Devi East base camp and many more,” he shares. Anand also adds that the number of persons in a trekking group should be capped at 25. He also feels that awareness should be spread among new trekkers about their responsibilities. Their inspiration should be connected to the ethics of trekking, according to the needs of nature. Role of state government Anand feels that State governments can play a major role in dealing with the situation. He shares, “If state governments start promoting other trails, which are not popular and relatively unknown, the situation can improve. They should also ensure that every tour operator is licensed and that the licence be based on the roadmap drawn by the centre.” MOT’s support The Centre must put forward a mandate on what is supposed to be done, says Anand, on Ministry of Tourism’s support in tackling overtourism. “I am sure that MoT can do this very well and reach out to the states. They have launched some tremendous initiatives which have done well,” he concludes.