Himalayan overload: Tourism boom pushes fragile hills to breaking point

Tourist arrivals have multiplied sixfold in two decades. As crowds swell, so do the challenges, from traffic gridlock to the strain on a fragile Himalayan ecology.

Stranded people being rescued following flash floods triggered by a cloudburst at Dharali region, in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.

Credit: PTI Photo