Editorial: #FOMO? Stay put

A sitcom from the noughties, Will & Grace features a telling repartee by a principal character, a socialite named Karen Walker, who expounds the advantages of a holiday in Jamaica. She says, "Oh, it's heaven, honey. They pick you up at the airport and whisk you away in a covered limo. You never once have to look at a local." With the year drawing to a close, holidayers across the country are scurrying to make the most of their vacations, with hopes of stretching the weekend break into the dawn of the New Year.

But, it's anybody's guess as to how denizens in some of our most happening tourist hotspots are holding out against the droves of revellers, who are placing an inordinate amount of stress on the natural resources and physical infrastructure. The damage inflicted by mindless, unplanned tourism is already showing in states like Goa, which has been in the news recently on account of influencers complaining about the state of tourist infrastructure in the region — absence of proper public transport, unaffordable cab services, garbage strewn beaches, unmotorable roads, exorbitant hotel prices, and poor security systems. This has turned local and international tourists to destinations like Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia, which offer more bang for the buck, and better service.

Ironically, the Goa government addressed the problem of the poor ecosystem by filing a police complaint against an entrepreneur who shared a social media post that was critical of Goa’s tourism experience. The administration alleged that the businessman “disseminated false data through his social media handle, causing significant annoyance to local businesses and inducing fear or alarm within the local community.” Goa's Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte went one step further and alleged that a hidden agenda and ulterior motive (read Chinese intervention) may have been at play to malign the image of the state.

Obviously, over-tourism has robbed many a state of its pristine lustre, making it almost futile for tourists to land there for a good time. But there’s also a flip side that needs to be considered in the backdrop of unregulated infrastructure being built to support the hospitality industry in the so-called tourist hubs. A renowned architect recently called out the manner in which inaccessible forested locations deep within the recesses of the Himalayas were now being tapped by hotel chains to build resorts and spas. Even worse, thousands of trees in Jim Corbett Park were axed to pave the way for guest houses, bridges and roads.

A recent programme that has divided the heritage conservation movement is the Ministry of Tourism’s ‘Adopt a Monument’ project. The initiative encourages public and private sector companies, as well as NGOs, individuals and other stakeholders to take up the responsibility of developing and upgrading tourist amenities at specific heritage sites per their interest. They would also be tasked with looking after the operation and maintenance of the same. Sites like Konark Sun Temple, Ajanta caves, Safdarjung Tomb, Qutub Minar, Humanyun’s Tomb, Jantar Mantar, as well as the Kailasanatha temple in Kanchipuram have now been adopted.

Conservationists have expressed doubts on whether this might be the best approach as the operators might opt for cutthroat pricing, citing maintenance costs, which could render many such spaces inaccessible to the public at large. There are also calls for limiting footfalls to tourist hubs in order to ensure that the locals are not put to inconvenience.