Ecotourism Policies of
Himalayan States - A Critique


T
he International Ecotourism Society (TIES), has defined ecotourism as “Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people”. Ecotourism is an alternative form of tourism that is more inclusive and sustainable than conventional form of tourism. Its main emphasis is on promoting nature conservation and livelihood generation by retaining the traditional indigenous knowledge of local communities.

Ideally ecotourism should facilitate the involvement and experience of indigenous people as integral to the travel experience by using and acknowledging their roles as stewards of the environment. Himachal Pradesh government came out with Ecotourism Policy in 2001 and the major highlights of its implementation has been to establish resorts in the middle of forests, creation of an online system for booking of Forest Rest Houses and homestays and setting up of camping sites at various places of the state. The last eighteen years have achieved a lot however we need to move further and think of more initiatives at the community or cluster level because most of the eco- tourism sites have been set up by the state departments or by big investors. Homestays have been lacking teeth as most of them are functioning as guest houses and do not offer visitors much exposure to Indigenous Traditional Knowledge. Whatever success stories are available in Ecotourism in Himachal Pradesh are a spark in the dark and not a general practice.

Development Alternatives’ ecotourism interventions in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh (HP) have given us a chance to critically examine the states’ ecotourism policies and the situation on the ground. While it is commendable that HP and Uttarakhand understand the need for a different tourism model, alternatives and solutions to problems that gave birth to this model have not entirely been addressed in the new policies.

Himachal Pradesh Ecotourism Policy 2017

Himachal’s tourism is concentrated in four spots across the state – Shimla, Dalhousie, Manali and Dharamshala. The state Ecotourism Policy 2017 mentions many major concerns and is relevant in its intent, but does not reflect on the following:

• Defining carrying capacities in these over-burdened areas during peak tourist season.

• Addressing the problem of excessive litter – plastic bottles and packaging material that clog slopes and streams.

• Unchecked construction of permanent infrastructure such as hotels – on river banks, flouting basic safety norms.

• Clear methodology for designing natural and built heritage experiences which can contribute to incomes of local people.

• Clear identification of avenues where community members can be involved in these models.

There seems to be a clear lack of synergy and coordination between various stakeholders – particularly relevant government departments such as the Municipalities, Forest and Water departments. There is also increased focus on infrastructure development – herbal gardens, van vihars, adventure centres and leisure parks. While these serve as an important role in education and sensitisation, they will be mere spots if the local community do not get a chance to showcase their culture and heritage directly. Being government assets, the revenue gets channelised to government reserves with locals deriving little or no benefit. These initiatives tend to benefit a handful few from the local community through standard avenues such as accommodation, travel and eatery facilities. Local culture and heritage are pushed to the background in such settings.

Uttarakhand Draft Ecotourism Policy

Similarly, the draft Ecotourism policy of Uttarakhand limits itself to creation of homestays and is an eye wash in many ways. It ignores the role of vernacular architecture in ecotourism, which has its basis in using local materials and environmentally sound building practices. The scheme thus has been misused by small hotels across the state who have leveraged subsidies earmarked for real homestays whilst severely lacking any component for enhancing a tourist’s experience – such as living in traditional homes, being served native cuisines and experiencing the natural surroundings.

Way Forward

It is crucial to emphasise on experiences from ecotourism, rather than solely on labelling (using terms such as homestays, nature parks etc. without implementation in spirit). The local communities also need to be the focus of any ecotourism model – building their capacities and training them on managing small, local tourism enterprises which highlight their heritage, indigenous skills and knowledge is the definitive way forward.

 

Kavya Arora
karora@devalt.org

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