A Study on the Impact of Tourism on the Himalayas

Gagan Soni; Sarah Hussain

doi:10.37591/ecft.v3i1.652

Abstract

The Himalayan mountain range in India is one of the most striking geological wonders in the world. At the same time, it is one of the most vulnerable mountain range being projected to all the types of exploitation by mankind. The beautiful snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas are now threatened from the same community who admire its magnificence. These mountain ranges nurture an endless opportunity for exploration giving rise to tourism and related activities. Unfortunately, the impact of tourism activities does not always result in harmony with nature creating an imbalance in the ecology. The increasing awareness on the effects of mass tourism on the environment has led to the concept of sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism provides an attempt to make as low as impact on the environment and local cultures as possible. The tourism activities must allow for long-term preservation of the environment and must respect the character of the area. Providing long-term benefits along with the development that brings about a positive experience for local people and the tourists themselves should be the main objective of tourism. This research attempts to study an impact of tourism activities in various aspects related to the environment. Himalayan region is a very fragile area and tourism and development activities in an uncontrolled manner may prove to be very fatal for the entire ecosystem. Therefore, the focus of this paper is on the impacts of mass tourism and possible solutions to cope up with the negative and harmful effects of the same.Keywords: Himalayas, mountain ranges, environment, mass tourism, sustainable tourismCite this ArticleSoni and Hussain. A Study on the Impact of Tourism on the Himalayas. E-Commerce for Future and Trends. 2016; 3(1): 27–35p.