Carrying Capacity Analysis in Mizoram Tourism

Senhri Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol. 4, No. 1 (January - June 2019), p. 30-37

Senhri Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies ISSN: 2456-3757 Vol. 04, No. 01 A Journal of Pachhunga University College Jan.-June, 2019 (A Peer Reviewed Journal) Open Access https://senhrijournal.ac.in DOI: 10.36110/sjms.2019.04.01.004

CARRYING CAPACITY ANALYSIS IN MIZORAM TOURISM Ghanashyam Deka 1,* & Rintluanga Pachuau2 1Department of Geography, Pachhunga University College, Aizawl, Mizoram 2Department of Geography & Resource Management, Mizoram University, Aizawl, Mizoram *Corresponding Author: [email protected] Ghanashyam Deka: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5246-9682

ABSTRACT Tourism Carrying Capacity was defined by the World Tourism Organization as the highest number of visitors that may visit a tourist spot at the same time, without causing damage of the natural, economic, environmental, cultural environment and no decline in the class of visitors' happiness. Carrying capacity is a concept that has been extensively applied in tourism and leisure studies since the 1960s, but its appearance can be date back to the 1930s. It may be viewed as an important thought in the eventual emergence of sustainability discussion, it has become less important in recent years as sustainability and its associated concepts have come to dominate planning on the management of tourism and its impacts. But the study of carrying capacity analysis is still an important tool to know the potentiality and future impact in tourism sector. Thus, up to some extent carrying capacity analysis is important study for tourist destinations and states like Mizoram. Mizoram is a small and young state with few thousands of visitors that visit the state every year. But with the existing facilities will it be okay for future planning is significant to study. Hence, this paper is an attempt to study the carrying capacity of Mizoram Tourism with some selected destinations.

Keywords: Carrying Capacity, Sustainability, Tourism, Delphi Analysis.

Introduction for the idea of carrying capacity as a part to the travel industry‟s prospective study. With regards to the travel industry, a While it is helpful to recognize the carrying significant related issue to be talked about is capacity limit of a destination that used for the carrying capacity analysis for example the travel industry, yet the perception may all the more explicitly, the ideal number of not be a straight forward a decision-making sightseers that can give to day by day visit tool. without influencing the balance. It is to be noticed that there has been much enthusiasm

According to Roy and Tisdell technique for identification and assessment (1998), the carrying capacities and its idea of the impacts of tourism. The Delphi are neither distinct nor specific. In fact, it is technique is one of group of judgmental a relative and dynamic idea in tourism. methods, which have gained recognition for Carrying capacity of a specific site or region their value in forecasting. It is one of the might be viewed as a component of various most well established means of collecting factors like the number and choice of expert opinion and of gaining consensus traveler assets, for example, the existence of among experts on various factors under historical sites, biodiversity reserves, plants consideration. While Delphi originated as a and animals, quality of the air or water, the technique of future forecasting research, it’s tolerance and fragility of resources to use more general applicability is now widely the power of resource, the provision and accepted, including its potential maintenance of infrastructural services, and contribution to environmental impact so on. In a very simple way let us consider assessment (EIA).” that the main issues with the carrying Following Mitra and Chattopadhyay capacity of a tourist destination are in terms (2003) the present study is carried out for of visitors‟ numbers in light of income, Mizoram with reference to Aizawl city available tourist infrastructure, weather and museum, Kolasib, Zokhawthar, Thenzawl, climate with associated environmental issues Reiek, Phawngpui and Lawngtlai by using and their reaction to the destination along the Delphi technique of analysis. The Delphi with the quality and services. method of examination is one of the well- The idea of carrying capacity was established ways to gather expert‟s used successfully by Mitra and assessment. Truth be told, when the review Chattopadhyay, (2003) in their study of was directed for gathering the expert‟s “Environmental Conservation and Demand feeling of the effect of the tourism industry for Nature Based Tourism in Arunachal on the travel industry parameters the study Pradesh” which is further followed along was likewise reached out to gather the with the techniques of Green et al. (1990) in expert assessment in regards to the ideal their study of environment and its impacts in number of visitors in the chosen places of England. The study was borrowed from the interest of Mizoram that could be obliged idea of Tisdell (1997) which was the study day by day without antagonistically about the „aspects of sustainability of eco- influencing the neighborhood condition, by tourism.‟ Thus the idea is now applied with providing them with information in regards the tourism study for sustainability and to the physical highlights of the places of development of tourism. interest and the present yearly inflow of tourists. Mitra and Chattopadhyay (2003) referred that “the Delphi technique (Dietz, Mizoram is a young state with a few 1987; Green et al, 1990; Rowe et al., 1991; recognized tourist destinations. In the state Rowe and Wright, 1999) was used which is most of the destinations are scattered in considered as a potentially valuable nature. Therefore it is difficult to interlink

Figure 1: Tourism Guide Map of Mizoram

© SJMS, 2019 32 Senhri Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol. 4, No. 1 (January - June 2019), p. 30-37 all the destinations with some grids or by side along with the third round of Delphi circuits. Hence few tourist destinations in data. the state is growing and getting visitors in a After considering the average night regular basis. With the advancement of spent by the tourists along with the existing tourism it is always demanded better facilities in the area, optimum number of communication, accommodation, quality of visitor estimation was calculated to know food supply and so on. Thus with the the present carrying capacity of the selected increasing demand of the destination there is tourist destinations. Finally the actual a gap that develop between the host and the number of visitors was put side by side with guests where the carrying capacity can be the estimated number of visitors for the analyzed and interpreted. To find out this study of carrying capacity. gap it is important to know the carrying capacity of Mizoram tourism. It may help us It is important to note that the in future course of action for betterment of estimation of experts were mainly taken to state tourism. identify and assess the possible negative impacts of tourism on ecological parameters Objective and the best possible number of tourists that Present paper is an attempt to study can be catered to daily in the selected tourist the carrying capacity of Mizoram tourism spots of Mizoram without affecting the with reference to eight selected destinations. ecosystem adversely.

Database and Methodology The Study Area Both primary and secondary data are The present study area is the used in the present study. Delphi technique Mizoram state as a whole with consideration is used widely for the carrying capacity of eight important places that selected one analysis. Questionnaire was prepared for from each district. State museum is three rounds of Delphi techniques of representing the Aizawl district followed by analysis accordingly. The first questionnaire Kolasib town (Kolasib), Zokhawthar is an estimation that roughly calculated (Champhai), Reiek (Mamit), Thenzawl based on the revenue and average number of (Serchhip), Phawngpui (Siaha/Saiha), visitors. Based on the first questionnaire, Lunglei (Lunglei) and Lawngtlai remaining two questionnaires are modified (Lawngtlai). Out of these, State Museum, considering the responses of the planners, Reiek, Zokhawthar, Phawngpui and hosts, environmental experts and other stack Thenzawl are notable tourist destinations in holders associated with the state tourism. the state. Apart from these Lunglei, Thus after three rounds, it gives an Lawngtlai and Kolasib are the important estimation which is optimum in general and places and district headquarters that fit for comparative study in particular. Later accommodate hundreds of tourists during on the comparison of secondary data which the peak season. collected from the tourism department and other authentic sources were tabulated side

The state museum is well known specialists used to consider significant for a destination that displays the art, culture and selected destination. Similarly carrying history of Mizoram. It is considered as one capacity is considered as a function of the of the must visit place in Mizoram. On the existing infrastructural facilities. The other hand Reiek is a famous destination mountainous region like Phawngpui, the that attracts visitors for its historical, most extreme individual from guests geographical and geological importance. permitted in a timeframe could be Every year it attracts large number of determined to the premise of the enthusiastic tourists during the Anthurium festivals. effect of travelers‟ activities on genuine Thenzawl is in the mid way to southern aspects of transportation, seasonality, and Mizoram that allow tourist to see its scenic the environmental and ecological conditions. beauty along with the Vantawng Fall the However, the tourist inflow may be varying largest waterfall in Mizoram. It is an ideal based on different factors like infrastructure, location for the excursionists and the transportation and other associated facilities cruisers that give a pleasant stay for leisure. with the destination. Mitra and Zokhawthar is another famous border town Chattopadhyay (2003) further referred the that connects with Myanmar. This critical infrastructural facilities as the destination is well known for nearby Rih Dil quantity and quality of accommodation, Lake (5 km. inside Myanmar) which has purity and availability of drinking water, mythological importance among the Mizos. waste management facilities that generated After crossing the „rice bowl of Mizoram‟ during the travelling etc. These factors may one can visit Zokhawthar and Myanmar in be considered as the determining factors that the same route without any problems which can be establish as the base of carrying makes Zokhawthar as one of the important capacity analysis for a tourist destination. tourist destination. The Phawngpui is Generally in most of the time the located in the southernmost part of Mizoram local people (host) and tour operator which is the highest peak in the state. It is (planner) can observe a destination whether also famous as Blue Mountain in many it is overcrowded or not. To understand the websites that describe about Mizoram carrying capacity well, researcher have to Tourism. consider the ideas of the locals and the tour Thus out of the eight selected operators too. Therefore, the researcher destinations five are well spotted in the collected the information from all possible tourism map of Mizoram. The reaming also sources to know the carrying capacity of a serves the tourist well in the sense of destination. For that the opinion of the host, accommodation and recreation. tour operator, planners and other associated stack holders are accounted for this analysis. Carrying Capacity Analysis It was an attempt to estimate the usual rate The carrying capacity can be of visitors to know the carrying capacity for determined based on the social, cultural, everyday for a selected location during their economic and tourism existence which visit to Mizoram as supposed by the special-

Table 1: An Approximate Estimate of Carrying Capacity per day of the selected tourist destinations of Mizoram as perceived by the experts, planners and local people

Average no. of Average no. of *Total no. of Income from Selected Estimated no. of tourist per day tourist per day lodges/ beds in tourism (in destinations tourist per day (Delphi round (Delphi round the district Lakh) 1) 2) State Museum 121 / 249 107.41 173 182 210 (Aizawl) Kolasib 42 / 94 27.10 43 55 64 (Kolasib) Lunglei 64 / 136 23.19 37 38 39 (Lunglei) Zokhawthar 64 / 132 20.56 33 33 33 (Champhai) Thenzawl 40 / 75 19.75 34 44 51 (Serchhip) Reiek (Mamit) 37 / 73 12.13 19 30 38 Phawngpui 20 / 40 6.30 10 10 11 (Siaha) Lawngtlai 48 / 102 5.16 8 8 9 (Lawngtlai)

Source: *Statistical Abstract of Mizoram, 2015. Delphi data set is collected by the researcher as primary data

-ist, trip and tour planners, authorities, the during the year 2014. From the above table hosts and neighbors. Following this idea, (table-1) it is clear that State Museum that table-1 gives an approximation of tourist located in the center of the capital city carrying capacity as supposed by the scored highest possibilities of tourists in a professional, tour planners, and the host in year. Of course it has better connectivity, some particular tourist destination of accommodation and other associated Mizoram. facilities. Kolasib is in the second spot as it is near to the Assam border that connects via On the basis of the accommodation Vairengte and Bairabi which has great facilities along with the tourism revenue and importance for the state economy since most estimated visitors the approximation of of goods and passengers along with the carrying capacity to the destinations is tourists passes through this way. Kolasib is analyzed with the help of Delphi analysis the first stop for the traveller. Therefore, it technique. This estimate is based on the has overtaken the other tourist destinations locals, experts and planners perception like Zokhawthar since these are located which later considered as the approximate remotely. Thenzawl placed in the third after number of optimum visitors in those the Delphi analysis as it is in the midway to selected tourist destinations of the state the southern Mizoram. Vantawng fall gives

Table 2: Approximate estimation of tourists against actual number of tourists

Numbers of Average Approximate Approximate Carrying tourist Selected number of number of days of estimate of optimum capacity visited the Destinations days spent by tourist season in a tourist in a year per day spot Tourist year (2014) (2014) (2014) Aizawl City Museum 210 3.0 300 21000 11,997 (Aizawl) Kolasib town 64 2.6 240 5907 *3, 600 (Kolasib) Lunglei Museum 39 2.2 210 3722 2,423 (Lunglei) Zokhawthar border 33 2.0 210 3465 1,710 (Champhai) Vantawng 51 2.0 210 5355 #3750 (Serchhip) Reiek (Mamit) 38 1.5 180 4560 *4600 Phawngpui 11 1.0 180 1980 *1200 (Siaha) Lawngtlai 9 1.0 180 1620 #922 (Lawngtlai) Source: Economic and Statistical Handbook, 2014 *Tourism Department estimation. #Primary data collected by the researcher from nearby hotels, lodges, NGO‟s etc. Thenzawl an extra weightage as it is the found out consequently. After that the real largest water fall in the state. Lunglei, Reiek number of tourist visit to those selected and Zokhawthar are placed accordingly as places are compared with the calculated there are limitations like location, lack of estimation of tourists. The following table accommodation facilities, lack of all weather (Table 2) is showing the comparison in roads etc. Phawngpui and Lawngtlai are at details. the bottom of the table due to the distance Table 2 shows that the real numbers factor. Poor connectivity, lack of publicity, of tourists visiting the selected destinations and cost effect travel associated with these were not exactly even the traditionalist two locations. gauge of rough number of optimum tourists With the help of above data (Table who could visit the selected destination of 1) now average carrying capacity can be Mizoram based on carrying capacity study. compared with the actual data available with As per the data six selected destinations are the researcher. With consideration of falling short of tourists against the average night halt, length of the tourist estimation. Among the destinations Reiek season the approximate estimation was seems to have excess load than the carrying

© SJMS, 2019 36 Senhri Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol. 4, No. 1 (January - June 2019), p. 30-37 capacity. It had been discovered that the real and Statistics Department, number of visitors in 2014 was 63.69% of Government of Mizoram. the approximate estimate to optimum number of tourists. Green, H., Hunter, C. and Moore, B. (1990): Application of the Delphi technique in Conclusion tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, From the above discussion and 17(17): pp. 270-279. analysis it is clear that Mizoram tourism is Mitra, A., Chattopadhyay, K. (2003): yet to develop to its full strength. For Environment and Nature Based example, Aizawl is the capital city that still Tourism – An Endeavor at carrying the load less than half of its Sustainability, Kanishka Publishers estimated capacity. It is important to note Distributors, New Delhi. that if the carrying capacity is at optimum level than it used to register the maximum Roy, K. and Tisdell, C. (1998): Good growth. It can produce highest benefits to governance in sustainable the stack holders, investors, and the host if it development: the impact of is at the optimum level. Still the state institutions, International Journal of tourism is far below than the estimated load. Social Economics, Vol. 25 No. 6/7/8, Hence, it sought for increasing the quantity pp. 1310- of visitors in Mizoram in future that can 1325. https://doi.org/10.1108/0306829 manage more loads and can maintain 9810212775 sustainability of tourism industry as well as for highest probable exploitation of Tisdell, C. (1997): Capital/natural resource economic potentiality of tourism. Again, in substitution: the debate of Georgescu- near future if the real number surpasses the Roegen (through Daly) with most favorable number in any year, by the Solow/Stiglitz. Ecologica increasing of the days in a tourist season Economics. 22 (3): 289– may provide accommodation to more 291. doi:10.1016/S0921- visitors which indicate glowing future of 8009(97)00089-X. Mizoram tourism as a whole. Wall, G., Wright, C. (1977): The Environmental Impacts of Outdoor Recreation, Publication Series No.1, References Waterloo: Department of Government of Mizoram (2014): Statistical Geography, University of Waterloo, Hand Book of Mizoram, 2014, Wang, K., Hsieh, A. and Chen, W. Economic and Statistics Department, (2002) Is The Tour Leader an Government of Mizoram. Effective Endorser for Group Package Tour Brochures? Tourism Government of Mizoram (2015): Statistical Management, Vol. 23, pp. 489-498. Abstract of Mizoram, 2015, Economic