Fighting Overtourism in India: E-Passes in Nilgiris, Kodaikanal

01.05.2024 - 11:33 / skift.com / Thomas Cook / Bulbul Dhawan

The Madras High Court has made it mandatory for all motor vehicles seeking to enter the Nilgiris and Kodaikanal between May 7 and June 30 to obtain electronic passes. The aim is to collect data on the number of tourists visiting and the number and types of vehicles that are entering these hill stations.

Heavy traffic in the hills: The court’s order came as the Tamil Nadu government filed a status report that said 20,000 vehicles enter these hill stations every day. This posed concerns for the elephants in the region as well as the drought prevailing in the Nilgiris, though the court clarified that there won’t be a cap on the number of e-passes issued. 

Last month, the government of Tamil Nadu had agreed to fix the carrying capacity for roads leading to these eco-sensitive hill stations after a scientific assessment. The court has now asked the district administrations to collect as much information as possible regarding the tourists visiting these areas while issuing the e-passes to help the assessment.

Overtourism in India: Hill stations in India have been facing overcrowding during peak summers as tourists in large numbers flock to these destinations.

In 2023, destinations such as Nainital, Kasauli, Shimla, and Manali faced an influx of tourists, causing local authorities to place entry restrictions. The government of India also supported the idea of determining carrying capacity of hill stations and eco-sensitive locations in the Himalayan states to curb overtourism.

Apart from measures like fixing carrying capacity at sensitive locations, the government is working to develop destinations and improve infrastructure to tackle possible overcrowding. These include building and revamping destinations like Ujjain and Varanasi. India is also trying to popularize alternative underpenetrated tourist destinations like Lakshadweep. Moreover, states like Goa and Kerala are also focusing on sustainable and regenerative strategies that can tackle ill-effects of overtourism.

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