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D. Gambhir et al.
authorities, skill development of locals and innovative policy design as effective
measures to promote tourism in emerging destination contexts.
Major tourist concerns in the region relate to aspects of water quality, poor assistance by official bodies, misguidance by tour operators, insecurity, access, connectivity and communication issues, unfair pricing, food and accommodation standards,
etc. There is a preference for hotel accommodation by domestic visitors, and visitors
prefer personalised transport and mobile communication. There is also a concern for
the poor conservation of the natural and cultural heritage (Adhikari 2018; Aggarwal
et al. 2008; Kumar and Rana 2017; Phukan 2014; Rongali 2017; Sati 2015; Sultan
2015). Many visitors who seek a cultural experience are interested in visiting remote
locations where the natural and cultural heritage has been preserved to a great extent
(Singh 2006).
4.2 Impact of Tourism—Sustainability Concerns
The Himalayan environment and its ecosystem have been under direct threat for
a long time from commercial interests in forests with respect to damaging activities such as logging, poaching, mining and illegal trade, which have been far
more detrimental than tourism (Singh 2006). However, the impact of tourism on
the environmental, social and economic aspects cannot be ignored.
Tourism activities have both positive and negative socio-cultural impacts and need
to be governed and promoted with caution. The positive impacts arise in the form
of income generation and employment opportunities, infrastructure development
and improved communication services. The negative impacts include migration and
cultural degradation in youth (Farooquee et al. 2008).
Rivers in India are a significant resource for natural and religious tourism (Tandon
2012). It has been observed that the pollution in the river Ganga intensifies at
Rishikesh and Haridwar, two major sites of religious importance in Uttarakhand.
These sites attract many visitors regularly, particularly on days considered auspicious for holy dips. The visitors have disregard for the river and local rules and
commonly throw waste material into the river (Mahapatra et al. 2011). An important question arises, how can people pollute a river that is so sacred and holy to
them? According to Sachdeva (2016), sacred values at times may stop people from
perceiving and foreseeing environmental risk. It is noted that religious visitors do
not feel concerned about the adverse impact of their actions on the river, while
regular tourists consider the religious activities as polluting (IIT 2013). There is a
stark fall in water quality before and after religious activities (Matta et al. 2018).
While the government has introduced measures to ban camping and regulate rafting
at Rishikesh (Uttarakhand), it has vastly been unable to regulate the pilgrims and
urban pollution, which are bigger polluters (Lal 2015). The lack of sewage treatment
and sanitation facilities at the popular destinations lead to degradation of the entire
river ecosystem (Mallet 2017; Singaravelu and Mishra 2019). The prime source of
D. Gambhir et al.
authorities, skill development of locals and innovative policy design as effective
measures to promote tourism in emerging destination contexts.
Major tourist concerns in the region relate to aspects of water quality, poor assistance by official bodies, misguidance by tour operators, insecurity, access, connectivity and communication issues, unfair pricing, food and accommodation standards,
etc. There is a preference for hotel accommodation by domestic visitors, and visitors
prefer personalised transport and mobile communication. There is also a concern for
the poor conservation of the natural and cultural heritage (Adhikari 2018; Aggarwal
et al. 2008; Kumar and Rana 2017; Phukan 2014; Rongali 2017; Sati 2015; Sultan
2015). Many visitors who seek a cultural experience are interested in visiting remote
locations where the natural and cultural heritage has been preserved to a great extent
(Singh 2006).
4.2 Impact of Tourism—Sustainability Concerns
The Himalayan environment and its ecosystem have been under direct threat for
a long time from commercial interests in forests with respect to damaging activities such as logging, poaching, mining and illegal trade, which have been far
more detrimental than tourism (Singh 2006). However, the impact of tourism on
the environmental, social and economic aspects cannot be ignored.
Tourism activities have both positive and negative socio-cultural impacts and need
to be governed and promoted with caution. The positive impacts arise in the form
of income generation and employment opportunities, infrastructure development
and improved communication services. The negative impacts include migration and
cultural degradation in youth (Farooquee et al. 2008).
Rivers in India are a significant resource for natural and religious tourism (Tandon
2012). It has been observed that the pollution in the river Ganga intensifies at
Rishikesh and Haridwar, two major sites of religious importance in Uttarakhand.
These sites attract many visitors regularly, particularly on days considered auspicious for holy dips. The visitors have disregard for the river and local rules and
commonly throw waste material into the river (Mahapatra et al. 2011). An important question arises, how can people pollute a river that is so sacred and holy to
them? According to Sachdeva (2016), sacred values at times may stop people from
perceiving and foreseeing environmental risk. It is noted that religious visitors do
not feel concerned about the adverse impact of their actions on the river, while
regular tourists consider the religious activities as polluting (IIT 2013). There is a
stark fall in water quality before and after religious activities (Matta et al. 2018).
While the government has introduced measures to ban camping and regulate rafting
at Rishikesh (Uttarakhand), it has vastly been unable to regulate the pilgrims and
urban pollution, which are bigger polluters (Lal 2015). The lack of sewage treatment
and sanitation facilities at the popular destinations lead to degradation of the entire
river ecosystem (Mallet 2017; Singaravelu and Mishra 2019). The prime source of