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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org Tourism in Uttrakhand: Present Scenario, Prospects and Challenges

Dr. Madan Lal Singla Associate Professor in Commerce Maharaja Agrasen College,

ABSTRACT

Uttrakhand is popularly known as Devbhumi due to the presence of numerous and religious form about 70% of the tourism in the state. in huge numbers visit this Himalayan state every year due to countless holy sites - temples, shrines, rivers and lakes. The tourism business in generated 23,000 crores during 2013- 14 about 80% from pilgrimage tourism and tourism has contributed up to 30 percent to Uttarakhand‟s GDP in recent years. However in June 2013, devastating floods and landslides caused destruction in the state and all this has paralyzed the tourism industry which is expected to recover not before 3 years. The is considered the most important Hindu pilgrimage includes the holy shrines of , , and and a visit to holy places like the Char Dham, and of this state is considered a must for every Hindu. Visitors from all over the world come to Uttarakhand for pilgrimage. What makes the pilgrimage a lifetime experience for any is the presence of numerous natural treasure in Uttarakhand such as best - deep cut valleys, snow capped Himalayan peaks, beautiful meadows, shimmering lakes, springs and waterfalls, hot water springs, virgin forests and gushing waters of holy rivers that surround the holy shrines and temples here. No soul comes back untouched from this mystic land where the faith runs strong.

The infrastructure to cater to the tourists has grown but disproportionately slowly and mostly 'illegally'. Building infrastructure that suits the hills to match the growing numbers is a challenge that Uttarakhand is yet to give a serious thought to despite multiple master plans and tourism development reports by various agencies. Based on different studies of the earth scientists and also general perception among the common man it is said that increasing uncontrolled tourism in Uttrakhand has a very negative impact on the environment due to haphazard pattern of growth which create imbalances and is also become the main reason of heavy rain, clouds buster & floods resulting heavy loss as happened in June 2013. Thus, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the trend and prospects of tourism including pilgrimage tourism in Uttrakhand as well as its economic, social and environmental effects in the state.

Keywords: Tourism, Pilgrimage, Economy, Environment, Char Dham, Adventure Tourism.

Introduction

Uttarakhand, the 27th state of came into existence on 9th November, 2000. It is located at the foothills of the Himalayan mountain ranges, offers variety of experiences to the tourists. The state shares borders with China (Tibet) in the north and in the east and inter-state boundaries with in the west and northwest and in the south. The state is popularly known as Devbhumi (land of Gods) due to the presence of

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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org numerous Hindu pilgrimage sites. As a result, religious tourism forms a major portion (about 70 percent) of the tourism in the state. Pilgrims in huge numbers from far and wide visit this Himalayan state every year, seeking salvation and self-purgation and due to countless holy sites - temples, shrines, rivers and lakes. The tourism business in Uttarakhand generated 23,000 crores during 2013-14 about 80% from pilgrimage tourism, however due to 2013 North Indian Floods, it is expected to witness a 70% fall to 6,900 crores during 2014-15. In June 2013, devastating floods and landslides caused destruction in the state. "About 25-30% of Uttarakhand‟s GDP comes from tourism in recent years. Though only 20% of the state was affected by the calamity, but it suffered Rs 12,000-crore revenue loss. Hope, in 2015, Uttarakhand will definitely witness a complete turnaround and the state will regain its glory of being a tourist paradise.

Uttarakhand, with its numerous sacred shrines, is the most preferred religious destination mainly for . What makes the trip to Uttarakhand significant is the Char Dham. The four major pilgrim destinations, namely, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri are the holiest of all the pilgrimage places in India. A visit to holy places like the Char Dham, Haridwar and Rishikesh is considered a must for every Hindu. According to ancient Hindu scriptures, a visit to the Char Dham leads one to salvation. This abode of Gods is dotted with ancient temples and shrines made thousands of years ago giving testimony to the rich religious heritage. It is not surprising to find a holy site or temple every few meters in this enchanting state. Visitors from all over the world come to Uttarakhand for pilgrimage. What makes the pilgrimage a lifetime experience for any pilgrim is the presence of numerous natural treasure in Uttarakhand such as best - deep cut valleys, virgin sylvan surrounds, snow capped Himalayan peaks, beautiful meadows, icy glaciers, shimmering lakes, springs and waterfalls, hot water springs, virgin forests and gushing waters of holy rivers that surround the holy shrines and temples here. No soul comes back untouched from this mystic land where the faith runs strong.

Objective of the Study

The objective of the present paper is to evaluate the trend and prospects of tourism including pilgrimage tourism in Uttrakhand as well as its economic, social and environmental effect in the state. Further, to know the initiatives taken by the Uttrakhand Government to boost tourism and to minimise its negative environmental effect and also to suggests the measures required for the balanced growth of healthy tourism in the state.

Methodology

Information regarding pilgrimage tourist alone can not be segregated accurately because many pilgrimage tourists also visit the other places in the state for leisure tourism. Thus, data of total tourist arrivals is collected mainly from the official website of Uttrakhand Tourism to know the trend of tourism since the State Uttrakhand came into existence in the year 2000 on the map of India. SWOT analysis has also been done to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities available to the Government and other investors in the state as well as the negative impact of increasing tourism in an uncontrolled way mainly on the environment to know the prospects of tourism in real sense in the state. Further, the researcher has studied the

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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org impact of the tourism on the state economy and the importance of holy places of Uttrakhand mainly for Hindu Pilgrims as well as major achievements/initiatives of the Government for tourism development, and major challenges before the Government to boost tourism in the state mainly after 2013 floods.

Major Holy Places for Pilgrimage Tourism in Uttrakhand

The Char Dham (four abodes): The Char Dham is considered the most important Hindu pilgrimage includes the holy shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri:

Badrinath known as holy seats of Lord , considered to be the holiest, is located between the mountains of Nar and Narayan with River Alaknanda flowing peacefully beside it. It is known as Badrinath since the entire region is covered with Badri trees.

Kedarnath shrine known for holy seat of Lord , situated at a high altitude of 3580 meters above the sea level is another revered pilgrim destination which was set up by Hindu Adi Shankaracharya in early 8th century. It is one of the twelve '' of Lord Shiva. While there is a motorable road to Badrinath, Kedarnath could only be reached by foot. The 14 km trek begins from Gaurikund. After the 2013 Himalayan floods, the trek currently is of more than 18 km due to washing away of trekking paths.

Gangotri which is believed to be the earthly throne of Goddess is a revered pilgrim destination near which the holy river Ganga originates at Gaumukh.

Yamunotri, the starting point of the holy river , is the westernmost shrine in the Garhwal range of the . The actual origin of the river is the Yamunotri glacier further up into the Himalayas where very few pilgrims go due to the difficulty it entails. The main attraction for the pilgrims to this sacred place is the temple dedicated to Goddess Yamuna. The Char Dham begins around the first to second week of May every year.

Panch Kedar

Panch Kedar refers to five Hindu temples dedicated to god Shiva. They are located in the Garhwal Himalayan region in Uttarakhand. These five temples designated in the strict pecking order to be followed for pilgrimage for worship are the Kedarnath at an altitude of 3,583 m (11,755 ft), the (3,680 m or 12,070 ft), (2,286 m or 7,500 ft), or Madmaheshwar (3,490 m or 11,450 ft) and (2,200 m or 7,200 ft). The Kedarnath is the main temple, which is part of the four famous Chota Char Dhams After completing the pilgrimage of Lord Shiva's darshan at the Panch Kedar temples, it is an unwritten religious rite to visit Lord Vishnu at the , as a final affirmatory proof by the devotee that he has sought blessings of Lord Shiva.

Panch Prayag

Panch Prayag is an expression in Hindu religious ethos, specifically used to connote the five sacred river confluences in the Garhwal Himalayas in the state of Uttarakhand. The five prayags namely the five river confluences in the descending flow sequence of their occurrence are:

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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org Vishnu Prayag: The , which originates in the eastern slopes of glacier fields of , is joined by the Saraswathi River near Mana and then flows in front of the Badrinath temple, one of the most revered Hindu shrines. It then meets the Dhauli River, whose origin is from the Niti Pass, after traveling a distance of 25 km (15.5 mi) from its source to form the Vishnu Prayag

Nanda Prayag: Nand Prayag is the second prayag in the cascade sequence of the confluences where the Nandakini River joins the main Alaknanda River.

Karna Prayag: Karn Prayag is the location where Alaknanda River is joined by the that originates from the Pindar glacier, below the Devi hill range. The stone seat where did penance is also seen here. A temple built in recent times to commemorate Karna has the of goddess Uma Devi (daughter of the Himalayas) here. The stone temple was rebuilt by Guru Adi Shankaracharya.

Rudra Prayag: At Prayag the Alaknanda meets the . The confluence is named after god Shiva, who is also known as Rudra. According to a widely narrated legend, Shiva performed the here, Tandava is a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. Temples dedicated to Rudranath (Shiva) and goddess are located here.

Dev Prayag: Dev Prayag is the confluence of the two holy rivers, the Bhagirathi - the chief stream of the Ganges and the Alaknanda. It is the first prayag on the way to Badrinath. Beyond this confluence, the river is known as Ganges. The holiness of this place is considered equal to the famous confluence at where the Ganges, Yamuna and rivers merge.

Rishikesh

Situated close to Haridwar, on the banks of the divine Ganga is Rishikesh, a major centre for and Meditation. Rishikesh has been a magnet for spiritual seekers since late 60's when rocked up 's known as the „Yoga Capital of the World‟ because of the large number of teaching meditation and yoga. The northern part of the main town is the hotspot for all the action where the Ganges forested hills form a conducive environment for all the meditation. The evening aarti also draws a lot of crowd.

Haridwar

Another prominent pilgrim-destination in Uttarakhand is the holy town of Haridwar, where the prestigious is held every twelve years, attracting millions of devout people from all over the world. Haridwar is an important in the religious architecture of the country. The large number of people gathering on the bathing on the holy ganges river give the place a chaotic feel. There are a number of Hindu temples, ashrams and dharamshalas in the city. The city also serves as the entry point to the nearby .

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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org Similarly, other temples frequently visited by pilgrims include Neel Kanth Mahadev near Rishikesh, hill top shrines of Mansa Devi and Devi at Haridwar, Vishwanath at and Binsar Mahadev near Almora. It is not as though Uttarakhand is a pilgimage destination exclusively for Hindus – there are several important shrines related to other religions too, keeping in line with the secular traditions of our country. These include Hemkund Sahib, an important pilgrimage destination for people belonging to Sikh faith, Nanak Matta Sahib, Ritha Metha Sahib, Piran Kaliyar Sharif near , the Mind Rolling Monastery and its Buddha Stupa in .

Fairs and festivals

Kumbh mela () is a major tourist attraction to the state. Haridwar is one of the four places in India where this takes place. Haridwar also has its big annual fair in the form of Magh mela in January–February which turns into a bigger event every 6 years in the form of Ardh Magh Mela. Mela and Nanda Devi Raj Yatra are great festivals of Uttarakhand, famous in all northern India.

Wildlife

Uttarakhand is home to the first national park in India. There are 12 National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries covering 13.8 percent of the total area of the state. Nanda Devi Biosphere reserve and Valley of Flowers National Park are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Position of Tourist Arrivals in Uttrakhand

Tourist including Pilgrimage Tourist Statistics (In Lacs) in Uttrakhand

Years Domestic Tourist Foreign Tourist Total Tourist Growth Rate 2000 110.79 0.57 111.36 - 2001 105.49 0.55 106.04 -4.78% 2002 116.52 0.56 117.08 10.41% 2003 129.30 0.64 129.94 10.98% 2004 138.30 0.75 139.05 7.01% 2005 162.81 0.93 163.74 17.76% 2006 193.58 0.96 194.54 18.81% 2007 221.54 1.06 222.60 14.42% 2008 230.64 1.12 231.76 4.12% 2009 231.54 1.18 232.72 0.41% 2010 309.72 1.36 311.08 33.67% 2011 266.66 1.43 268.09 -13.82% 2012 282.93 1.41 284.34 6.06% 2013 200.25 0.90 201.15 -29.26%

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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org

40.00%

30.00%

20.00%

10.00%

0.00% 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

-10.00% YAERLY CHANGE YAERLY

-20.00% YEARS

-30.00%

-40.00%

Yearly Growth Rate in the Tourist Arrivals

Data of tourist arrivals in this holy state of Uttrakhand has been collected since the state came into existence. Growth rate has also been calculated to know the yearly percentage change in the tourist arrivals taking previous year as base year. The above stated Bar Diagram as well as tourism statistics given in the table show that there is almost continuous growth in domestic as well as foreign tourist arrivals including pilgrims (111.36 to 311.08 lacs) resulting about 280% growth in the tourist arrivals during the period 2000-10. However after 13.82% decline in the tourist arrivals in 2011, it again increased by 6.06% (268.09 to 284.34 lacs) in 2012. But the incessant rain that hit Uttarakhand from June 14, 2013 triggered flash floods and landslides, leading to thousands of deaths, while thousands more are missing. Over 1,00,000 people have been evacuated so far from the affected areas. Helping people rebuild their lives was the biggest challenge for the Uttarakhand government – in fact, for the whole country. All this has paralyzed the tourism industry which is expected to recover not before 3 years. It is the main reason that results show 29.26% major decline (284.34 to 201.15 Lacs) in tourist arrivals in the year 2013. There are two major challenges for tourism at present i.e. dropping tourism revenue and increasing unemployment are the area of Concern & Improvement. Unemployment rises during non peak season; hence the sector needs to be diversified. It is essential to purge away the notoriety from tourists to visit the state after the calamity by marketing of Brand Uttarakhand. To increase the revenue from tourism along with pilgrimage, the state needs to target other tourist segments as well. Tourists looking for combination of two or more types (like adventure along-with pilgrimage) are to be offered customized packages. Bringing economic growth and earning foreign currency from new avenues-dhabas, tea-stalls, restaurants, shops along the roadside. Tourism is considering the inflation rate of 10% & thus, population growth rate should be at least 7% every year.

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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org Tourism and its Impact on the State Economy

Tourism has been globally recognized as one of the important economic activities. Selected countries enjoy the privilege of being a hub of spiritual activities that attract tourists from all over the world apart from the domestic tourists. Tourism, as a major service sector industry in world economy, has its own multi dimensional direct and indirect impacts on the society which is regarded as an effective instrument of country‟s economic development. Glenn Kreag of University of Minnesota, in a report submitted in 2001, has identified the impacts of tourism into seven general categories-Economic, Social and Cultural, Environmental, Crowding and congestion, Community attitudes, Services and Taxes. Kreag further analyzed that each of these impacts has both positive and negative aspects. Tourism brings capital to a state‟s economy, improves a state‟s infrastructure, and creates ample business opportunities in sectors like food, transport, and hospitality. However at the same time, it could adversely affect the state‟s economy by contributing to price rise, creating temporary scarcity of land, labour, and housing etc. Thus, it is necessary to adopt a scientific approach to analyse the possible impacts of tourism in the economy of a state that has significant tourism potential. Appropriate strategy to tap these potentials could yield effectively for the state‟s economy.

Uttrakhand is a fast moving economy as indicated by the results of average growth rate in state‟s GDP during period 2005-14. At constant 2004-05 prices, during period 2005-14, has highest average growth rate of 16.49% and Uttarakhand is at 2nd position with growth rate of 12.45%., respectively. At current prices, again Uttarakhand is at 2nd position with growth rate of 19.57% after Sikkim (26.06%) during 2005-14. Thus, Uttrakhand has grown faster than India's average 7.61% at 2004-05 prices and 15.04% at current prices during the same period. However, growth rate in the year 2013-14 & 2014-15 was 8.43% and 9.34% respectively at constant 2004-05 prices, and 13.53% & 12.88% at current prices in these years against India‟s growth rate of 4.74% at constant prices and 11.54% at current prices. One major reason of the decline in the state‟s growth rate is the decline in the tourist arrivals in these years after heavy rain and floods hit the uttrakhand in June 2013. (Source: Ministry of statistics and programme implementation)

Uttarakhand is primarily a hilly state with only about ten percent of its total geographical area in the . According to a report of Uttarakhand Tourism Board, 2008, Uttarakhand economy mainly relies on tourism industry as tourism is one of the highest revenue earning industries in the state. Uttarakhand, being situated on the foothills of Himalayas, comprises of numerous hill stations which attract tourists from across the globe thereby bringing money to the state. Pilgrimage tourism form about 70% of the tourism sector in the state. Pilgrims in huge numbers visit this Himalayan state every year due to countless holy sites such as Char Dhams shrines, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Panch Prayag, Panch Kedar, temples etc. The wildlife sanctuaries, lakes, adventure spots, etc have also been a major attraction for tourism. Thus, Uttrakhand has a very wide scope for tourism including pilgrimage tourism and contribute about 25-30% in the state‟s total GDP in recent years.

Further, it has been found that the international spiritual tourists contribute more towards the state‟s revenue than the domestic tourists. In order to enhance the inflow of spiritual tourists to the state, the conditions of the spiritual places, and the state‟s infrastructure should be improved.

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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org The Uttarakhand economy is all poised to take advantage of this situation and expand its tourism sector. The two inputs that are considered necessary for the development of this sector, i.e., natural and human capital, are abundantly available in the state. Thus, it has the potential to match the rise in tourism demand with an increase in supply of tourism services.

Total forest reserve area in Uttarakhand accounts for 65% of the total land area of the state, which is 4.53% of India‟s forest area. Further, with more than three fourths (78%) of its total population dependent on agriculture for livelihood, the is predominantly dependent on mountain agriculture. The major financial sectors in Uttarakhand have been identified as Agriculture, Natural Resources and Industry. However, the tourism sector, especially the spiritual tourism, shall remain one of the major revenue earning sectors in the state. Tourism has been playing a major role in building and sustaining the economy of this nascent state. Tourism has been a major driver of economic growth and livelihood promotion in most of the remote areas of Uttarakhand. The income earned from tourists by providing various services including accommodation, transportation, food and beverage, pony and porter etc.

The type of employment generated owing to the spiritual tourism can broadly be categorized into organised and unorganised sectors depending on their mode of functioning. The state has a number of state supported tourism agencies apart from a separate Government Department for formulation and implementation of policies. Hospitality in all the important spiritual places is also provided by many hotels and guest houses run by Government, Non Government Organisations (NGOs) and private entrepreneurs. Many chains of hotels have made their existence in the spiritually strategic locations. All such establishments basically employ the local people contributing towards minimizing the state‟s unemployment problem. Number of tourist operators chain linking the various spiritual places as well as providing a large pool of man power is working in an unorganised manner in almost all the spiritual places of the state. These include local conveyances providers through auto rickshaw, rickshaw, horses, donkeys, persons engaged in various spiritual activities, persons who run very small tea/refreshment shops, vendors who sells various materials for spiritual activities, tourist guides and in other indirect services like laundries, hair styling etc. Thus, there are number of employment opportunities growing in and around the spiritual activity centers whose earnings solely depend on the spiritual tourists.

Prospects of Tourism Sector in Uttarakhand

It is necessary to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities available to the Government and other investors in the state due to tourism as well as the negative impact of increasing tourism in an uncontrolled way mainly on environment to know the prospects of the tourism sector in real sense in the state. Thus, SWOT analysis has been done for this purpose:

Strengths: Uttrakhand is one of the most widely known destinations for pilgrimage tourism, in India and abroad having strong link to Hindu religion and culture. There are countless strengths of this holy state Uttrakhand such as Scenic beauty coupled with pleasant weather, bounded by the iconic Himalayan mountain range, wild life sanctuaries, variety of landscape- magnificent river network, established trekking routes, hospitable people and committed private sectors existing in hotel industry. It has almost all agro-geo climatic zones, which

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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org provide commercial opportunities for floriculture and horticulture. The state has 175 rare species of medicinal and aromatic plants. The state has also abundant natural resources due to hills and forests supporting tourism, and vast water resources favouring hydropower.

The state has close proximity to the national capital , a leading market of the country and excellent connectivity with neighbouring states. Uttarakhand has a robust social and industrial infrastructure, virtual connectivity, over 52,628 km of road network, two domestic airports, 345 km of rail routes and an installed power capacity of 2,634.69 megawatt (MW).

The state witnessed massive growth in capital investments due to a conducive industrial policy which offers a wide range of benefits in terms of interest incentives, financial assistance, subsidies and concessions. Therefore, Uttarakhand became one of the fastest growing states in India. The gross state domestic product (GSDP) increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.5 per cent during 2004-05 to 2013-14, outpacing the 15 per cent growth witnessed by all states combined.

Weaknesses: There are number of weaknesses of this state such as lack of proper infrastructural facilities leads poor connectivity, insufficient quality accommodation, seasonal unemployment and poor standard of living in most areas in the region, lack of coordinated efforts by the state towards sustainable tourism resulting unplanned constructions, and uncontrolled and unaccounted flow of tourists every year during peak season, lack of destination branding and marketing, improper human resource planning for quality of workforce in terms of skill sets and training, less engagement of women in labour force, emergence of competitive tourist destinations in neighbouring states and abroad with similar scenic beauty as Uttarakhand, increasing dissatisfaction and inconvenience among tourists due to unmet necessities & expectation, changing environment imposing a threat, degeneration of state‟s heritage and culture.

Opportunities: Number of opportunities are available in the state for Government and private sector spending to ensure seamless travel, train the huge workforce to match tourist expectations as significant number of youth joining the labour force every year, participating in international tourism events and coordinating with foreign tour operator, exploring pilgrimage tourism, leisure, adventure and eco-tourism, offering customized tour packages at competitive packages for appropriate mix of pilgrimage tourism with leisure, adventure and eco-tourism destinations, community based tourism-integrating rural communities into promotion and development of tourism.

Source of Revenue and Employment in Uttarakhand is the intangible service of Tourism. Proper marketing strategy for every type of tourism will eventually lead to better economic growth and employment. More emphasis shoud be given towards the service-enthusiastic, positive lesser known upcoming locations such as Munt Abott, Sitalkhet, and Hill stations such as Mussoouri, , Almora , , targeted Services. More emphasis should be given to the activities like skiing, bungee jumping, adventure parks, sailing, boating, houseboat stay, water sports, rope way tours, mountain railways, luxury train journey round the year. Round the year trekking routes in Kumaun and Garhwal region- Tungnath trek, Pindari glacier trek, Short trek routes, National Parks and Sanctuaries like Corbett Tiger Reserve, activities like bungee jumping, forest reserve tour, adventure parks are the targeted Services.

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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org Threat/Impact of Tourism on Environment: Nestled in the Himalayas, Uttarakhand attracts increasing numbers of visitors every year. The infrastructure to cater to the tourists has grown but disproportionately slowly and mostly 'illegally'. June is the month of peak reason that sees the highest tourist footfall in the state year after year. Carrying capacity studies undertaken earlier by the government and other agencies show that many places in Uttarakhand, including townships like , breached their infrastructure limits some time back. Construction on the pilgrim route grew organically and with successive state governments providing limited public infrastructure and thus, people in the region built up the cheapest and quickest motels, restaurants and roadside kiosks to take benefit from the growing number of tourists.

However, limiting the number of pilgrims visiting the holy sites is a difficult task and no government in the state can think in this regard due to political reasons. Building infrastructure that suits the hills to match the growing numbers is a challenge that Uttarakhand is yet to give a serious thought despite multiple master plans and tourism development reports by various agencies. Tourism industry and the government are interested in revenue models high-end hotels but these are not fit for the low-paying pilgrim tourists. Thus, more than 75% residential facilities is available to tourists in Uttarakhand still come out of dharmshalas and low-cost hotels run by locals.

Dozens of dams and unregulated development may be leading to changes in the way the hills react to cloud bursts and heavy rains. Further, the debate over the proposed 100 plus dams is still on. It is the real fact that casualties and losses are higher in June 2013 owes more to the particular river valley that got impacted and the month the havoc played out as much as the intensity of rains.

Many researchers, activists and earth scientists show their fear/worry regarding the negative impact of increasing uncontrolled tourism in Uttrakhand on environment due to haphazard pattern of growth which create imbalances and is the main reason of cloud bursts and heavy rains occurring heavy loss. Some of the views are given below:

The rush to the Himalayas has been accompanied by a haphazard pattern of growth that might not be sustainable. A study by infrastructure group IL&FS IDC Ltd showed that the carrying capacities (maximum number of persons an environment can support) of various tourist centres in Uttarakhand reached saturation levels in 2010. It is in this context that some environmentalists have been calling the devastating floods a man-made catastrophe. “Ecological fragility sets limits. Today these limits are being violated and the pilgrimage to the Char Dhams is being turned into crass consumerist mass tourism,” said activist .

Dr. Shakeel Ahmad Romshoo, head of the Earth Sciences Department at University of , told the National Geographic earlier this year. “Start a helicopter and there is a big radiation and temperatures rise. So, definitely that encourages the melting of snow and glacier resources in the region”.

Rauf Tramboo, Chief of Travel Agents Association of Kashmir said that the road from Badrinath to Joshimath “was not a wise idea as then you can take the vehicle right up to the

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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org temple there.” This was another shrine that the floods hit. Environmentalists say that any ecological imbalance in Himalayan regions can lead to floods and landslides.

Thus on the basis of evaluation of the SWOT analysis, it is said that there is countless strengths of the holy state Uttrakhand and many opportunities are available in the state for tourism development which indicate the better prospectus of tourism in the state. However, the present study also indicates some weaknesses and negative impact of tourism mainly on environment. Thus, there is a need to overcome these weaknesses and to regulate the haphazard pattern of growth which create imbalances and put negative impact on environment resulting heavy loss of life as well as property due to sudden clouds buster, heavy rain, floods etc.

Major Achievements/Initiatives of Uttrakhand Government for Tourism Development • Concept Note on Tehri Lake Tourism Development Plan has been submitted to Planning Commission. • Development works on 02 Mega Circuits (Nirmal Gangotri Mega Circuit and Haridwar- Rishikesh- – Swargasharm Mega Circuit) are in progress. • The MOUs with PPP Partners for 03 ropeways (Jaankichatti-Yamunotri, Kaddu Khal- & Thuligarh-Punyagiri) have been signed. • Compacters have been established in or around Char Dhams for Solid Waste Management. • Works on expansion of Air-connectivity under SPA for 02 Airports and 06 Helipads are in progress. • New Flights started for , & Proposed for . • Declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ) without following the consultative processes declaring large areas as no development zones. • Suspension of Major Hydro –Power Projects on environmental grounds. • Indiscriminate Delays and Large Pendency of Forest land transfer cases of Roads, Drinking Water etc.

Challenges before the Uttrakhand Government to Boost Tourism

Flood in 2013 has paralyzed the tourism industry which is expected to recover not before 3 years. Thus, there are two major challenges for tourism at present i.e. dropping tourism revenue and increasing unemployment are the area of Concern & Improvement. To keep this work forced employed in tourism industry, government must ensure the inflow of tourist to increase every year by around 10%. Unemployment rises during non peak season; hence the sector needs to be diversified. It is essential to purge away the notoriety from tourists to visit the state after the calamity by marketing of Brand Uttarakhand. To increase the revenue from tourism, along with pilgrimage the state needs to target other tourist segments as well. Tourists looking for combination of two or more types like adventure along-with pilgrimage to be offered customized packages. To accelerate economic growth and earn foreign currency more emphasis should be given to new avenues like dhabas, tea-stalls, restaurants, shops

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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org along the roadside etc. Since there exist huge potential for tourism in the state, with demand emanating from both the domestic and international tourists. Therefore, tourist zones needs to be connected by roads, rails, and airports.

The state has already spent more than Rs. 1,000 crore on restoring its infrastructure mainly through government assistance and will be spending about Rs. 4,000 crore more, which will be a combination of public and private funding, to restore the state to its past glory. The state is also planning to introduce 'Winter Chardham' to encourage religious tourism round the year. During winter, for six months, the from all the four Dhams are shifted and worshipped in shrines of Kharsali, Mukhva, and Pandukeshwar (Joshimath) where tourists can visit and pray. Besides Chardhams, Uttarakhand plans to promote other attractions like adventure, wildlife, leisure and eco-tourism. While the restoration work is going on in full scale, the state government is offering sops like service taxwaiver, reduction in VAT and tax holiday to the transport industry to boost the tourism sector.

Thus taking into consideration the lot of challenges, Uttrakhand Government should take various more initiatives to boost tourism in the state such as infrastructural initiatives through public private partnership, better connectivity of all tourist locations by reliable & robust transportation system, mobile app to provide the real time information to tourists, establishing well functioning call centers within the state where travelers can enquire any tour related information 24*7 and local work force to be used for setting up and running these call centers. Similarly, infrastructure should be improved to exploit the potential of scenic places in different districts, initiate ropeway projects that can generate revenue as well as employ the natives. Luxury train service can be initiated to lure upper class tourists from within as well as outside India. Ropeway from Rambara to Kedarnath for convenience of pilgrims and ropeway service right from base station to peak of the mountain to facilitate tourists to enjoy scenic beauty of the place, as well as attract sports enthusiasts for activities such as skiing, skydiving should be developed. Redevelop hill stations and market as complete holiday destination for the whole . Develop infrastructure for mountain railway to enjoy the beauty of nature like Pilatus, Switzerland etc. Organize melas, like Melas; festivals like flower festival in the valley and branding for the same, engage in contracts with tour operators from outside India, mainly U.S since most foreign tourists come from U.S. Keeping a track of tourists, especially pilgrims by using unique identity and use biometric checkpoints for accounting the number of tourists entering and exiting the state. Such setup can be established and run by using local labour force. Open medical facility centers at every small location driven by paramedical staff in the ambit of nearby hospital. Social entrepreneur could take a lead to train paramedical staff to create employment. For employment generation, develop supporting industry like handicrafts, which would be active in the non- peak season so as to sell products to tourists in peak season and also to export it within as well as outside India. As Gahrwal is famous for Saris, could employ people to make saris in non-peak season. The region can become a hub for clothing industry by backward integration such as setting up textile mills by sourcing raw material from nearby states such as and Punjab. Self help groups can be formed to motivate economically backward but capable of producing valuable products which can be sold to tourist or exported. Take initiatives for employment generation through infrastructural projects in non-peak season.

Further, rebuild the image by advertising through social network, hiring bloggers who will write about initiatives taken by government, about new destinations, safety as well as sharing

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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org tour experiences with public to attract more tourists. Take initiative through endorsement of Char Dham Yatra by a celebrity to purge away the threat among the potential pilgrims, endorsement by Sportsman for adventure tours in the similar lines of Incredible India campaign, offering complete travel package of combination of tours among leisure, pilgrimage, adventure and eco tourism to attract demographically different segments according to their needs. Development of social entrepreneurship by sons of the soil can help developing “Model Village” which may include renovating houses of localities to use them as home stay service for tourists. Home stays will ideally provide food along with lodging at premium price. Yoga centers in Rishikesh can be used to train local unskilled workforce so that they can in turn set up Yoga centres near their home and earn their living. Engaging women in the workforce through these kinds of service offerings will result in improvement of lifestyle of the entire household.

Conclusion

Uttrakhand is popularly known as Devbhumi due to the presence of numerous Hindu pilgrimage sites and religious form about 70% of the tourism in the state. Pilgrims in huge numbers visit this Himalayan state every year due to countless holy sites such as Char Dham shrines, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Panch Prayag, Panch Kedar alongwith temples, wildlife sanctuaries, lakes, adventure spots, etc. Thus, Uttrakhand has a very wide scope especially for pilgrimage tourism and contribute about 25-30% in the state‟s total GDP in recent years. The results show that there is almost 2.80 times growth in the tourist arrivals including pilgrims in the first 10 years of the state existence (2000-2010) and after 13.82% decline in 2011, number of tourists again increase 6.06% in 2012. Flood in 2013 has paralyzed the tourism industry which is expected to recover not before 3 years. It creates the problem of dropping tourism revenue due to drastic fall i.e. 29.26% in the tourist arrivals in 2013 and thus, increase unemployment problem.

Further, it comes from the study that the infrastructure to cater to the increased number of tourists has grown but disproportionately slowly and mostly 'illegally'. Construction on the pilgrim route grew organically and with successive state governments providing limited public infrastructure and thus, people in the region built up the cheapest and quickest motels, restaurants and roadside kiosks to take benefit from the growing number of tourists mainly in the peak season of June. Many researchers, activists and earth scientists show their fear/worry regarding the negative impact of increasing uncontrolled tourism in Uttrakhand on environment due to haphazard pattern of growth which create imbalances and is the main reason of cloud bursts and heavy rains occurring heavy loss. However, limiting the number of pilgrims visiting the holy sites is a difficult task and no government in the state can think in this regard due to political reasons. Thus, building infrastructure that suits the hills to match the growing numbers is a challenge that Uttarakhand is yet to give a serious thought despite multiple master plans and tourism development reports by various agencies. Tourism industry and the government are interested in revenue models high-end hotels but these are not fit for the low-paying pilgrim tourists. Therefore, more than 75% residential facilities is available to tourists in Uttarakhand still come out of dharmshalas and low-cost hotels run by locals.

In nutshell, it is concluded that though tourism especially pilgrimage is the major source of revenue and employment in the state economy but there is a need to regulate the haphazard pattern of growth which create imbalances and put negative impact on environment resulting

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International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org heavy loss of life as well as property due to sudden clouds buster, heavy rain, floods etc. as occurred in June 2013.

References

"Uttarakhand Tourism Business fails to recover even 12 months after Tragedy". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 17 June 2014. Harshwanti Bisht (1994). Tourism in . Panch Kedar (Indus Publishing). pp. 84–86. Retrieved 2009-07-05. "Chard Dham Yatra". Government of Uttarakhand, Official website. Retrieved 2009-07-14. J. C. Aggarwal; Shanti Swarup Gupta (1995). Uttarakhand: past, present, and future. (Concept Publishing Company). p. 222. Kapoor. A. K.; Satwanti Kapoor. Ecology and man in the Himalayas. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. p. 250. Rawat, Ajay.S. Garhwal Himalaya. River Systems (Indus Publishing\year= 2002). pp. 12–13. Retrieved 2009-08-03. "Prayags". Garhwal Manadal Vikas Nigam: A Government of Uttarakand Enterprise. Retrieved 2009-08-03. Kishore, Dr. B.R.; Dr Shiv Sharma (1905). India - A Travel Guide. The Panch Prayag of Uttaranchal (Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd.). pp. 259–260. Bansal, Sunita Pant (2008). Hindu Pilgrimage. Badrinath (Panch Prayag) (Pustak Mahal). pp. 34–35. Retrieved 2009-08-10. Nigam, Devesh (2002). Tourism, environment, and development of Garhwal Himalaya. Prayag (Mittal Publications). pp. 123–124. Foster, Theodore (2007-11-28). The London quarterly review. (Theodore Foster). p. 409. Retrieved 2009-08-09. "Rishikesh Travel Information and Travel Guide - India". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2012-10- 25. "Rishikesh UTDB - India". Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board. Retrieved 2012-10-29. "Haridwar Travel Information and Travel Guide - India". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2012-10- 25. "Mussoorie UTDB - India". Haridwar - Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board. Retrieved 2012-10-29. "State Domestic Product and other aggregates, 2004-05 series". Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. 27 February 2015. Archived from the original on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015. http://uttarakhandtourism.gov.in http://www.business-standard.com http://www.indiainfoline.com

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