Can The Himalayas Outlast Tourism?

Love The Himalayas, But Worried About Its Future? Hear From Three Experts On The Future Of The Region And How It Can Be Protected

- EISHA GUPTA

WHETHER YOU’RE A ROOKIE TRAVELLER or a seasoned explorer, chances are you haven’t escaped the pull of advertisements and social media posts on trekking in the Himalayas. With millions of tourists arriving in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), tour operators and hospitality businesses have their hands full with customers looking to get the most bang for their buck. However, the glossy videos and posters usually skip the mounting waste crisis in the Himalayas, and the rapid infrastructural development currently underway to facilitate the transportation of military personnel and tourists. These activities are exacerbating climate pressures in the region, now characterised by retreating glaciers, heavy rainfall and erratic snowfall. This begs the question: Can the Himalayas survive the tourism industry?

A SHIFTING LANDSCAPE

According to a 2018 NITI Aayog report, titled "Report of Working Group II: Sustainable Tourism in the Himalayan Region," tourism in the IHR was predicted to grow at an average annual rate of 7.9 per cent from 2013 to 2023. For the local communities who have called the place home for centuries, tourism means economic opportunities and jobs. For state governments and private entrepreneurs, it’s an opportunity to increase their revenues. The Uttarakhand government, for instance, wants tourism to make up at least 15 per cent of the state’s GDP by 2030.