Religious Tourism and Sustainable Development: Perspectives …
277
and coordination with government agencies (Saraswati and Ram 2017; Mahapatra
et al. 2011). Adventure sports should be provided with international standards and
safety. A major attraction can be excursions to fruit orchards (Gupta 2015). Rural
tourism or village tourism is in a very nascent stage in the state and has high tourist
potential. Experts feel that there is a need to engage the tourists once they arrive in the
region, by offering them a comprehensive tourism experience ranging from trekking,
site seeing, rural home stays, orchard visits, horticulture tours, religious tourism,
adventure sports, and skiing, among many others. According to some of the experts,
the above activities exist in the state but have not been developed professionally. For
example, the state government started the “Rural/Village Home Stay” scheme, but it
couldn’t attract tourists because it didn’t meet high quality standards and was done
unprofessionally. The villagers didn’t organize the stay comfortably, neither were
they trained properly, which also led to difficulty in communication. The adventure
and high-end sports existing in the state are mostly operated by private individuals
who do not meet quality and certification standards. Experts strongly feel that state
governments should have their own enterprises or cooperatives, which run rural home
stays, operate high-end sports and provide affordable quality hotels and tourism
packages.
According to several experts, tourism in the region is restricted to historically
renowned places in Himachal Pradesh (Shimla, Kullu, Manali, Kufri, Kasauli)
and Uttarakhand (Massurie, Nainital, Dehradoon, Almora, Ranikhet) for decades.
Lesser attention has been paid on developing new areas by the state government,
though the region is blessed with extra-ordinary natural beauty, mountains, valleys
and river ecosystems. Several areas and locations in Himachal Pradesh (Rewalsar
Lake, Parashar Lake, Kaza, Rohru, Chander Nahan) and Uttarakhand (Trijuginarayan, Munsyari, Chaukori, Mana Village, Koti-Kanasar circuit, Khirsu) are often
mentioned by tourists and travel enthusiasts as locations with extraordinary tourism
beauty and natural resources. Many of these places resemble several international
locations such as those in Switzerland, Austria, and Canada.
There is an increasing awareness in the states of the need for sustainable development, after the floods in the Kedarnath region of Uttarakhand, a major religious
site. The floods had resulted in higher casualties due to the unregulated tourism and
development that disregarded the ‘agro-climatic suitability’ of mountain regions for
activities (Awasthi 2015).
Another area that worries experts is the development of large-scale hydro-projects
in the Himachal Pradesh, such as those in the Kinnaur, Chamba, Lahul and Spiti
regions that are destroying some of the most beautiful tourist destinations and river
ecosystems in these areas. Many experts also feel that the tourism development model
of the region needs to strengthen the local partnership and livelihood aspects. There
is a need for a comprehensive and integrated plan for tourism in the states (Gupta
2015). The government needs to regulate the tourism activities in these states, train
local people with tourism skills, and encourage local livelihood-based cooperative
models rather than promoting unregulated, purely private models. The experiences
of Kala and Bagri (2018) from two emerging tourist destinations in Uttarakhand also
emphasize strong community participation, better coordination with government
277
and coordination with government agencies (Saraswati and Ram 2017; Mahapatra
et al. 2011). Adventure sports should be provided with international standards and
safety. A major attraction can be excursions to fruit orchards (Gupta 2015). Rural
tourism or village tourism is in a very nascent stage in the state and has high tourist
potential. Experts feel that there is a need to engage the tourists once they arrive in the
region, by offering them a comprehensive tourism experience ranging from trekking,
site seeing, rural home stays, orchard visits, horticulture tours, religious tourism,
adventure sports, and skiing, among many others. According to some of the experts,
the above activities exist in the state but have not been developed professionally. For
example, the state government started the “Rural/Village Home Stay” scheme, but it
couldn’t attract tourists because it didn’t meet high quality standards and was done
unprofessionally. The villagers didn’t organize the stay comfortably, neither were
they trained properly, which also led to difficulty in communication. The adventure
and high-end sports existing in the state are mostly operated by private individuals
who do not meet quality and certification standards. Experts strongly feel that state
governments should have their own enterprises or cooperatives, which run rural home
stays, operate high-end sports and provide affordable quality hotels and tourism
packages.
According to several experts, tourism in the region is restricted to historically
renowned places in Himachal Pradesh (Shimla, Kullu, Manali, Kufri, Kasauli)
and Uttarakhand (Massurie, Nainital, Dehradoon, Almora, Ranikhet) for decades.
Lesser attention has been paid on developing new areas by the state government,
though the region is blessed with extra-ordinary natural beauty, mountains, valleys
and river ecosystems. Several areas and locations in Himachal Pradesh (Rewalsar
Lake, Parashar Lake, Kaza, Rohru, Chander Nahan) and Uttarakhand (Trijuginarayan, Munsyari, Chaukori, Mana Village, Koti-Kanasar circuit, Khirsu) are often
mentioned by tourists and travel enthusiasts as locations with extraordinary tourism
beauty and natural resources. Many of these places resemble several international
locations such as those in Switzerland, Austria, and Canada.
There is an increasing awareness in the states of the need for sustainable development, after the floods in the Kedarnath region of Uttarakhand, a major religious
site. The floods had resulted in higher casualties due to the unregulated tourism and
development that disregarded the ‘agro-climatic suitability’ of mountain regions for
activities (Awasthi 2015).
Another area that worries experts is the development of large-scale hydro-projects
in the Himachal Pradesh, such as those in the Kinnaur, Chamba, Lahul and Spiti
regions that are destroying some of the most beautiful tourist destinations and river
ecosystems in these areas. Many experts also feel that the tourism development model
of the region needs to strengthen the local partnership and livelihood aspects. There
is a need for a comprehensive and integrated plan for tourism in the states (Gupta
2015). The government needs to regulate the tourism activities in these states, train
local people with tourism skills, and encourage local livelihood-based cooperative
models rather than promoting unregulated, purely private models. The experiences
of Kala and Bagri (2018) from two emerging tourist destinations in Uttarakhand also
emphasize strong community participation, better coordination with government