Himalayan Ecotourism in Shimla

Abstract

Tourism has the potential to bring about changes in mountain environments, which are fragile and vulnerable to irreversible damage. Present trends in tourism are oriented towards increasing tourist volume. As a result, it threatens the capacity of tourist attractions because of overcrowding, congestion, traffic snarls and environmental pollution. Aggressive tourism activities without proper planning, effective policy and institutional framework have created serious environmental problems. If a tourist destination becomes environmentally degraded, tourists themselves start shunning it. This study finds Shimla to be one such destination. The main objective of this article is to review the type of tourists arriving, seasonality in Shimla and, more specifically, to focus on environmental problems and suggest action plans in an ecofriendly way. There is need for unified efforts in this direction and to make Shimla an all year round attraction for the visitors as well as Shimla itself. The town of Shimla, a summer capital of the Indian State of Himachal Pradesh during the British occupation, is the central focus of this study. The Shimla region extends 20 km. from the city limits of Shimla including Mashobra, Kufri, Naldehra, Jatogh etc.