More than ever before today was see the urge and capacity to travel spurring people of all descriptions to the remotest corners of the globe. Speedier access to distant locations, larger disposable incomes and increased concern for the quality of life characterise the growing working population in various parts of the world. This industry is the fastest growth area in the world. A recent survey has shown that the total number of world travellers was 429 million, responsible for spending US$ 249 billion. Direct employment alone accounted for 112 million persons. The volume differentials between domestic and international tourism in the case of India can be illustrated by the fact that whereas the number of foreign tourists visiting India Is 1.7 million, the domestic tourist traffic is way beyond, at 62.3 million. The National Action Plan for Tourism, formulated last year, indicates that the tourism industry in India in 1989-90 generated direct employment for 5.5 million persons with another 8 million employed indirectly. Yet another statistic would further amplify the picture. The global volume of domestic tourism is 10 times that of international tourism, domestic travellers spending 7 times as much as their international counterparts. Much as in commodity trading, the market place for tourism is characterised by a number of contradictory features. On the one hand we are witness to the painful processes of ethnic segregation, many of which involve armed conflict. Yet, simultaneously there is also a tendency to regroup for economic advantage. Apparently there is no universal forecast mechanism as yet which would enable us to project geographical market boundaries in an increasingly uncertain and unstable world setting. But one thing is certain: whether regional splits occur on ethnic and political grounds, or greater economic fusion is achieved elsewhere, the two basic imperatives of essential goods and services and environmental sustainability will be strong market requirements. Where does this lead us, with particular reference to the interface between tourism and the environment? Firstly, the tourism marketplace is not a static concept. New needs are being born every day much as creative travel planners are designing yet more itineraries which fulfil not only existing needs but anticipate or draw out latent ones. By analogy with the world of music, we know that there is an infinite number of tunes yet to be written. Secondly, we have the exact opposite of infinite needs in the very physical structure of the world itself. We are dealing with finite bio-mass. And only out of this must goods and services - and tourism itineraries - be made available the world over. What we are saying in fact boils down to one basic task: minimise the imbalance between infinite leisure travel needs and finite resources. And the first aspect of the tourism-environment interface is that industry professionals have to explain this imbalance at various levels in the most factual and credible way. It is precisely because market parameters are changing that the process of prospective client and in-house briefing becomes vital for the success of an environment-friendly operation. The second key interface area is the question of environmental safeguards vis-a-vis tourism. By their very nature, tourism destination - especially adventure and wilderness locations - are environmentally fragile, their attractiveness being endangered by visitor ingress in excess of carrying capacity and felling of trees for energy needs. This raises the twin considerations of assessment of carrying capacity or tolerance levels in various tourism zones side by side with the requirements of the tourism industry, the users of the tourism product and the host communities, lifestyles and values. For ensuring long-term destination attraction - the cutting edge of a successful tourism operation -it is therefore also necessary to highlight the importance of the natural environment. Specifically, the use of bio-degradable containers, garbage disposal at designated sites and shift from concrete to canvas must be adhered to. There is of course the question of the cost of implementing these safeguards. It is hoped that there would be greater agreement about the fact that levies such as entrance fees or others such as an Environment Service Charge would be a small price to pay for environment protection and would not be a user deterrent. On the other hand, while it is desirable to provide access for as many people as possible to as large an area as possible, such continued availability implies the need for precise safeguards, minimal impact travel, backed by levies. Moreover a high value tourism product would probably carry a large consumer satisfaction surplus, if successful, which if not appropriately re-funnelled into product improvements would erode the very attractiveness of the destination itself. The third key interface area is that of client or visitor convenience. No doubt, the attraction of a tourism destination would carry some intrinsic value of its very own. But the visitor, who spends his leisure time and his savings, is owned a full understanding and incorporation of his preferences in the itineraries hat are created. This is not all. It is important that a set of viable options, carefully structured, be provided such that an environment friendly itinerary choice could be made. Concern for the visitor’s need and a watchful eye on the preservation of nature are observe sides of the same tourism coin. In this task, tourism promoters, handling agents, environment NGOs, the government and indeed the visitor all have a major interlined role to play. q
Sudhir Sahi |
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