Controlling the Uncontrolled: Over tourism in Hill Stations of Northern India

Abstract

Over-tourism is a multifaceted topic as it seeks to connect the social, cultural, economic, and environmental aspects to high tourist numbers. The recent surge in tourism, pushed by the pandemic fatigue and easing of lockdowns, has led to revenge tourism resulting in an excessive number of tourists visiting popular tourist destinations, forcing the Government to step in to regulate the load. This study empirically analyzes the tourist perceptions of the hill stations of Northern India, in specific to assess the infrastructure availability and socio-cultural impacts of tourist numbers and their correlation. The hill stations to be studied were selected based on the number of tourists and the type of hill stations- Nainital (Lake destination), Shimla (Developed State Capital), and Mussoorie (Small hill station popular for weekends). The study looks beyond the often-researched topic of economic development due to tourism. 260 responses to self-administered questionnaires from recent tourists to these destinations were analyzed quantitatively and results suggest that there is an inadequacy of infrastructure to meet the rising tourist numbers and an adverse socio-cultural impact was observed on the local population. There is also a correlation between inadequate infrastructure and socio-cultural impacts.  This research will provide useful insights to the policymakers for designing efficient strategies for tourism development and destination management keeping in view the sustainability of the destination along with the well-being of local communities and the environment in view.