<p><em>PRAMOD NAYAK AND VENKATESH RAGHAVENDRA</em></p>.<p>Are you one of those people who quickly turns to ChatGPT to plan your next vacation and predetermines every meal, every stop? Or the type who just lands in a new place and seeks the advice of the taxi driver to explore the area? Either way, it helps to have your antenna up for other trends and undercurrents that are prevalent right now. Especially if you want to be a “responsible” and mindful tourist.</p>.<p>Tourism, long hailed as an engine of prosperity, now seems to be under mounting scrutiny. Across Europe, residents are voicing frustration: in Spain, Italy, and Portugal, protesters demand limits on mass tourism; in Barcelona, videos of locals spraying water pistols at diners went viral in mid-2024; and in the Canary Islands, beach-goers were swarmed by demonstrators. India has seen similar stirrings, with locals near Goa’s Anjuna beach protesting against deafening music from tourist clubs. In addition to this, there are many under-reported or unreported currents. These are not isolated events. They reveal a global shift in perception – tourism is no longer seen only as a source of income but also as a driver of environmental strain, social unrest, and inequity.</p>.Truth was a casualty at Trump’s UN show.<p>Context matters. In 2020, international tourism endured what the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) called “the worst year in tourism history.” Yet, by 2024, the sector had staged a full recovery. What returned was not just the numbers but new dynamics. Tourism became more <br>democratic: rising incomes, expanded aviation routes, aggressive state campaigns, and social media-fuelled wanderlust drew more people to travel. The trend of “revenge travel” – pent-up demand after lockdowns – helped to rebound but also exposed weaknesses. Many destinations found their carrying capacity stretched, with crowding, pollution, and resource shortages becoming frequent flashpoints.</p>.<p>This surge leaves policymakers with both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenges are to prevent overcrowding and ecological damage, and strategise the benefits redistribution. The opportunities are to reimagine tourism as a more inclusive and sustainable sector.</p>.<p>The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a good compass. SDG 8.9 calls for policies that promote sustainable tourism, creating jobs while preserving local culture and products. SDG 12.b emphasises tools to monitor tourism’s sustainability impacts. The message is clear: tourism must move beyond numbers to focus on equity, culture, and resilience.</p>.<p>India exemplifies both promise and pitfalls. The sector could reach $4 trillion in the next 25 years, with aspirations to contribute 10% of GDP. <br>For comparison, the US and China already have tourism economies exceeding $1 trillion.</p>.<p>India has built momentum through schemes like Hunar se Rozgar Tak, which creates jobs by training locals. Yet, benefits remain uneven. Resorts and large operators capture most profits, while local communities – the custodians of culture and heritage – often remain peripheral actors.</p>.<p>A decade ago, the KVTG (Karnataka Tourism Vision Group) presented a concept called ‘Tourism Infrastructure Ladder’, emphasising that beyond physical assets, people themselves form the ‘soft infrastructure’ of tourism. Attributes like hospitality and cultural knowledge shape visitor experiences. While earlier programmes tapped this human resource, they often confined locals to low-paid, seasonal roles. Hence, a shift is needed: positioning communities as co-owners, not just employees, in tourism development.</p>.<p><strong>An equitable model</strong></p>.<p>Reorienting tourism requires new approaches. Tourism revenue should circulate back to host communities through cooperatives, community-owned enterprises, and transparent profit-sharing. This ensures that growth uplifts entire regions, not just corporate stakeholders, and communities can invest the revenue for capacity building. Linking crafts, foods, and traditions to GI tags can preserve heritage while boosting the incomes of locals involved. Products like Mysore silk or Darjeeling tea show how tourism and local identity can reinforce each other.</p>.<p>Extending affordable credit would empower small entrepreneurs and diversify ownership. Recently, the Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce has urged that tourism be included under priority sector lending. Homestays distribute income more widely while offering authentic experiences. States such as Kerala and Himachal Pradesh demonstrate how families, particularly women, gain from this model while complementing the larger resort infrastructure. Finally, encouraging locals to invest in tourism ventures – with co-financing through the government or CSR – creates economic and emotional stakes, aligning development with community needs.</p>.<p>International examples illustrate both risks and solutions. Barcelona’s backlash shows the costs of ignoring local voices, while Bhutan’s ‘high value, low volume’ approach demonstrates how carefully managing numbers sustains both culture and environment. Kerala’s Responsible Tourism Mission offers a domestic example: by linking local farmers and artisans directly to hotels and restaurants, it ensures that tourism income strengthens village economies. In Ladakh, to mitigate the effects of mass tourism, the government is introducing sustainable options like electric-powered buses and programmes to promote ecotourism and responsible tourism. </p>.<p>Tourism is still a sunrise sector for India and the world. But left unchecked, it risks becoming a source of ecological harm and social conflict. The path forward lies not in shrinking tourism but in reshaping it: from being volume-driven to value-driven, from exclusive to inclusive, from extractive to regenerative.</p>.<p>When visitors depart, the environment should remain unharmed, <br>culture enriched, and local communities empowered. Only then can tourism fulfill its true promise: not merely as a contributor to GDP, but as a force for sustainable and equitable human development.</p>.<p>(Pramod is a civil servant who works with the Government of India; Venkatesh is a global social entrepreneur and a perpetual traveller. Views expressed are personal)</p><p><em>Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.</em></p>
<p><em>PRAMOD NAYAK AND VENKATESH RAGHAVENDRA</em></p>.<p>Are you one of those people who quickly turns to ChatGPT to plan your next vacation and predetermines every meal, every stop? Or the type who just lands in a new place and seeks the advice of the taxi driver to explore the area? Either way, it helps to have your antenna up for other trends and undercurrents that are prevalent right now. Especially if you want to be a “responsible” and mindful tourist.</p>.<p>Tourism, long hailed as an engine of prosperity, now seems to be under mounting scrutiny. Across Europe, residents are voicing frustration: in Spain, Italy, and Portugal, protesters demand limits on mass tourism; in Barcelona, videos of locals spraying water pistols at diners went viral in mid-2024; and in the Canary Islands, beach-goers were swarmed by demonstrators. India has seen similar stirrings, with locals near Goa’s Anjuna beach protesting against deafening music from tourist clubs. In addition to this, there are many under-reported or unreported currents. These are not isolated events. They reveal a global shift in perception – tourism is no longer seen only as a source of income but also as a driver of environmental strain, social unrest, and inequity.</p>.Truth was a casualty at Trump’s UN show.<p>Context matters. In 2020, international tourism endured what the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) called “the worst year in tourism history.” Yet, by 2024, the sector had staged a full recovery. What returned was not just the numbers but new dynamics. Tourism became more <br>democratic: rising incomes, expanded aviation routes, aggressive state campaigns, and social media-fuelled wanderlust drew more people to travel. The trend of “revenge travel” – pent-up demand after lockdowns – helped to rebound but also exposed weaknesses. Many destinations found their carrying capacity stretched, with crowding, pollution, and resource shortages becoming frequent flashpoints.</p>.<p>This surge leaves policymakers with both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenges are to prevent overcrowding and ecological damage, and strategise the benefits redistribution. The opportunities are to reimagine tourism as a more inclusive and sustainable sector.</p>.<p>The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a good compass. SDG 8.9 calls for policies that promote sustainable tourism, creating jobs while preserving local culture and products. SDG 12.b emphasises tools to monitor tourism’s sustainability impacts. The message is clear: tourism must move beyond numbers to focus on equity, culture, and resilience.</p>.<p>India exemplifies both promise and pitfalls. The sector could reach $4 trillion in the next 25 years, with aspirations to contribute 10% of GDP. <br>For comparison, the US and China already have tourism economies exceeding $1 trillion.</p>.<p>India has built momentum through schemes like Hunar se Rozgar Tak, which creates jobs by training locals. Yet, benefits remain uneven. Resorts and large operators capture most profits, while local communities – the custodians of culture and heritage – often remain peripheral actors.</p>.<p>A decade ago, the KVTG (Karnataka Tourism Vision Group) presented a concept called ‘Tourism Infrastructure Ladder’, emphasising that beyond physical assets, people themselves form the ‘soft infrastructure’ of tourism. Attributes like hospitality and cultural knowledge shape visitor experiences. While earlier programmes tapped this human resource, they often confined locals to low-paid, seasonal roles. Hence, a shift is needed: positioning communities as co-owners, not just employees, in tourism development.</p>.<p><strong>An equitable model</strong></p>.<p>Reorienting tourism requires new approaches. Tourism revenue should circulate back to host communities through cooperatives, community-owned enterprises, and transparent profit-sharing. This ensures that growth uplifts entire regions, not just corporate stakeholders, and communities can invest the revenue for capacity building. Linking crafts, foods, and traditions to GI tags can preserve heritage while boosting the incomes of locals involved. Products like Mysore silk or Darjeeling tea show how tourism and local identity can reinforce each other.</p>.<p>Extending affordable credit would empower small entrepreneurs and diversify ownership. Recently, the Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce has urged that tourism be included under priority sector lending. Homestays distribute income more widely while offering authentic experiences. States such as Kerala and Himachal Pradesh demonstrate how families, particularly women, gain from this model while complementing the larger resort infrastructure. Finally, encouraging locals to invest in tourism ventures – with co-financing through the government or CSR – creates economic and emotional stakes, aligning development with community needs.</p>.<p>International examples illustrate both risks and solutions. Barcelona’s backlash shows the costs of ignoring local voices, while Bhutan’s ‘high value, low volume’ approach demonstrates how carefully managing numbers sustains both culture and environment. Kerala’s Responsible Tourism Mission offers a domestic example: by linking local farmers and artisans directly to hotels and restaurants, it ensures that tourism income strengthens village economies. In Ladakh, to mitigate the effects of mass tourism, the government is introducing sustainable options like electric-powered buses and programmes to promote ecotourism and responsible tourism. </p>.<p>Tourism is still a sunrise sector for India and the world. But left unchecked, it risks becoming a source of ecological harm and social conflict. The path forward lies not in shrinking tourism but in reshaping it: from being volume-driven to value-driven, from exclusive to inclusive, from extractive to regenerative.</p>.<p>When visitors depart, the environment should remain unharmed, <br>culture enriched, and local communities empowered. Only then can tourism fulfill its true promise: not merely as a contributor to GDP, but as a force for sustainable and equitable human development.</p>.<p>(Pramod is a civil servant who works with the Government of India; Venkatesh is a global social entrepreneur and a perpetual traveller. Views expressed are personal)</p><p><em>Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.</em></p>
