By Sahir Ul Sehar
Last year, when even during the harshest period of Chillai Kalan, Gulmarg was devoid of any traces of snowfall the impact of over tourism came to the fore. Official statistics indicate that in 2023, Gulmarg welcomed an incredible 1.65 million tourists, setting a record. However, this flood of visitors to Kashmir raises important concerns about the problems facing the region’s ecosystem, natural landscapes and local inhabitants. Numerous locations in Kashmir have a high volume of visitor arrivals, which is wreaking havoc on the local ecosystem.
The phrase “over tourism” was introduced only over ten years ago to draw attention to the increasing amount of tourists — a trend which leads to negative impact on cities, landmarks, and natural landscapes. The discussion about what constitutes “too many” tourists has raged on as traveller numbers around the world begin to rise again following the COVID-19 pandemic.
We could essentially encapsulate the idea in a single question. Is this location being impacted by more visitors than it can sustain or the locals can handle? The phenomena of an excessive number of people overwhelming a tourist attraction is known as overtourism.
This definition, though, is too simplistic.This issue is frequently oversimplified to mean that there are too many tourists. Even while it could be an underlying sign of excess, it ignores the multitude of other causes that could be involved.In its most basic form, overtourism arises when visitor demand surpasses the ability of host communities of a place to accommodate them. All too frequently, the tourism supply chain drives demand without considering the capacity of destinations or the knock-on impacts on the welfare of nearby people.
Overtourism may appear to be little more than a hassle at first glance. Places that are crowded and popular with plenty of people. There are, however, additional serious drawbacks to overtourism if you dig further.The effects from this visitor inflow on the surrounding environment and local population are detrimental.
Certain places are so popular that they are crammed with people. Busy shopping streets or historical locations where tourists have to elbow through the mass. In addition to making the traveller’s experience less enjoyable, it makes sure that locals have difficult access to and departure from the location.
Archaeological sites are extremely vulnerable to erosion.The sites may sustain harm from an excessive number of visitors wandering around. There’s a greater likelihood of people ignoring the specified paths when there are more people around. In the absence of regulation and protection, archaeological sites may sustain degradation that causes them to lose their historical significance and appeal.
Additionally, local pricing rises in tourist destinations with high visitor traffic. primarily due to the supply and demand in tourism.Due to exorbitant costs, locals frequently leave the area, which diminishes the place’s originality.
Travel places that experience significant levels of overtourism are severely polluted,mostly plastic, including single-use bags and water bottles. A lot of places are unable to provide adequate recycling and garbage sorting facilities. Thus, plastic is frequently burned or ends up in the environment. Travellers who fly or drive to the destination also raise the local carbon footprint.
Overtourism is a significant problem, but it may be avoided with the right steps.You might want to avoid a place if overtourism is already a problem there. The world is full of amazing locations to see that aren’t teetering on the brink of ruin.
Travelling to places where tourism is low is one of the most effective ways to stop over tourist. Look for less-travelled areas or places that truly invite visitors.
Travel during the off season.
At different times of the year, a destination becomes more popular due to specific weather patterns or vacation schedules. This narrows down a massive influx of tourists to a two- to three-month period. Off-season travel reduces this strain by distributing visitor spending and local revenue across a longer time frame.
Gated tourism.
Some natural places have found that gated tourism is one of the greatest solutions for overtourism. This system introduces new rules that restrict admissions in specific locations or for specific durations.This could occur by limiting access to a location to specific times of the year or by instituting a payment-based reservation system.
Be an eco-friendly,responsible traveller.
This solution becomes significant when considering overtourism, since rising visitor numbers result in rising trash quantities that local communities must manage.You may contribute to lessening the strain on this front by making efforts to reduce the garbage you generate when travelling and encourage others to follow suit.
As conscientious travellers, we have the ability to contribute to the global shift away from overtourism and towards more sustainable travel practices.
Views expressed in the article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial stance of Kashmir Observer
- The author is a student
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