The number of tourists has been surging globally. Although there was a pause during the Covid-19 period, the UN Tourism Data Dashboard has shown an exponential rise in global tourism in recent years.
Rising Backlash Against Overtourism
The tourism industry helps both the government and the local population earn decent revenues. However, something out of the ordinary happened this year. The residents of popular destinations in Spain, Italy, and Mexico started protesting the increasing numbers of tourists in their areas. The unsustainable influx of tourists had started causing problems.
Local Protests and Global Measures
The residents of the Canary Islands, Spain, for instance, protested the construction of two new hotels — said to have violated environmental regulations. Protesters felt that such construction to accommodate a growing number of visitors was increasing their housing costs. Slogans and graffiti reflected their emotions: ‘Tourists go home’ and ‘my misery, your paradise’.
Management Strategies Around the World
Various states are trying to implement different methods to curb crowds of tourists. The Greek authorities introduced a daily cap of 20,000 tourists in Athens. Italy, as a trial, introduced a five-euro fee for day trips to Venice. Japan had to deter selfie-takers at a particular spot by erecting a fence to block a view of Mount Fuji. Austria, also concerned about over-tourism, did the same in the town Hallstatt to block lake views. Amsterdam’s city council voted to ban cruise ships from docking in the city center to reduce crowds and environmental damage.
Overtourism Challenges in Pakistan
In Pakistan, over-tourism has also become a problem. However, we still seem oblivious to the disastrous impact of over-tourism in ecologically fragile areas. Notifying mountainous areas, particularly Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), has intensified in recent years. While there is no harm in promoting the scenic valleys and tourists spots of the area, the problem lies in the lack of a proper policy and ignorance about the perils of over-tourism. Furthermore, the infrastructure required for tourism is substandard. Many of these scenic areas are without electricity for most hours in the day. Even potable water is getting scarce. Has any government sincerely worked for the betterment of these areas before promoting tourism?
Environmental and Social Impacts
Instead of making environment-friendly and sustainable infrastructure, our tourism ‘policy’ consists of the construction of asphalted roads and hotels, without following regulations, which has a disastrous impact on the environment. As a result, thousands of people flock to the mountains every year. In fact, in areas such as GB, the number of annual tourists is in the millions now. Though it provides income to a local population struggling to make ends meet, over-tourism has been catastrophic for the ecosystem. These resource-starved areas cannot sustain millions of visitors every year.
Economic Benefits vs Long-Term Sustainability
Overtourism comes at a hefty price. Unfortunately, the already poor local communities are paying that price. The fragile mountainous areas are facing rising temperatures, reduced snowfall, melting glaciers, flash floods, a change in crop patterns, water, etc. The carbon footprint of millions of visitors and thousands of vehicles is massive. Luxury hotels built without any environmental consideration are mushrooming. Sewage and garbage disposal systems are putting enormous pressure on, or depleting, natural resources and destroying scenic views. These hotels are being constructed in areas where there are already power and water shortages. In Hunza, resentment in the local population against the massive concrete infrastructure is brewing.
Safety and Infrastructure Concerns
Overtourism also endangers human lives. With the increasing traffic and lack of road safety and traffic regulations, accidents are happening more frequently, particularly on the Karakoram Highway. And the Murree tragedy of 2022 cannot be forgotten. It raised serious questions about Pakistan’s state of disaster preparedness in tourist areas. Thousands of vehicles were stuck due to the snowfall and precious lives were lost as vehicles were trapped for many hours.
Moving Towards Sustainable Tourism
With many people associated with the tourism industry, which is their bread and butter, curtailing the number of tourists is not the point. The alternative is to promote sustainable tourism, discourage cars and jeeps, ensure that the hotel industry follows regulations, raise awareness about ecotourism, and implement viable environment-friendly policies. The best solution is to shift to ecotourism from over-tourism. Ecotourism means responsible travel, environmental conservation, and the enhancement of biocultural diversity.
Call for Action and Policy Reforms
This can also provide economic benefits to local communities through capacity building, and sustain their well-being. Some initiatives have already been taken by these communities, but they are limited. It should be the responsibility of the state to empower local governments and communities and introduce ecotourism practices. The greed to maximize profits must end. It is time to include local stakeholders in policy-making, build their capacity and invest in energy-efficient and environment-friendly infrastructure. Indeed, such a change will not come overnight but the authorities concerned need to work towards ecotourism sincerely and efficiently before we lose whatever we are left with.