Urban tourism is placing severe ecological and social pressures on India’s most fragile destinations — from the Himalayas to coastal zones. In this context examine the concept of sustainable tourism and evaluate India’s policy framework with the National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism 2022.

Himalayan hill stations like Shimla and Manali suffering water shortages, Joshimath's subsidence, and increasing plastic pollution in Goa beaches has confirmed that sustainable tourism has become imperative.

Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism refers to tourism that meets the needs of present tourists and host communities while safeguarding natural, cultural and economic resources for future generations.

India's Policy Framework — NSST 2022

The National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism (April 2022) mainstreams sustainability through following strategic pillars: 1. promoting environmental sustainability, 2. protecting biodiversity, 3. economic sustainability, 4. socio-cultural sustainability, 5. a certification scheme (Sustainable Tourism Criteria of India), 6. capacity building, and governance.

Further, it complements the initiatives like the Travel for LiFE campaign (under Mission LiFE), Swadesh Darshan 2.0, the National Strategy for Ecotourism, and the G20 Goa Roadmap.

However, still the challenges remain:

• Weak carrying-capacity assessment: Most tourist destinations lack scientific visitor limits, resulting in overcrowding in Shimla, Kedarnath and Goa.
• Fragmented governance: Poor coordination among tourism, forest, urban development and local bodies weakens destination management.
• Limited community participation: Local communities often remain beneficiaries rather than stakeholders in tourism planning.
• Weak regulatory enforcement: Environmental Impact Assessments, waste management norms and construction regulations are inadequately enforced in ecologically sensitive areas.

Hill states and coastal areas are ecologicaly and geologically fragile areas and hence enforceable carrying-capacity limits, community-led governance, and strict regulations are required.