INCREDIBLE INDIA ESSAY COMPETITION

NAME: Poorvaa N. Wagh

COLLEGE: Ramnarain Ruia College
COURSE: SY. B. Vocational Tourism and Travel Management
CONTACT NUMBER: 9767120549
E-MAIL ID: waghpoorvaa09@gmail.com

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

Tourism, as we all know, involves promotion and development of a destination.

Today, the concept of tourism is no more limited to a holiday or leisure. It has
spread out to become a holiday involving a purpose. There are innumerous types
of tourism and some of them are well-known, whilst some are becoming trends
gradually as they seep into the world.

We all have heard about adventure tourism, cultural tourism,

ecotourism, wildlife tourism, medical tourism, bicycle tourism, gastro-tourism.
But what about concepts like responsible tourism and sustainable tourism? Have
they really reached all of us? Have we practiced these concepts of tourism? I think
not! What exactly is sustainable tourism?

Sustainable tourism is that concept in which a tourist visits a place, and

while doing so, he aims to make a positive impact on the environment, society as
well as the economy in that destination. Without travel, there cant be
sustainable tourism. But as yet, sustainable tourism has not really made that big,
an impact in the tourist world. But it is estimated that this concept will become a
leading trend as it involves securing and safeguarding our ecosystems. The locals
as well as tourists have a big hand in contributing to sustainable tourism. It is a
concept that can accelerate tourism movement because it has an affirmative
purpose. This concept of tourism focuses on the relationship between
environmental conservation and tourism development in a particular destination.
A major concern in the field of sustainable tourism is loss or degradation of
biodiversity and natural resources. The ecosystems including the beaches, coral
reefs, mountains, forests, marine life, coasts, etc. all seem to be in danger
because of the other growing negative impacts of tourism. Thus, sustainable
tourism can eventually better the condition and conservation of the natural
environment. Sustainable tourism and responsible tourism go hand in hand.

Sustainable tourism can always benefit the destination in all aspects. It

can prove beneficial as it aims to save and secure the integrity of environment, to
get an idea of the natural, cultural and ethnographic peculiarities of the territory.
Tourists do participate in sustainable tourism nowadays and this is one of the best
ways to show that we care about the rich destinations that we create this
wonderful world of ours!

So, where do we see sustainable tourism in India? In September 2016,

an initiative called Green Destinations decided to name the worlds top green
destinations. And it included the Khangchendzonga National Park (Sikkim) and the
Parambikulam Tiger reserve (Kerala) . But surprisingly, many of our famous tourist
destinations are entirely missing from the list! Given how rich India is in its
biodiversity and cultural heritage, it just shows that India has a long way to go
before its tourist destinations can be considered green. These two sites are said
to be leading in sustainable tourism because they work actively on nature and
landscape protection, which is also asked from the visitors. The above two
examples might only show conservation of environment but sustainable tourism
is not really limited to conservation of ecosystems and is a wide concept

Sustainable tourism can involve activities that are carefully planned

and managed in order to maximize its contribution to socio-economic growth,
trade in services, job creation, empowerment of women and local communities,
poverty reduction, etc. Another example where sustainable tourism is practiced
is werfenweng which is a model community for gentle mobility in Austria.
Tourism is a concept that will never die. People are motivated because of
different reasons to choose a holiday destination and this will always feature very
highly. By minimizing the negative impact on the destination, we can all help
protect the place for the upcoming generations as a cultural treasure of the
world. This concept promises to reach people of all corners of the world to make
them more responsible towards travel. I dont think there is any negative impact
of sustainable tourism as each activity involved in it aims to better the destination
and its people in the best possible way.

Thanks to sustainable tourism, the heritage of the world has a

brighter and shinier future. It has already influenced tons of people and is
continuing to make its way to becoming the biggest trend in tourism. This is
helping to reduce all risks regarding extinction or other dangers. Sustainable
tourism, eco-tourism and responsible tourism go hand in hand with each other
and all have a common objective. Each of them works toward making the
destination a better place to visit. Thus, all of us should participate in sustainable
tourism and help to spread this wonderful cause which is going to help preserve
our heritage treasure for the future!