CHAPTER EIGHT CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 8.1. Hypotheses One, Two and Three 8.1.1. Hypothesis One: Negative Impact 8.1.2. Negative Physical Impact: 7 statements 8.2. Hypothesis One : Positive Impact 8.2.1. Positive Physical Impact: 4 statements 8.2.a Hypothesis One Validated 8.3. Hypothesis Two : Negative Impact 8.3.1. Negative Social Impact: 9 statements 8.4. Hypothesis Two - Positive Impact 8.4.1. Positive social impact: 9 statements 8.4.a. Hypothesis Two Validated 8.5. Hypothesis Three : Negative Impact 8.5.1. Negative Economic Impact: 3 statements 8.6 Hypothesis Tliree ; Positive Impact 8.6.1. Positive Economic Impact: 10 statements 8.6.a Hypothesis Three : Validated 8.7. Recommendations 8.8. Suggestions 8.9. The Impact of Tourism on Social, Physical and Economic life 8.10. Epilogue 391 CHAPTER EIGHT CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The characteristic features of the thirty-five foreign tourists and seventy domestic tourists have been presented and in both the categories, the satisfaction index is positively indicated. The tourists of both the categories have expressed satisfaction about the climate in Lonavla, the beauty of the tourist destinations and the facilities in health resorts. The road conditions, the interrupted electric supply, the inadequate water supply and the lack of certain infrastructural facilities are the factors that have the negative impact on the tourism improvement in Lonavia. The economy of Lonavia is presented through the responses of the various types of businessmen in Lonavia. Similarly, the two major industries of Lonavia which are the Hotel industry and the chikki industry have responded to the questionnaires related to the tourism in Lonavia. Most of the businessmen have shown how the hawkers and the shopkeepers of this hill-station have contributed to the development of tourism in Lonavia. The growth of industries in Lonavia is noticed in the profiles of the two industries related to the accommodation and food and beverages sectors in the economy of the tourist spot like Lonavia. The residents of Lonavia have been questioned on different aspects of the life in Lonavia. The responses of the sixty residents of Lonavia are significant as their opinions on the forty-two statements on the aspects of life in Lonavia in respect of the physical, social md economic fronts. The sixty residents that present the cross-section of the social set-up in the hill-station have indicated their agreement or disagreement with the statements made. These responses can very well be used to validate the three hypotheses posited in the present study. 8.1, Hypotheses One, Two and three: The three hypotheses haven been posited in Chapter One in section 1.7 and these indicate the impact on the physical, social and economic life of Lonavia of the tourism development in recent years- in particular from 1995 to 2005 specifically, For the sake of convenience the hypotheses are reproduced below: 392 Hypothesis One: ^*The tourism industry in Lonavla has made an impact on the physical aspects of the town on people engaged in tourism sector, Hypothesis Two: ^‘‘The tourism in Lonavla has made an impact on the social life in Lonavla. ” Hypothesis 'I’hree: ^‘The tourism has made an impact on the economic development in Lonavla. 8,1.1) Hypothesis One ; Negative Impact; The sixty residents of Lonavla that include ladies, policemen, teachers, students, retired persons and others have candidly expressed their responses to the fort>'-two statements made in the ‘B’ ‘C’ ‘D’ components of the Questionnaire. The ‘B’ component consists of eleven statements about the physical impact of tourism on life in Lonavla. There are seven statements which have pointed out the fact that the tourism development has negative impact on many aspects of life in Lonavla. The first statement is in the interrogative format: Do you think that Lonavla is overcrowded and congested? The responses are recorded on a seven-point scale of disagreement and agreement. Here, the agreement scale is indicated by three points which are numbered five, six and seven, The agreement with the statement is indicated by point number 5 and moderately in agreement by point six and strongly in agreement by seventh point. The neutrality is indicated by number four. The first three points indicate strongly in disagreement by number two and disagreement by number three. The first statement is not accepted by just thirteen residents of Lonavla. One resident each is the respondent who disagrees with the statement strongly and moderately. In addition to these two respondents, there are eleven respondents who disagree with the statement. One respondent is undecided about the response whether in agreement or disagreement. In all there are fourteen respondents who do not agree with the statement. The remaining forty-six respondents (36 in agreement, 05 moderately in agreement and 05, strong in agreement) have agreed with the statement. They accept the fact that the hill-station Lonavla has become overcrowded and congested. After 1980, the crowds have started arriving in large flocks and groups during the rainy season. The population of Lonavla which is of fifty 393 thousand persons is increased three to four times bringing it to the level of 1,50,000 to 2,00,000 individuals. The streets of Lonavla are narrow and therefore overcrowding, traffic jams and congestions are experienced particularly on the weekends. The responses are thirteen in disagreement, one neutral and forty-six are in agreement. More than 75% of the respondents have accepted the fact that Lonavla has become overcrowded and congested with the aiTival of tourists during all the seasons such as leisure and pleasure tourism in summer, the enjoyment of rainy showers during monsoon and salubrious climate in winter. The tourist destinations get congested on account of the onset of a large number of tourists and overcrowding is experienced in particular at places like the Bhushi dam. 8.1.2) The second statement brings out the fact that “There is increase in noise and air pollution in Lonavla”. Those who disagree with the statement regarding increase in the pollution in Lonavla are six respondents of which one respondent strongly disagrees and one more respondent moderately disagrees and four respondents disagree with the statement. In all ten percent respondents do not agree that there is increase in noise pollution and air pollution in Lonavla. Six or ten percent of residents in Lonavla have responded to the statement by expressing their neutrality and have indicated their inability in favour of or against the statement. The remaining fort)^-eight percent of respondents or 80% of the respondent residents of Lonavla do not agree with the point made in connection with the physical condition in Lonavla. They agree with the statement that noise and air pollution has increased in Lonavla. The overcrowding of tourists during the summer and the rainy season has caused a lot of pollution. More and more crowds are flocking to Lonavla and bring with them all types of heavy vehicles that increase air pollution due to the carbon effusions in the cool atmosphere of Lonavla. The negative indications are just 10%, the neutral position is adopted by 10% but the truth of pollution that has made a negative impact on the physical conditions in Lonavla is accepted by 80% of the respondents who are the residents of Lonavla. 8.1.3) The third statement which brings out the negative impact on the physical conditions in Lonavla is the fifth statement in the ‘B’ component of the questionnaire. 394 The fifth statement is “increase in tourism affects in proper public utilities services”. There is more stress and strain on the public utilities services when the tourists come in large numbers to Lonavla in summer as well as the rainy season. There is limit to the public utilities services in the sectors like the accommodation, transport, food and beverages and others and the influx of tourist on certain'occasions makes it impossible to cater to the needs of the tourists. No services can be adequate to meet the demands of the situations at such times as the hill-station which has a population of fifty thousand is required to look after the convenience of two hundred to two hundred fifty thousand tourists on certain days of the year in particular during the months of monsoon. The disagreement to this statement is indicated by fourteen respondents of which one respondent is in strong disagreement and two in moderate disagreement and eleven respondents have expressed disagreement. The neutral stand is taken by one respondent. The remaining forty five respondents-75%- have agreed with the statement, of these fort}' -five, twenty-eight respondents agreed, five respondents moderately agree and twelve respondent residents of Lonavla have strongly agreed with the statement. The public utilities services are found to be improper and inadequate to cope with the large number of tourists to Lonavla. 8.L4) The fourth statement about the negative impact on the physical conditions, in Lonavla is the sixth statement of the ‘B’ component of the questiomiaire. It is in the format of a question: “Do you think the road conditions are becoming bad to worst?” Those who disagree with the statement are just four respondents of which only one respondent is in strong disagreement and the remaining three respondents have disagreed. The neutral tone is expressed by a single respondent. The remaining respondents have agreed with the statement. Those who strongly agree are twenty- six while seven respondents moderately agree with the statement. There are twenty-four respondents who agree with the statement. The fact that more than 90% of the respondents residents have stated that the road conditions are getting worst indicates the alarming state of conditions related to one of the basic infrastructural facilities needed for the development of tourism at a hill-station like Lonavla.