To travel or not? Decoding the overtourism and irresponsible tourism catastrophe

"Why would you choose to travel away from the city and go near nature?" asks Sagar Singh, a Mumbai-based environmentalist and educator. A common theme that occurs in response to the question is - to have a relaxing, peaceful time away from the hustle-bustle of everyday life.

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Now imagine going away from your city and witnessing how others feel the same way and have landed at the same place as you, transforming the destination from a peaceful haven to a site of constant noise and litter.

This has been happening to tourist destinations globally, especially post the COVID-19 pandemic. The locals, travellers and the environment are all grappling with overtourism, which is inevitably magnifying the impact of irresponsible tourist practices.

"I was fortunate enough to stay in a forest area in Himachal for most of 2020 and 2021, but I witnessed the area completely change once the lockdown opened up," says Singh, adding, "if the current direction of tourism continues, there won't be any place left to enjoy nature in its truest form."

What is the problem?
The famous ‘Fireflies Festival' in Maharashtra recently came under scrutiny because of tourists disturbing the ecosystem by littering, using flash photography, and even inadvertently stepping on female fireflies.

This is not an isolated incident. Not only are famous tourist destinations getting overcrowded, but the perils of irresponsible tourism are also reaching relatively unexplored places, disturbing their local and ecological systems.

"The problem in most places is that the stakeholders of tourism businesses try to replicate the format that has been successful in other places. For example, in Konkan, most places are trying to replicate Alibaug or Goa. However, the same formula doesn't apply everywhere. You have to be conscious of the location. Not every place might have the infrastructure and the environment to deal with the flow of tourists and the activities they want to undertake. For example, making noise in a wildlife sanctuary is not something that should be encouraged or accepted," explains Mohit Bagadia, founder of Raan Guhagar, an eco-hostel in Ratnagiri.

"There is a need to find ways to manage tourism sustainably, not only environmental sustainability but also social and cultural," he adds.

Shivya Nath, an author, sustainable traveller and founder of the travel blog The Shooting Star, backs the argument, stating, "There are lots of challenges with tourism right now like overtourism, over extraction of resources and tourism leakage where the benefits are not going directly to local communities. Implementing sustainable tourism practices is a learning journey. Right now, there are not enough policies and incentives in place for the tourism industry to implement more sustainable practices. There is a gap between intention and action. So, we need more policies and awareness campaigns to bring these practices in focus."

Is social media responsible?

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While industry practices play a key role in combatting overtourism and irresponsible tourist practices, the consumers or travellers play an equally important role, especially in today's social media-savvy world. With an influx of travel influencers and travel-related content on social media, it is inevitable to wonder about its impact on tourism. Is social media responsible for overtourism, we ask Nath.

"There were issues with overtourism even before social media exploded. But obviously, the current trends do play a role in driving overtourism. What has been happening a lot on social media, especially Instagram, is that creators have been geotagging locations, for example, a pristine waterfall, a hiking trail, etc., which do not have the capacity for too much tourism. But the more people see these places geotagged, the more they have FOMO and end up going there. Then, they geotag the location, so it's like a chain, which needs to be broken. One important way is to create that sort of awareness among travel creators, educating them about the responsibility that comes with their influence," she answers.

However, she adds, "Instead of waiting for travel creators to do better, we need policy or network level changes. Maybe, Instagram can do away with the feature of geotagging specific locations and keep it limited to cities or countries."

Singh, who himself enjoys a good social media following, believes that hidden places should be kept hidden. "Now, more than experiencing the beauty, it has become about posting on Instagram. A comparison has started. There's no joy left in experiencing nature-related things," he laments.

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What is the solution?
"Everyone has a right to travel and there's enough space for that," believes Bagadia. However, some key changes are required to accommodate this. Dealing with a situation of this magnitude requires actions from all stakeholders including the tourism industry, local authorities and travellers.

Responsibility of Travel Companies
Tourism companies and tour organisers must take conscious steps to combat the issue of overtourism and irresponsible tourist practices.

Shannon Fernandes, co-founder of Vagabond Experiences, a Mumbai-based travel company, reveals, "We have stopped organising treks and trips to overcrowded places and our group sizes are very small, usually not more than 15. A naturalist accompanies us to educate people about the places they are visiting."

When asked about the practices tour organisers must implement to protect the environment, he says, "There's a ‘leave no trace' policy in travel, which essentially means that when you visit a destination or are close to nature, you leave the place like you found it. So, we encourage travellers to carry reusable bottles, not leave any trash and avoid creating waste as much as we can."

While these small steps make a big difference, proper planning is essential to combat overtourism.

According to Nath, overtourism is an intrinsic problem. "Destinations that become popular naturally need to anticipate that there might come a time when there will be too many tourists. So, they need to plan and put policies in place to control that. For example, Bhutan has a fee for visitors. While I understand this might not be equitable, there are other ways too. Some national parks in the US had introduced a system during COVID where one needs to win a lottery to be able to enter the park. You can have permits also. First, you need to measure your carrying capacity and determine how many tourists are too many tourists, and this needs to be done in consultation with the locals. Policies and marketing should be put into place depending on that capacity," she explains.

Policy Changes Required
Sustainable tourism practices will not be effective, if not backed by policy changes and action by local government bodies.

"Suppose you carry a reusable bottle. But if there are no refilling stations, you will end up buying and using plastic bottles anyway," justifies Singh, adding, "local government bodies should take action. If they really care about the ecology, income of the local communities and impact of irresponsible tourism, there has to be an infrastructure around it."

While some places are getting overcrowded, the authorities can also play a role in dispersing tourists to other, less crowded places that have the capacity and need for tourism.

"In Maharashtra, during monsoon, the Sahyadris remain very crowded, for example, places like Lonavala, Malshej Ghat and Mahabaleshwar. They are easily accessible from metro cities. However, there are other places that don't see a lot of tourists simply because they are not close enough. The government can provide proper public transport to make accessibility easier so that crowds get dispersed and the burden on specific places eases. This can be done in a properly planned, sustainable way so that tourism does not harm the local ecosystem," suggests Bagadia.

Personal Responsibility of Travellers
All the practices and policy changes will be unhelpful if travellers don't take personal responsibility and accountability of their actions. It is extremely important to be mindful while travelling and refrain from doing anything that interferes with natural processes.

Here are a few things one can follow, as suggested by people we spoke to.

Think beyond sightseeing
One must view travel in terms of art, culture, architecture, local practices and other meaningful experiences, believes Nath.

"It should not always be about the monuments and famous places. Walk in the area, explore and contribute to the local economy in any way you can," says Bagadia.

Do your research
Before visiting any place, make sure you have the information you need to be a responsible tourist. Search about the biodiversity, local businesses, dos and don'ts, etc. Speak to the locals and get a better understanding of the destination.

Choose eco-friendly accommodations
"Eco-stays are sensitive to the environment. They try to strike a balance between comfort and sustainability. For example, we have a strict no single-use plastic policy, and we even make guests sign a form for the same," explains Bagadia.

Choose less-crowded time periods
One can travel to a destination off-season. Instead of the weekends, one can travel during weekdays if taking leave is possible.

Follow the basics
Don't litter. Carry reusable bottle. Don't disturb the local practices.

Even as overtourism persists, the travel and tourism industry is only expected to grow. So, the way forward is to implement changes personally, commercially and on a policy level. While these may seem easier-said-than-done, extensive discourse around the subject is the only way to create awareness, explore possible routes and challenges, and implement changes.