Responsible and sustainable tourism

With iconic tourism destinations in Assam and other states in the Northeast opening the doors for another season, the flow of tourists is gradually picking up in the region. With the iconic destinations as well as other travel destinations in the region being located in fragile ecosystems, the primary challenge for the tourism industry is to develop environment-friendly and sustainable tourism products. Promoting responsible tourism to build awareness among inbound tourists to play their part in conservation of nature and protecting the economic interests of local and indigenous communities can provide sustainability solutions. Assessing the carrying capacity of iconic destinations like Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Sohra, Mawlynnong, Kisama, Bomdila, Tawang, etc. is crucial as the flow of tourists to these places is on the rise. More vehicles rolling onto these destinations, which are primarily important centres of conservation of rare and endangered species, a treasure trove of unique cultural heritage of indigenous communities kept preserved for centuries, implies more carbon emissions. With climate change impact already posing new conservation challenges in these ecosystems and wildlife and plant species, relegating the issue of rising carbon emissions to protected areas and in the vicinity of these tourism sites will have cascading consequences. The tourism industry drawing a roadmap for replacing the fleet of tourist vehicles that run on fossil fuel with electric vehicles or alternative green fuels like compressed natural gas or green hydrogen is critical for achieving sustainability goals. The tourism industry collaborating with the automobile and transport industries to prepare the roadmap can lead to finding viable mobility solutions. States in the region, autonomous councils, and other local governments need to play crucial roles in the preparation of the roadmap in tune with tourism industry growth plans and programmes funded by the state government and local bodies. Making the iconic sites a plastic-free zone alone is not going to ensure desired protection, and covering the entire route from hotels and lodges is equally important to prevent spillover impacts of plastic pollution on the fringe of national parks or eco-tourism sites. States organising tourism stakeholder consultations to review current practices for upholding and responsible tourism will only be able to come up with pragmatic solutions if updated data on tourism activities during the entire season is made available to every stakeholder. Creating a dashboard to update data on a real-time basis can be useful for the tourism industry to articulate marketing strategies and design new tourism circuits for domestic and foreign tourists. The idea is not to drive away tourists but to seek their cooperation for conservation of the protected areas and other destinations nestled in rich biodiversity. More and more households living near the tourism destinations in the region are getting a share of the tourism activities at their places, which is of paramount importance to building their resilience against climate change impacts. Alternative livelihood avenues generated during the tourism season will help the communities conserve their cultural practices, which are an added attraction for tourists. The economic uplift of the households living on the fringe of tourism sites in protected areas and in forest areas will also encourage them to welcome tourists to their places. This will go a long way in fostering national and global collaboration among communities, preserving tourism sites, and addressing issues of global warming and climate change. Niche tourism products of experiencing the life and culture of indigenous communities rich in traditional knowledge will prevent overburdening the iconic sites with a growing number of visitors beyond their carrying capacities. It will also promote new and alternative sites in the region, which too have unique attractions. Tourism entrepreneurs from the region developing tourism products like trekking in the forests, food festivals, showcasing of traditional craftwork, and weaving practices have evoked responses from tourists with special interests that the tourism industry can adopt to promote responsible and sustainable tourism in a big way in the region. The introduction of professional courses on tourism entrepreneurship with conservation priorities can help groom local youths as tourism entrepreneurs or tourist guides and spur startups with organic ideas. Access to digital technology, mobile connectivity, and digital banking has opened many opportunities to tap latent tourism potential in areas that remain excluded from tourism circuits prioritised by the industry and government. Some of the national highways and new railway lines have also improved connectivity to these areas, but the wonderful natural landscape of these areas has yet to catch the imagination of major players. Local youths, having rich knowledge of their ecosystem and the social and cultural practices of their communities, will benefit from the introduction of professional courses that will help them develop tourism products best suited to the local environment. Digital access makes it easier to market tourism products, and intending tourists will be able to easily connect to new stakeholders in the industry to plan their visit and make online bookings. Developing responsible tourism is the key to sustainable tourism.