To travel or not? Decoding the overtourism and irresponsible tourism catastrophe

ldquoWhy would you choose to travel away from the city and go near naturerdquo asks Sagar Singh a Mumbaibased environmentalist and educatorA common theme that occurs in response to the question is ndash to have a relaxing peaceful time away from the hustlebustle of everyday lifeNow imagine going away from your city and witnessing how others feel the same way and have landed at the same place as you transforming the destination from a peaceful haven to a site of constant noise and litterThis has been happening to tourist destinations globally especially post the COVID19 pandemic The locals travellers and the environment are all grappling with overtourism which is inevitably magnifying the impact of irresponsible tourist practicesldquoI was fortunate enough to stay in a forest area in Himachal for most of 2020 and 2021 but I witnessed the area completely change once the lockdown opened uprdquo says Singh adding ldquoif the current direction of tourism continues there wonrsquot be any place left to enjoy nature in its truest formrdquoWhat is the problemThe famous lsquoFireflies Festivalrsquo in Maharashtra recently came under scrutiny because of tourists disturbing the ecosystem by littering using flash photography and even inadvertently stepping on female firefliesThis is not an isolated incident Not only are famous tourist destinations getting overcrowded but the perils of irresponsible tourism are also reaching relatively unexplored places disturbing their local and ecological systemsldquoThe problem in most places is that the stakeholders of tourism businesses try to replicate the format that has been successful in other places For example in Konkan most places are trying to replicate Alibaug or Goa However the same formula doesnrsquot apply everywhere You have to be conscious of the location Not every place might have the infrastructure and the environment to deal with the flow of tourists and the activities they want to undertake For example making noise in a wildlife sanctuary is not something that should be encouraged or acceptedrdquo explains Mohit Bagadia founder of Raan Guhagar an ecohostel in RatnagirildquoThere is a need to find ways to manage tourism sustainably not only environmental sustainability but also social and culturalrdquo he addsShivya Nath an author sustainable traveller and founder of the travel blog The Shooting Star backs the argument stating ldquoThere are lots of challenges with tourism right now like overtourism over extraction of resources and tourism leakage where the benefits are not going directly to local communities Implementing sustainable tourism practices is a learning journey Right now there are not enough policies and incentives in place for the tourism industry to implement more sustainable practices There is a gap between intention and action So we need more policies and awareness campaigns to bring these practices in focusrdquoIs social media responsibleImage for representational purposes only Photo Courtesy iStockWhile industry practices play a key role in combatting overtourism and irresponsible tourist practices the consumers or travellers play an equally important role especially in todayrsquos social mediasavvy world With an influx of travel influencers and travelrelated content on social media it is inevitable to wonder about its impact on tourism Is social media responsible for overtourism we ask NathldquoThere were issues with overtourism even before social media exploded But obviously the current trends do play a role in driving overtourism What has been happening a lot on social media especially Instagram is that creators have been geotagging locations for example a pristine waterfall a hiking trail etc which do not have the capacity for too much tourism But the more people see these places geotagged the more they have FOMO and end up going there Then they geotag the location so itrsquos like a chain which needs to be broken One important way is to create that sort of awareness among travel creators educating them about the responsibility that comes with their influencerdquo she answersHowever she adds ldquoInstead of waiting for travel creators to do better we need policy or network level changes Maybe Instagram can do away with the feature of geotagging specific locations and keep it limited to cities or countriesrdquoSingh who himself enjoys a good social media following believes that hidden places should be kept hidden ldquoNow more than experiencing the beauty it has become about posting on Instagram A comparison has started Therersquos no joy left in experiencing naturerelated thingsrdquo he lamentsAlso read Planning a trip to Sri Lanka New visa cost changes you need to knowWhat is the solutionldquoEveryone has a right to travel and therersquos enough space for thatrdquo believes Bagadia However some key changes are required to accommodate this Dealing with a situation of this magnitude requires actions from all stakeholders including the tourism industry local authorities and travellersResponsibility of Travel CompaniesTourism companies and tour organisers must take conscious steps to combat the issue of overtourism and irresponsible tourist practicesShannon Fernandes cofounder of Vagabond Experiences a Mumbaibased travel company reveals ldquoWe have stopped organising treks and trips to overcrowded places and our group sizes are very small usually not more than 15 A naturalist accompanies us to educate people about the places they are visitingrdquoWhen asked about the practices tour organisers must implement to protect the environment he says ldquoTherersquos a lsquoleave no tracersquo policy in travel which essentially means that when you visit a destination or are close to nature you leave the place like you found it So we encourage travellers to carry reusable bottles not leave any trash and avoid creating waste as much as we canrdquoWhile these small steps make a big difference proper planning is essential to combat overtourismAccording to Nath overtourism is an intrinsic problem ldquoDestinations that become popular naturally need to anticipate that there might come a time when there will be too many tourists So they need to plan and put policies in place to control that For example Bhutan has a fee for visitors While I understand this might not be equitable there are other ways too Some national parks in the US had introduced a system during COVID where one needs to win a lottery to be able to enter the park You can have permits also First you need to measure your carrying capacity and determine how many tourists are too many tourists and this needs to be done in consultation with the locals Policies and marketing should be put into place depending on that capacityrdquo she explainsPolicy Changes RequiredSustainable tourism practices will not be effective if not backed by policy changes and action by local government bodiesldquoSuppose you carry a reusable bottle But if there are no refilling stations you will end up buying and using plastic bottles anywayrdquo justifies Singh adding ldquolocal government bodies should take action If they really care about the ecology income of the local communities and impact of irresponsible tourism there has to be an infrastructure around itrdquoWhile some places are getting overcrowded the authorities can also play a role in dispersing tourists to other less crowded places that have the capacity and need for tourismldquoIn Maharashtra during monsoon the Sahyadris remain very crowded for example places like Lonavala Malshej Ghat and Mahabaleshwar They are easily accessible from metro cities However there are other places that donrsquot see a lot of tourists simply because they are not close enough The government can provide proper public transport to make accessibility easier so that crowds get dispersed and the burden on specific places eases This can be done in a properly planned sustainable way so that tourism does not harm the local ecosystemrdquo suggests BagadiaPersonal Responsibility of TravellersAll the practices and policy changes will be unhelpful if travellers donrsquot take personal responsibility and accountability of their actions It is extremely important to be mindful while travelling and refrain from doing anything that interferes with natural processesHere are a few things one can follow as suggested by people we spoke toThink beyond sightseeingOne must view travel in terms of art culture architecture local practices and other meaningful experiences believes NathldquoIt should not always be about the monuments and famous places Walk in the area explore and contribute to the local economy in any way you canrdquo says BagadiaDo your researchBefore visiting any place make sure you have the information you need to be a responsible tourist Search about the biodiversity local businesses dos and donrsquots etc Speak to the locals and get a better understanding of the destinationChoose ecofriendly accommodationsldquoEcostays are sensitive to the environment They try to strike a balance between comfort and sustainability For example we have a strict no singleuse plastic policy and we even make guests sign a form for the samerdquo explains BagadiaChoose lesscrowded time periodsOne can travel to a destination offseason Instead of the weekends one can travel during weekdays if taking leave is possibleFollow the basicsDonrsquot litter Carry reusable bottle Donrsquot disturb the local practicesEven as overtourism persists the travel and tourism industry is only expected to grow So the way forward is to implement changes personally commercially and on a policy level While these may seem easiersaidthandone extensive discourse around the subject is the only way to create awareness explore possible routes and challenges and implement changes