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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
INTRODUCTIONEco-tourism is about conserving resources, valuing the local culture and contributing
to the local economy. It focuses on local traditions, wilderness conservation,
volunteering, personal growth and discovering constructive ways to experience our
fragile planet. Recycling, energy efficiency and the creation of economic
opportunities for local communities are integral elements of eco-tourism. Its purpose
is to make the development of tourism ecologically supportable and sustainable Eco-
tourism however involves more than providing suitable vacations for the "tree-
hugging" traveller. Its objective is to preserve the diversity of the world's natural and
cultural resources. The International Eco-tourism Society defines eco-tourism as
"responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the
welfare of local people." It accommodates travellers in a way that limits their impact
on the environment and cultural heritage while supporting the growth of local
economies. Eco-tourism strives to maximize the economic, environmental and social
benefits of tourism. According to the World Tourism Organization, eco-tourism is
considered to be the fastest growing market in the tourism industry.
In India, eco-tourism is still at a nascent stage but the potential is vast. India is a land
of diverse geography and culture. Its topography boasts a varied range of flora and
fauna. It is home to numerous rare and endangered species. There are currently about
80 national parks and 441 sanctuaries in India. Numerous botanical and zoological
gardens are working towards the enhancement of the ecosystem. Poaching has been
curbed to a large extent. There are severe punishments for poachers, hunters and
illegal traders of flora and fauna. Several organisations work for the protection of the
natural and cultural resources. Thenmala in Kerala was the first planned eco-tourism
destination in India. There are also determined efforts to save the vulnerable
Himalayan ecosystem as well as the heritage of its indigenous people. Resorts tucked
deep within the jungles of Karnataka, the house-boats of Kerala and the varied
wildlife of Assam all combine to make India one of the most diverse eco-tourism
destinations on the planet.
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Regardless of your nationality, everyone is a stakeholder in this pursuit. Travelling
could mean a long-haul flight to the opposite end of the world or hitchhiking across
your state. As a traveller, you will undoubtedly have an impact on the people and
environment of your destination. Here are some suggestions to make this impact more
positive!
Learn about your destination. Read guidebooks, travel articles, novels by
local authors and pay particular attention to customs such as greetings,
appropriate dress and eating behaviours. Being sensitive to these customs will
increase local acceptance of you as a tourist and enrich your journey.
Follow established guidelines. Ask your tour operator, guide or the local
authorities what their guidelines are for limiting tourism's impact on the
environment and local culture.
To minimize your impact in sensitive areas, stay on marked trails, properly
dispose off waste material and remain set distances away from wildlife.
Support locally-owned businesses. This ensures maximum benefit for the
local community from your spending.
Carry back all non-degradable waste such as empty bottles, tins and plastic
bags. These must not litter the environment or be buried. These must be
disposed of in municipal dustbins only.
Observe the sanctity of holy sites, temples and local cultures. Respect local
traditions.
Reduce noise pollution. Do not blare aloud radios, tape recorders or other
audio equipment in nature resorts, sanctuaries and wildlife parks.
Respect people's privacy while taking photographs. Ask for prior permission
before taking a photograph.
Do not remove flora and fauna in the forms of cuttings, seeds or roots. There
are laws prohibiting this practice. Most ecosystems are extremely delicate and
the protection of bio-diversity is imperative.
Polythene and plastics are non-biodegradable and unhealthy for the
environment. They must not be used.
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No littering. No exceptions.
Do not use pollutants, such as detergent, in streams and springs while
washing.
Do not use wood as fuel to for cooking at campsites.
Do not leave cigarettes butts or make open fires in the Forests.
Do not tempt the locals, especially children by offering them foodstuff or
sweets
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Chapter 2
Research methodology
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Research methodology
The following Flow-chart or schematic representation shows the methodology of
study:
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OBJECTIVES OF STUDY
ARTICLES PUBLICATIONS
SOURCES
RELATED LITERATURE
OUTPUT
CONCLUSION
ANALYSIS
EXAMPLES
METHOD OF STUDY
STUDY TOPIC
INPUT
ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
2.1 Objectives of the Study To study the concept of travel and tourism and India as a Tourist destination.
To study the concept of ecotourism and development of ecotourism in India.
To study ecotourism projects implemented in India.
To study the concept of eco hotels with an example of Orchid- An eco-hotel.
2.2 Methodology The information collected was mainly through secondary data, namely from
reference books, research journals newspapers articles and other articles.
The project is purely based on the secondary information obtained from various
sources.
2.3 Limitations of the Study
The present project focuses on Eco Tourism. However many states of India have
adopted eco tourism, but it was difficult to present information of all the states. Hence
few popular eco projects implemented by few states have been discussed.
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Chapter 3TRAVEL AND TOURISM
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3.1 History It is difficult for us to have a command on the cyclic movement of fashion, needs and
requirements and the lifestyles. The process of change is, of course, influenced by the
law of nature which forces us to welcome change. If we delay, the seeds of
dissatisfaction and monotony, get a conducive nexus for their germination and
development. Hence to control or regulate the process, we allow a change which
influences our decision making behaviour and forces us to welcome a change of
place. It was against this bankground that the tarvelling was transformed into business
and of late is an industry. The process of transformation has witnessed a number of
ups and downs in almost all areas. Right from the very beginning of culture and
civilization, we find process of change continuing, of course as a pilgrimage. There is
no dought in it that the Roman Empire injected life, strenght and continuity to
travelling and therefore, the credibility for development of tourism industry
ultimately goes to them.
During the rule of Alexander the Great, 700,000 tourists visited what is now a part of
Turkey. This was considerably helped by the well built and organized roads, whilst
on the journey groups had the ability to change a team of horses, stay at rest houses,
and refreshments were available along the trip. During this time, the roads were
crowded. Alexander the Great traveled to India and found the road systems and
facilities well arranged. It was during the same period that pleasure travel begun
taking place in China and Japan. The Chinese emperor, Wu Di traveled plenty in the
2nd century. His adventures were well described in his writing.
During the reign of Elizabeth the 1st tourism reached a high. Coach travel had
become popular because of its style. Young gentlemen who came from wealthy
backgrounds undertook the Grand Tour in this era. They would travel to parts of
Great Britain, France, and Italy, it was considered crucial for the education of the
young men. The tour was used improperly on many occasions, the youngsters would
go on major shopping sprees and a lot of the time they would meet local ladies and
generally behave badly. During the 18th Century, the Industrial revolution changed
tourism considerably. A great deal of the rural folk joined the urban society, which
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allowed them more time and money to spend on travel. Thomas Cook was the first
person around the world to begin chartered travel and open travel agents. His first
chartered trip was a rail trip in which he offered two brass bands, a gala, tea and buns,
and speeches for the guests. Thomas cook was of the view that beauty is for the
people. The opinion of Mr. Cook generated new dimensions in the tourism business
which paved copious avenues for the development of tourism as an industry.
The developed, less developed and even the developing countries have assigned due
weightage to the tourism industry in their national development agenda. With
tremendous socio-economic potentials, the tourism industry is considered to be an
economic bonanza which paves avenues for the development of allied industries, such
as hotels, communication banking, and transportation and so on. In addition tourism
is a potential source for making possible world peace through mutual appreciation
and international understanding.
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3.2 ConceptTourism is the act of travel for the purpose of recreation and business, and the
provision of services for this act. Tourists are people who are "travelling to and
staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive
year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity
remunerated from within the place visited". The distance between these two places is
of no significance.
A more comprehensive definition would be that tourism is a service industry,
comprising a number of tangible and intangible components. The tangible elements
include transport systems — air, rail, road, water and now, space; hospitality services
— accommodation, foods and beverages, tours, souvenirs; and related services such
as banking, insurance and safety and security. The intangible elements include: rest
and relaxation, culture, escape, adventure, new and different experiences.
3.3Definitons
One of the earliest definitions of tourism was given by the Austrian economist
Hermann Von schullard in 1910. He defined it as, “sum total of operators, mainly of
an economic nature, which directly relate to the entry, stay and movement of
foreigners inside and outside a certain country, city or a region.”
Hunziker and Krapf, in 1943, defined Tourism as, “Tourism is the totality of the
relationship and phenomenon arising from the travel and stay of strangers, provided
that the stay does not imply the establishment of a permanent residence and is not
connected with a remunerative activities.”
In 1981 International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism defined Tourism in
terms of particular activities selected by choice and undertaken outside the home
environment.
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3.4 TYPES
Tourism may be classified into the following types:
1. Domestic tourism :- This takes place when the residents/citizen of one country
travels only withen the country. Thus the Ramanathan family from Madurai making
an itinerary that includes the Golden Triangle of delhi, jaipur and agra would de
considered as domestic tourism. For India, domestic tourists are the largest- over 100
million and growing fast- and cannot be ignored in any tourism strategy.Major hotel
chains like the Taj group, the Oberois, Day,s Inn, the Mahindras with their gateway
hotels- all have started catering to this vast market.
2. Inbound tourism:- Yhis involves the travel of a non-resident- be she a foreigner or
a national resident in the given country – in that country, after arrival from another
country. Thus a group of Germans coming in on a charter flight of UVI Holidays and
having a 23-day itinerary in India would be inbound tourism.this is growing and at
the best of times has reach a figure of 2.5 million for India.
3. Outbound tourism:- this takes place when residents of a country travels to another
country or countries. Thus when Chatterjees of Kolkata take up package tour offer of
SOTC for a 15-days sojourn to the far east and Australia , they would be classified as
outbound tourists.
The outbound and Inbound Tour operators have handling agents in the destinations
countries; i.e. tie-ups, counterparts etc.
The three basic forms can be combined in various ways to derive the following
categories of tourism,viz.:
Internal Tourism:- This comprises Domestic Tourism and Inbound Tourism.
National Tourism:- this comprises Domestic Tourism and Outbound Tourism.
International Tourism:- This consists of Inbound Tourism and Outbound Tourism.
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3.5 Special Forms of Tourism
For the past few decades other forms of tourism, also known as niche tourism, have
been becoming more popular, particularly:
Adventure tourism : tourism involving travel in rugged regions, or adventurous
sports such as mountaineering and hiking .
Agritourism : farm based tourism, helping to support the local agricultural
economy.
Ancestry tourism : is the travel with the aim of tracing one's ancestry, visiting the
birth places of these ancestors and sometimes getting to know distant family.
Armchair tourism and virtual tourism : not travelling physically, but exploring the
world through internet, books, TV, etc.
Audio tourism : includes audio walking tours and other audio guided forms of
tourism including museum audio guides and audio travel books.
Bookstore Tourism is a grassroots effort to support independent bookstores by
promoting them as a travel destination.
Cultural tourism : includes urban tourism, visiting historical or interesting cities,
such as Berlin, Kathmandu, Lahore, Lima, Buenos Aires, London, Paris, Delhi,
Rome, Prague, Dubrovnik, Beijing, Istanbul, Kyoto, Warsaw, and experiencing
their cultural heritages. This type of tourism may also include specialized
cultural experiences, such as art museum tourism where the tourist visits many
art museums during the tour, or opera tourism where the tourist sees many operas
or concerts during the tour.
Dark tourism : is the travel to sites associated with death and suffering. The first
tourist agency to specialise in this kind of tourism started with trips to Lakehurst,
New Jersey, the scene of the Hindenburg airship disaster.
Disaster tourism : travelling to a disaster scene not primarily for helping, but
because it is interesting to see. It can be a problem if it hinders rescue, relief and
repair work.
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Drug tourism : travel to a country to obtain or consume drugs, either legally or
illegally.
Ecotourism : sustainable tourism which has minimal impact on the environment,
such as safaris (Kenya), Rainforests (Belize) and hiking (Lapland), or national
parks.
Educational tourism : may involve travelling to an education institution, a
wooded retreat or some other destination in order to take personal-interest
classes, such as cooking classes with a famous chef or crafts classes.
Extreme tourism : is associated with high risk
Gambling tourism , e.g. to Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, California,
[1], Macau or Monte Carlo for the purpose of gambling at the casinos there.
Garden tourism visiting botanical gardens famous places in the history of
gardening, such as Versailles and the Taj Mahal.
Heritage tourism : visiting historical (Rome, Athens, Cracow) or industrial sites,
such as old canals, railways, battlegrounds, etc.
Health tourism : usually to escape from cities or relieve stress, perhaps for some
'fun in the sun', etc. Often to "health spas".
Hobby tourism : tourism alone or with groups to participate in hobby interests, to
meet others with similar interests, or to experience something pertinent to the
hobby. Examples might be garden tours, amateur radio DX-peditions, or square
dance cruises.
Inclusive tourism : tourism marketed to those with functional limits or
disabilities. Referred to as "Tourism for All" in some regions. Destinations often
employ Universal Design and Universal Destination Development principles.
Medical tourism , e.g.: for what is illegal in one's own country, e.g. abortion,
euthanasia; for instance, euthanasia for non-citizens is provided by Dignitas in
Switzerland,for advanced care that is not available in one's own country,in the
case that there are long waiting lists in one's own country , for use of free or
cheap health care organisations
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Pop-culture tourism : tourism by those that visit a particular location after reading
about it or seeing it in a film.
Perpetual tourism : wealthy individuals always on vacation; some of them, for tax
purposes, to avoid being resident in any country.
Pilgrimage Tourism : pilgrimages to ancient holy places (Rome and Santiago de
Compostela for Catholics, Temples and stupas of Nepal for the Hindus and
Buddhist, Mount Athos or Painted churches of northern Moldavia for the
Orthodox), religious sites such as mosques, shrines, etc.
Solo Travel : travelling alone
Sport travel : skiing, golf and scuba diving are popular ways to spend a vacation.
Also in this category is vacationing at the winter home of the tourist's favorite
baseball team, and seeing them play everyday.
Space tourism : Vacilando is a special kind of wanderer for whom the process of
travelling is more important than the destination.
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Chapter 4A PERFECT TOURIST DESTINATION-INDIA
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4. India – A Perfect Tourist Destination
India:-
The land to travel to, a haven of tourism delights, a civilization to tour through.
Tourists come to India for its wealth of sights, cultural exuberance, diversity of
terrain and in search of that special something, an extra punch that only India
promises and delivers. Teeming with over a billion people who voice over a million
concerns in fifteen hundred different languages, India is where people live with
variety, thrive on diversity and are too familiar with largeness to let it boggle them.
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Culture:-Few countries of the world have such an ancient and diverse culture as India’s.
Stretching back in an unbroken sweep over 5000 years, India’s culture has been
enriched by successive waves of migration, which were absorbed into the Indian way
of life. It is this variety that is the hallmark of India. Its physical, religious and racial
variety is as immense as its linguistic diversity. Underneath this diversity lies the
continuity of Indian civilization and social structure from the very earliest times until
the present day. Modern India represents a picture of unity in diversity to which
history provides no parallel.
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Religion:-India probably has the most religious diversity in any country. It’s the birthplace of
Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. It’s among the few places to have a
resident Zoroastrian population. The Syrian Christian Church is well established in
Kerala; the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa, old churches in Calcutta and Delhi,
synagogues in Kerala, temples from the tiny to the tremendous, ‘stupas’, ‘gompas’
and the Bodhi tree, the Ajmer Sharif and Kaliya Sharif in Bombay, all reflect the
amazing multiplicity of religious practice in India. Tribal people in the northeast,
Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat practice forms of nature worship.
Secularism is enshrined in the Constitution.
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Language:-The national language of India is Hindi, which in one form or another is spoken all
over the north. In the Deccan (south India), the languages are completely different.
The states were formed on the basis of language so each has its own. On the whole
though, dialects, accents, idioms and linguistic flourishes change every few miles.
There are 18 official languages but over a thousand recognized dialects. English is
widely spoken.
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Clothing:-To the foreign traveler, one of the most powerful attractions in India is the colorful
and diversified attire of the people. The silk saris, brightly colored mirrored cholis,
colorful lehangas and the traditional salwar-kameez have fascinated many a traveler
over the centuries.
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Festivals:-The Indian calendar is one long procession of festivals. These are as varied in origin
as they large in number. There are innumerable national, regional, local, religious,
seasonal and social festivities. This is not surprising considering the fact that India is
the land of gods, goddesses, saints, gurus, and prophets. Colour, gaiety, enthusiasm,
feasts, and a variety of prayers and rituals characterize festivals here. The scale and
multiplicity of the festivities that populate the cultural scene of this land strike
travelers as singular.Some of the popular festivals are baisakhi, Buddha purnima,
Christmas, deepawali, holi, Ram Navami etc.
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Pilgrimage :-
The Multi hued country, India is probably the ultimate destination of all kinds of
pilgrims following any faith around the world. The great religion like Hinduism,
Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Christianity and Sikhism are the integral part of Indian
culture and heritage whose values and faiths are mingled with the air, soil and the sky
of India. A pilgrimage tour in the divine land of India will surely bring all the faces of
Indian devotions and you will be moved by seeing the unconditional faiths and beliefs
of the Indians for God, who may have any name or identity. Your spirituality and
devotion is sure to attain a new height after a pilgrimage tour in India and who
knows, you may return home with an enlightenment which you have searched for all
your life.
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Food:-From DC to Dakota, Warwick to what-have-you, Indian spices are letting off steam
everywhere in the whole wide world. And you come to India and realize......hey,
there’s nothing authentic about it! Every kitchen, every man, woman, cook, chef does
it different.
A meal in the north would typically constitute chapattis or rice with dal (lentil curry)
and a dish of vegetables or meat. Pappads (wafers fried or toasted to a crisp), yoghurt
and pickle are usual accompaniments.
Idli, dosa, vada, sambar, uppama! In the south, too, a meal centers on a base of rice,
or as in the South –Indian case, semolina preparation. Eaten alongside is the South-
Indian dal - "sambhar", sour, hot, souped -up with vegetables. Savory snacks like
pakoras pep the evening cuppa. Anything coated in batter (of chickpea, flour et al)
and deep-fried will pass for pakora. Also, readily available on the roadside are snacks
like bhel puri and paapri chaat. Vegetarians will feel like they’ve come home,
especially in the south. But no matter where you are, in a plush restaurant or a
roadside ‘dhaba’, in Kunnur or Kullu, you can be sure of sumptuous vegetarian
meals. All along the coast and extensively in the northeast fish is consumed almost as
a staple. Both fresh water and sea fish are popular. Indians love their sweets. There is
great regional variety and among the most popular types is the Bengali "mishti".
There’s also a huge variety in drinks. Besides ‘chai’ (tea) and coffee, sweetened/salty
churned yoghurt called lassi, the ubiquitous ‘neemboo-pani’ or lemon-water, fruit
juice in tetra packs and aerated drinks are readily available in India. IMFL expands
into Indian made Foreign Liquor and spans the entire range from beer to whiskey.
Some examples of local brews are ‘chaang’ in Arunachal, toddy in the South and
Goa’s famous ‘feni’.
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Art:-The earliest specimens of Indian painting are the ones on the walls of the Ajanta
Caves dating back to 2nd century BC. The typical ‘figures in profile’ art of India came
to be when the Jain manuscripts were being illustrated. The Mughals had a huge
impact on Indian art. The miniature, which had been only on palm leaves in the
northeast, came into prominence. The influence of Persian art brought placid garden
scenes, illustrations from myths, legends and history into Indian art. Later schools
include the Bengal School of Tagore and the Company School of European influence.
More recently the opulent paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, the paintings of M.F.
Hussain, Jamini Roy and Ganesh Pyne among others rule the art scene.
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Dance:-The legacy of dance in India is tremendous. On temple walls, on an urban stage, in
impromptu bursts by a mellow evening fire, men and women twinkle their toes in
expression of joy. The classical dances of India are numerous. Characterized by
stylized movements and elaborate costumes, these dances communicate age-old tales
of love, longing and rage. Kathakali of Kerala, Bharatnatyam of Tamil Nadu,
Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, Manipuri and Odissi from Orissa are the prominent
dance forms in this country that sways to an altogether novel beat. The robust
bhangra of Punjabi men, the graceful whirling of Rajasthani women, the gentle sway
of northeastern dancers, vigorous tribal dances, every corner has developed its own
unique form.
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Monuments:While most written records and entire edifices that testify to India’s contribution to
civilization have been obliterated over time, some of them from the close of last
millennium are an eloquent reminder of the vitality of a civilization that has
continued and endured for at least 5000 years. The meeting of different cultural
traditions can be seen in the innumerable forts, palaces, monuments and tombs that
dot the Indian landscape. Some of the famous monuments are Agra Fort, Charminar,
Taj Mahal, Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Qutub Minar etc
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Chapter 5TOURISM IN INDIA
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5. Tourism in India Over the last 40 years, international arrivals worldwide rose dramatically from 70
million to 710 million. The tourism industry as a whole is currently estimated to earn
over US$ 3.5 trillion worldwide creating a job every 2.4 seconds with every one of
those direct jobs creating another 11 indirect ones. Spending on tourism amounts to
5%-10% of total consumer spending in a year, worldwide.
India was one of the first countries to become a member of the World Tourism
Organization in 1951. The government of India also took note of the new
phenomenon of international tourism and appointed a committee in 1946 under the
chairmanship of Sir John Sargent, Secretary, and Department of Education. In
pursuance of its recommendation, the government set up a small tourist branch under
ministry of transport in 1949 and in 1951 established four field offices in Mumbai,
Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai. In 1955, the Estimates Committee recommended the
starting up of a separate Department of tourism, and this was done in 1957. A
national apex body, the Tourism Development council, was set up in 1958.in 1951,
there were 17,000 tourists who visited India; and in 1980, the number has gone up to
80,150. In 1980, the share of India in international tourism was 0.39 %.the average
length of stay, which determines the volume of tourism and foreign exchanged earned
from it, is 25 days for India, one of the highest in the world. It is estimated that in
1980 tourist spent between Rs. 5,500 and Rs. 6,000 million in foreign exchange in
India. This was 0.79 percent of the estimated total world revenues of US $ 95.3
billion at the 1980 exchange rate.
India’s share of the total market is a pittance at 0.15%. Nevertheless, tourism has the
distinction of being the third largest export industry after gems and jewellery and
readymade garments in India. The significance of tourism in terms of employment
generation is rising too. In 1996-97, direct employment in the sector was estimated at
about 7 to 9.1 million people, accounting for around 2.4% of the total labour force.
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The subcontinent of India lies in south Asia, between Pakistan, china, and Nepal.
To the north it is bordered by the world’s highest mountain chain, where foothill
valleys cover the north most of the countries states. Further south, plateaus, tropical
rain forests and the sandy deserts are lined by palm-fringed beaches. Side by side
with the country’s staggering topographical variation is its cultural diversity, the
result of the coexistence of a number of religions as well as local traditions. Thus, the
towering temples of south India, easily identifiable by their ornately sculptured
surface, are associated with a great many crafts and performing arts of the region.
In the desert of Kutch, Gujarat, on the other hand, a scattering of villages pit
themselves against the awesome forces of nature, resulting in Spartan lifestyles made
vibrant by a profusion of jewellery and ornamental embroidery. Used to adorn
apparel and household linen. In the extreme north is the high- altitude desert of
ladakh. Local culture is visibly shaped by the faith of Buddhism as well as by the
harsh terrain. Yet another facet of Indian culture is observed in the colourful tribal
lifestyles of the North-eastern states of Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, and Manipur
with their folk culture.
In the central Indian states of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, tribal village life has
resulted in a variety of artistically executed handicrafts. India’s mountains provide
lazy sunbathing as well as wind-surfing and snorkeling, and its jungles provide
shooting wildlife with a camera.
In creative arts, India’s sculpture, architecture and painting have had a rich history.
The cave architecture of Ajanta and cave wall painting of Ajanta and Ellora, the
temples of Khajuraho, the Mughal and Rajasthani paintings and the Taj Mahal are but
a few examples of India’s culture heritage. The history of accomplishments in dance,
drama and music is equally formidable and impressive. The classical dances still
thrive in India, especially in their major forms- Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kathak
and Manipuri. Traditional crafts and textiles have been equally famous from times
ancient. They also served to carry forward myths, legends, motifs and other aspects of
a culture peculiar to a region. Some famous examples of the craft and art are the
warp-weft type of dyeing as seen in textiles from Orissa, embroidery from Bengal and
Banarasi silk-brocade from Varanasi.
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Chapter 6ECOTOURISM
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6.1 Ecotourism
6.1 An Introduction In the 1990s, tourism received increasing attention especially in developing countries
as it is has potential for generating income while creating incentives for conservation.
It is argued that tourism allows for the use of areas, which are otherwise of low value,
such as remote beaches, but perfectly meet the demands of the growing travel
industry (WWF, 1995). In India, for instance, there has been a large increase in
international tourism in the last few years. In the year 2002, there has been a 14.6%
increase in international tourist arrivals along with 22.4% growth in foreign exchange
and most of this increase is due to India’s system of national parks and variety of
biodiversity present in these parks. Nature-based tourism a sub-sector of tourism can
be an important channel for redistributing resources from countries who demand
higher nature based vacation to developing countries, which comprise mega-
biodiversity regions and protected parks (Gossling, 1999). This is because an
overwhelming majority of species are located in developing countries. But these
developing countries face more serious problems like rapid population growth, debts,
over-exploitation of wild resources, agricultural expansion, deforestation etc., which
result in the loss of valuable biodiversity and degradation of national parks.
Industrialized countries on the other hand are characterized by high and increasing
demands for nature-based vacations, with protected areas representing first-rate
attractions (WWF, 1995). Tourism could therefore be a means of redistributing
economic resources, mitigating the socio-economic situation both at local and
national scale and contributing to biodiversity conservation.
For nature tourism to be sustainable – a number of environmental, economic and
social requirements have to be fulfilled. This has led to the introduction of
‘ecotourism’, as a nature tourism eco-label. Given the important role played by
nature-based tourism, the year 2002 has been declared as the International Year of
Ecotouris
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6.2. Meaning and Concept
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and ecotourism society define ecotourism as
“responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the
well-being of the local people. “ However for tourism to be called ecotourism, it
should be fully compatible with the conservation goals of the country, while at the
same time pose minimum threat to the continuation of local culture and society.
Moreover, it should contribute by means of income and education to the contribution
of ecosystems (Brown et al. 1997).
Ecotourism means ecological tourism, where ecological has both environmental and
social connotations. It is defined both as a concept-tourism movement and as a
tourism (specifically sustainable tourism) section. Born in its current form in the late
1980's, Ecotourism came of age in 2002, when the United Nations celebrated the
"International Year of Ecotourism". The International Ecotourism Society defines
ecotourism as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and
improves the well-being of local people".
Eco-tourism focuses on local cultures, wilderness adventures, volunteering, personal
growth and learning new ways to live on the planet. It is typically defined as travel to
destinations where the flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions.
Responsible ecotourism includes programs that minimize the adverse effects of
traditional tourism on the natural environment, and enhance the cultural integrity of
local people. Therefore, in addition to evaluating environmental and cultural factors,
initiatives by hospitality providers to promote recycling, energy efficiency, water re-
use, and the creation of economic opportunities for local communities are an integral
part of ecotourism.
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
This industry now recevies rave reviews from environmentally-conscious travellers
who immerse themselves in pristine places and authentic experiences. Unlike
traditioal tourism, ecotourism promotes environmentally responsible travel and seeks
to ensure these visitors ‘take nothing but photographs and leave behind nothing but
footprints.’
An equally important part of the ecotourism equation is ‘sustainable’ tourism that
enables local people to protect their natural and cultural resouces and profit for them
at the same time. The truly ‘green’ traveller also emphasizes the necessity for tours
that stictly limit group size, co-ordinate with native guides, and denote a percentage
of tour profits to community projects or reseach.
The ecotourism umbrella seems to shelter all kinds of outdoor travel-related products-
from beach hotels that happen to be near a rain forest to a national park visit, guided
bird watching, or scientist-led Antatartic cruising. It also encompasses adventures,
such as trekking, andrivir rafting, as well as rigorous trips to culturally exotic or
archaeologically important locations.
The general concept of ecotourism arose when conservationists realized the potential
benefits in combining people’s interest in nature with their concern for the
environment. An early model for ecotourism came from East Africa in the 1970s,
when Kenya began collecting fees from safari-bound tourist heading into its natioal
parks. Those revenues were earmarked to support conservation and aprk maintenance
in its vast wildlife preserves. Another popular destination was the Galapagos Islands,,
perhaps the worlds most renowned natural ‘laboratory’ of flora and funa unique to the
region.
Ecotourism is considered the fastest growing market in the tourism industry,
according to the World Tourism Organization with an annual growth rate of 5%
worldwide and representing 6% of the world gross domestic product, 11.4% of all
consumers spending.
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
Around the globe, eco-tourism is quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of
vacationing. In an era of heightened environmental consciousness and accessibility to
exotic locales, countries are busily promoting their natural resources as lures for
tourists. The trick with ecotourism is to preserve the natural resources while also
promoting them and accommodating volumes of tourists.
Businesses are creating camps and eco-lodges, and natural resource managers are
designing trails and tours. Most of the popular eco-travel destinations have fragile
eco-systems, however, so it is important to maintain a careful balance between
preservation and promotion -- "sustainable development" -- in order to ensure the
long-term health of both the eco-systems and the tourism economies.
Why consider ecotourism:-
Orange or banana peels that we throw out of car window take almost 2 years
to decompose.
Plastic bags and aluminum cans take a whole 100 years to become
biodegradable.
Glass bottles take a million years to biodegrade, and we still don’t know how
long plastic containers take.
Three times as much rubbish is dumped into oceans as the weight of fish
caught.
Discarded fishing nets and bait ties trap and drown birds.
Turtles swallow plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish.
Cigarette butts thrown in forest and parks can cause forest fires; less than 20%
of India’s is under forest cover.
Ideally, true ecotourism should satisfy several criteria, such as:-
Conservation (and justification for conservation) of biological diversity and
cultural diversity, through ecosystems protection.
Promotion of sustainable use of biodiversity, by providing jobs to local
populations.
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
Sharing of socio-economic benefits with local communities and indigenous
people by having their informed consent and participation in the management of
ecotourism enterprises.
Increase of environmental & cultural knowledge.
Minimisation of tourism's own environmental impact.
Affordability and lack of waste in the form of luxury.
Local culture, flora and fauna being the main attractions.
How to travel in eco friendly way:-
1. Do nothing that will harm the social, environmental and ecological wealth of a
place.
2.Be sensitive to and respect the customs of the people you are visiting.
3. do not crowd and Gwak at Tribals, aborigines and isolated communities they are
people with feelings and value privacy as much as we do.
4. Walk, walk and walk-it’s the best way to enjoy nature. Besides nothing can be
more eco friendly.
5. leave every place cleaner than you found it, even if it means picking up rubbish left
by others.
6. While choosing hotels, go for those that support the green hotels-eco-hotels.
7. Buy curios and handicrafts directly from antive people rather than from showrooms
and emporia.
8. Do not buy animal skin, ivory products made from endangered species.
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
Chapter 7ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
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7. Ecotourism in India.
7.1 An Introduction.
To be with nature and enjoy its creations in the most natural way without endangering
it is known as ecotourism. It can take several forms: to be in a beautiful natural forest
or landscape; to enjoy watching animals, Birds and trees or corals and marine life in a
sea; to engage in trekking, boating or rafting; and to wander into sand dunes. These
are some of the common forms of ecotourism. Eco tourism also means opening up
various possible places for human visit and generate employment and business in
process. Though the word ecotourism has gained importance only recently, India has
been experiencing it through the ages.
India is a rich land in terms of both natural beauty as well as cultural heritage, and
this is what eco tourists actually look for in their trip. Hence, those interested in eco
tourism have tremendous scope in India. An eco tourism trip in India will not only
bring tourist face to face with the exemplary creations of nature and man but will also
cultivate an awareness about the importance of all these elements in our lives. It will
also arouse an understanding of the importance of keeping our environment clean and
beautiful.
And all this is not without fun as the eco tourism destinations in India have numerous
ways to make a trip entertaining and memorable. All these places have a very
different terrain and style of living as such a visit to these places definitely makes the
trip enjoyable. Nothing else can be a better option for those who love nature and
environment as dearly as their own entertainment.
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
Geographical diversity of India
India is a country of continental dimensions consisting of four distinct regions,
namely, the great mountain zone, plains of the Ganga and the Indus rivers, the desert
region and the southern peninsula.
Almost two-thirds of the Himalaya is in the mountain zone of India, including large
plateaus and valleys. The plains of the Ganga and the Indus are formed by basins of
three distinct river systems, the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. The desert
region consists of the great desert and the little desert.
The great desert extends from the Rann of Kachchh and runs through the Rajasthan-
Sind frontier. The little desert extends from the Luni River between Jaisalmer and
Jodhpur up to the northern wastes.
The peninsular plateau is flanked on one side by the Eastern Ghats and on the other
by the Western Ghats. Between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea there is a
narrow coastal strip, while between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal lies a
broader coastal area. India is thus endowed with every land form, mountains, plains,
deserts and sea coasts.
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
7.2 Ecotourism resources in India The geographical diversity of India has also given it a wealth of eco-systems
which are being protected and preserved. They have also become the major
resources for ecotourism. One specific element is bio-sphere reserves. These are
multi-purpose areas protected in order to preserve the genetic diversity and
integrity of plants, animals and micro-organisms in representative eco-systems.
There are seven such reserves in India at present: Nilgiri; Nanda Devi; Nokrek;
Great Nicobar; Gulf of Mannar; Manas and Sunderbans.
A second element is mangroves, which are specialized forest eco-systems in
tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world bordering sheltered sea coasts and
estuaries. Major mangrove areas are: Northern Andaman and Nicobar;
Sunderbans; Bhitarkanika and Mahanadi Delta; Coringa, Godavari Delta and
Krishna Estuary; Pichavaram and Point Calimar; Goa; Gulf of Kutch; Coondapur;
Achra/Ratnagiri; and Vembanad.
The third element is coral and coral reefs. There are four coral areas identified in
India so far: Gulf of Mannar; Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Lakshadweep
Islands; and Gulf of Kutch.
The fourth element is the great and little deserts in the North-Western region of
the country. This is a distinct eco-system which has attracted the fascination of
tourists.
The fifth element consists of mountain and forests, including great Himalayas and
other mountain ranges in the country. Along with their forests, rivers and snow,
they have also become great attractions for eco-tourists. The country has an area
of about 752 million hectares designated as forests, and of which about 406
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
million hectares are classified as reserve forests and 215 million hectares as
protected forests.
India's sixth element is the flora and fauna which are very abundant. There are
about 45,000 species of plants, including shrubs. The country also has a great
variety of fauna, numbering a little over 65,000 known species, including 1,228
species of birds, 428 species of reptiles, 372 species of mammals, 204 species of
amphibians and 2,546 species of fishes.
In order to protect and preserve these genetic resources, India has created 75 national
parks and 421 wildlife sanctuaries in different parts of the country. Some have
already become popular with tourists, such as Kaziranga and Manas in Assam; Jim
Corbett Park in Uttar Pradesh; Bharatpur, Ranthambore and Sariska in Rajasthan;
Kanha and Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh; Bandipur in Karnataka; and Simlipal in
Orissa.
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
7.3 Development of ecotourism in India
India has consistently included environmental and ecological safeguards in the
development of ecotourism in order to avoid gross commercialism. Opening
ecological areas for tourism is generally done after careful assessment of carrying
capacity to ensure that nature's bounty is not destroyed. India has also always tried to
ensure that tourism does not impinge on the culture and heritage.
In general, a sound and sensitive environmental approach is adapted to tourism
development planning and is integrated with other activities to ensure the following:
a) Levels of development are to be compatible with the general capacity of the
physical environment and resources.
b) Sufficient facilities and services need to be provided to serve tourists and the local
population.
c) Hotel rooms must be distributed in such a manner that the natural characteristics
and qualities of the area are enhanced.
d) The three dimensional manifestation of tourism development should be designed
carefully and with a sensitivity that merges with the surroundings and enhances the
natural beauty.
e) Architectural heritage sites and other areas of historic value are to be adequately
protected.
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
In the initial years of ecotourism development, greater emphasis was given to the
development of tourism in the Himalayas and the deserts. One of the earliest projects
was the Gulmarg Winter Sports Resort. However, the focus has been on the provision
of basic minimum facilities for visits by eco-friendly tourists to the hills, national
parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Forest lodges and viewing towers were provided in
some of the important sanctuaries along with transport facilities in the form of jeeps
and elephants.
There are several interesting trek routes of varying difficulty in the Himalayas.
Facilities like camping sites, trekkers' huts, tents and trekking equipment are provided
to encourage the development of a few of these routes and promote trekking tourism.
Several bodies of water including lakes, back waters and seas constitute major
sources of tourist attractions. Facilities like houseboats, water sports equipment, glass
bottom boats, hovercraft, etc. are provided to benefit tourists.
Landscaping and upgrading the environment of parks, gardens and other natural areas
has been another stream of developmental activity associated with ecotourism.
Creation of public conveniences and road side amenities was also given considerable
importance in the development process.
Some recent initiatives in the development of ecotourism include the establishment of
a resort in 1988 with 70 beds at Bangaram Island in Lakshadeep with private sector
participation. The crystal clear sea water, abundant marine life and corals provide an
ideal setting for enjoying nature's beauty.
The Coconut Grove at Kumarakam and Spice Village at Thekady in Kerala are some
new additions to India's ecotourism resorts. These are private enterprises which
specialize in providing experiences with nature in full measure.
India has also been aware of the importance of preparing master plans for the
sustainable development of tourism. A study on the sustainable development of
tourism at Andaman and Nicobar Islands is now underway with the assistance of
UNDP and WTO. Similar studies are also being considered in other areas identified
for resort development.
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7.4 Promoting ecotourism in India
The key players in the ecotourism business are governments at levels, the local
authorities, the developers and the operators, the visitors, and the local community.
Each one of them has to be sensitive to the environment and local traditions and
follow a set of guidelines for the successful development of ecotourism. In addition,
non-governmental organizations and scientific and research institutions also have to
play a key role in the development of ecotourism.
A management plan for each ecotourism area should be prepared by professional
landscape architects and urban planners, in consultation with the local community as
well as others directly concerned. Integrated planning should be adopted to avoid
inter-sectoral and cross-sectoral conflict. A first step should be to prepare 20-year
Master Plans for each state.
The architectural program for ecotourism centers should include controlled access
points, roads, self-guided nature trails, transportation options, interpretation centers,
signs, observation towers and adequate but unpretentious lodging and dining
facilities, docks, garbage disposal facilities and other utilities as needed. If required,
suitable living quarters and facilities for project personnel should be provided.
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7.5 Role and responsibilities
Government Responsibilities for Ecotourism
1. Regulate structures that create visual pollution, unaesthetic views and are non-
compatible architecture; and encourage use of local building material and structures
befitting the local environment.
1. Exclude developments in geologically unstable zones and define development and
buffer zones after proper environmental impact assessments.
2. Establish and enforce standards, building codes and other regulations.
3. Specify environmental, physical and social carrying capacities to limit
development.
4. Ensure continuous monitoring of adverse effects of tourism activities and initiate
suitable corrective measures.
5. Recognize and award quality by accreditation of ecotourism operators.
6. Provide visitor information and interpretation services covering particularly (i)
What to see; (ii) how to see it; and (iii) how to behave. This can be by way of
brochures, leaflets, specialized guides, visitor information centers and such.
7. Prepare and distribute codes of conduct to all visitors.
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
8. Launch training programs on ecotourism for tourism administrators, planners,
operators and the general public.
The roles and responsibilities of tourism developers and operators are fundamental to
the achievement of ecotourism and the long-term success of the businesses.
Role and responsibility of tourism developers and operators:
1. Respect and follow the planning restrictions, standards and codes provided by the
government and local authorities.
2. Implement sound environment principles through self-regulation.
3. Undertake environmental impact assessment for all new projects and conduct
regular environment audits for all ongoing activities, leading to development of
environmental improvement programs.
4. Be aware of, and sensitive to, protected or threatened areas, species and scenic
amenity; undertake landscape enhancement wherever possible.
5. Ensure that all structures are unobtrusive and do not interfere with the natural
ecosystem to the extent possible.
6. Recognize the optimal environmental capacity and sociological use-limits of the
site in creating tourist facilities; also take into account the safety and convenience of
tourists.
7. Design buildings strictly on functional and environmental considerations and avoid
over-construction.
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
8 Use local material and designs to the extent possible in construction.
9.Employ eco-friendly physical planning, architectural design and construction of
tourist facilities, for example use solar energy, capture and utilize rainwater, recycle
garbage, use natural cross-ventilation instead of air conditioning, ensure a high level
of self-sufficiency in food through orchards, ecological farms, aquaculture and such.
10. Employ energy and water-saving practices to the extent possible; freshwater
management and controlled sewage disposal should also be practiced.
11. Control air emissions, chemical pollutants and noise.
12. Control and reduce environmentally unfriendly products such as asbestos, CFCs,
pesticides and toxic, corrosive, infectious, explosive or flammable material.
13. Respect and support historic or religious objects and sites.
14. Provide information and interpretive services to visitors especially on attractions
and facilities, safety and security, local customs and traditions, prohibitions and
regulations and expected behavior.
15. Ensure adequate opportunities for visitors to commune with nature and native
cultures.
16. Provide correct information in marketing ecotourism products, as visitors who
appreciate ecotourism products usually belong to environmentally- aware groups.
17. Include training and research programs on environmental issues for company
staff.
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
18. Prepare tourists before their visit to minimize possible negative impacts while
visiting sensitive environments and cultures.
19. Ensure safety and security of visitors and inform them of precautions to be taken.
20. Exercise due regard for the interest of the local population, including its history,
tradition and culture and future economic development.
21. Involve the local community to the extent possible in various activities and
vocations.
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Just as the government authorities and the tourism operators play fundamental roles in
the success of ecotourism, so does the tourist.
The Responsibilities of Ecotourists
1. Help conserve habitats of flora and fauna as well as any site, natural feature or
culture, which may be affected by tourism.
2. Make no open fires and discourage others from doing so. If water has to be heated
with scarce firewood, use as little as possible. Where feasible, use kerosene or fuel-
efficient wood stoves.
3. Remove litter, burn or bury paper and carry back all non-degradable litter.
4. Keep local water clean and avoid using pollutants such as detergents in streams or
springs. If no toilet facilities are available, relieve yourself at least 30 meters away
from water sources and bury or cover the waste.
5. Leave plants to flourish in their natural environment and avoid taking away
cuttings, seeds and roots.
6. Leave campsites clean after use.
7. Help guides and porters to follow conservation measures. Do not allow
cooks/porters to throw garbage in streams or rivers.
8. Respect the natural and cultural heritage of the area and follow local customs.
9. Respect local etiquette and do not wear tight-fitting clothes. Remember that kissing
in public is disapproved of in India.
10. Respect privacy of individuals and ask permission to take photographs of local
inhabitants.
11.Respect holy places; do not touch or remove religious objects.
12. Strictly follow the guidelines for personal safety and security and always take
your own precautions and safety measures.
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
If a community wants to host ecotourism, it has a central role to play. The host
community’s success in bringing ecotourism to it and ensuing that the level and type
of tourism is compatible with the community’s aspirations are matters the community
can control.
The Role and Responsibility of the Host Community:-
1. Realize and respect the value of the environment, the flora and fauna, the
monuments and your cultural heritage.
2. Practice conservation of nature and culture as a way of life.
3. Establish guidelines to protect valuable local resources and foster tourism
management.
4. React to the potential threat of investors who see opportunities in development but
lack sensitivity to local values.
5. Become effective nature guides and conservationists of natural areas by utilizing
practical and ancestral knowledge of the natural features of the area.
6 Be friendly to the visitors and help them to practice ecotourism principles.
Finally there is a role for others, such as scientific and research institutions and non-
government organizations, in promoting ecotourism. The things they can do include:
(i) create awareness, among all concerned, about the importance of sound eco-
practices in tourism development;
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
(ii) Motivate the local community to increase their involvement in sustainable tourism
activities; and
(iii) Organize training programs to prepare the local people to take up various
vocations related to ecotourism.
7.6 Motivation for Involvement in Ecotourism
Hotel and travel companies in India function in a relatively free environment. The
country is slowly but surely moving towards a market economy where commercial
considerations dictate motivation for the private sector to take up various activities.
Crass commercial considerations have, however, to be controlled by the government
on behalf of the public. The environment has to be protected through awareness-
generation, legislation, policy and administrative action.
The traveling public is also becoming conscious of the need to protect the
environment, to some extent at least. As a result, many enterprises in the hospitality
sector have adopted environment-friendly practices like conserving energy and water
and recycling unutilized hotel outputs. These can be powerful marketing tools for
hotel groups. Furthermore, with the increase in cost of vital inputs like energy, water
etc.; companies are motivated to conserve limited resources by adopting practices
which reduce levels of consumption. Many hotel companies advise their clients to be
careful in the use of lights, water and other hotel services.
Civil society has also begun to exercise control over the environment. Many non-
government organizations have been generating awareness about environmentally
destructive practices. Individuals have taken recourse to public interest litigation to
stop environmentally destructive practices. The Indian judicial system has been very
liberal in restraining environmentally hazardous activities. At times, political parties
also stop environmentally harmful practices by agitation and raising issues in
democratic forums such as state legislatures. The print and electronic media have
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
been very active in India in investigating environmentally injurious activities by
highlighting such issues and creating public opinion for environmentally compatible
practices.
The Government of India has a Ministry of Environment and Forests with a mandate
to oversee use of the environment in order to conserve it. The Government has also
set up institutions like the Central and State Pollution Control Board to deal with the
defaulters.
The state governments also have Departments of Environment and Pollution Control.
The Ministry of Tourism has issued ecotourism guidelines for adoption by all
concerned organizations. Some tourism bodies and associations like all concerned
organizations. Some tourism bodies and associations like the Pacific Travel
Association has introduced an ecotourism pledge which requires their members to
adopt environment-friendly practices.
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7.7 Approaches to Ecotourism in India
Environmental conservation, which is the philosophy behind ecotourism, is deeply set
in the minds of the common Indian. As per the Hindu religious scriptures, one is
expected to follow certain rules, or Dharma, regarding sanctity to be maintained in
hills, sanctuaries, water bodies, villages and marketplaces. By and large these are
followed in rural and tribal settlements.
With growing urbanization and industrialization, coupled with increased pressure on
natural resources due to the population explosion, and the state having the
responsibility to make available water and food grains and other essential
commodities in the markets, it has become imperative to involve citizens in natural
resource management. Environmental management is not only the responsibility of
the state, but also a duty of each and every citizen.
The Government of India has decided to involve citizens in environmental
management. As a part of this campaign, Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks
where people can cohabit with the other living things and learn about environmental
management are being established in all parts of India.
More and more Marine National Parks, Bird Sanctuaries and Biosphere Reserves are
contemplated, not only as a conservation measure but also to inculcate a sense of
compassion for flora and fauna. Nature interpretation centers are in vogue in all parts
of the country.
Floating accommodation in the form of house boats prevalent in Dal Lake, Kashmir
and the back waters of Aleppy, Kerala are famous throughout the world. This type of
accommodation brings tourists close to nature. This kind of informal education will
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go a long way in promoting ecotourism in India, a country where financial and other
resources are limited.
Trekking tours are being organized by not only the private tour operators but also by
the state-run corporations and other bodies. Similarly skiing, rowing and other water
sports are being organized by the state to promote “soft” adventure tourism in the
country.
Major sections of the society (urban, rural, students, employees, workers, employers)
are encouraged to undertake tours in different parts of India. The government,
academic institutions and private sector provide funds or concessions for this purpose,
with the objective of better binding the country’s multiethnic, multi linguistic, and
multicultural people together, while helping them understands their country better and
appreciate each others problems.
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Chapter 8
ECO TOURISM PROJECT
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8. Ecotourism projects
8.1 Ecotourism project in Kerala: Eco-Development Project in
Periyar Tiger reserve
IntroductionThe Ministry of Environment has undertaken to promote local community
participation in forest management, through the “India - Eco – Development”
programme in seven states. In Kerala, the ‘Thekkady Tiger Trail’ project was
launched a couple of years ago in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. In the Periyar Tiger
Trail project, the members involved are the former inhabitants of the forest, who use
to make a living by illegal trading of forest goods. Their activity was thus detrimental
to the conservation of the forest. However, their intimate knowledge about the plants
and animals, and their survival instincts could be best used for participatory
ecotourism activities. Besides the Tiger Trail, other ecotourism products of the
Periyar Tiger Reserve are: Bamboo Rafting, Day Trekking Programme, Tribal
Heritage, Bamboo Grove, Jungle Inn and Wild adventures.
Ecotourism in Kerala
The state of Kerala, forming part of the Western Ghats, contains a protected area of
2,324 sq.km in two National Parks and 12 Wildlife Sanctuaries. The Western Ghats
of Kerala, with its tropical forest ecosystem, provides a natural advantage for
development of Ecotourism. The Western Ghats regions of Kerala can be projected as
an Ecotourism Zone in the true sense. It has now become necessary to evolve
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appropriate location specific strategies for sanctuaries in Kerala, in the sphere of
ecotourism development. Proper ecotourism product development, it’s marketing,
environmental impact assessment, monitoring etc. are to be done in a systematic way.
The Tourism Department of Government of Kerala has taken steps to give focused
attention to ecotourism in the State. A separate ecotourism wing has been created to
give policy support for the development of the ecotourism destinations in the State.
Thenmala ecotourism project was established in and around Shenduruney Wildlife
Sanctuary with the co-operation of departments such as Forest, Irrigation and
Tourism. It is considered to be the first planned ecotourism destination in India.
Thekkady is another ecotourism destination, which offers the visitor an unforgettable
experience. Except Thekkady, all other sanctuaries in Kerala are practically unknown
to tourists. What is needed is a more focused strategy which is supply-driven and
small group - oriented. Ecotourism activities, in an ecologically sensitive area need
close monitoring. Tourism in these natural areas should be ecologically sustainable.
There should be provision for the visitor to be educated about the environment. The
economic benefit of such an activity should accrue to the local population to ensure
sustainability. Ecotourism projects the concept of sustainability in tourism, that is, the
needs of today's visitor should not be met at the expense of future generations.
Ecotourism in Periyar Tiger Reserve
In 1899, the core area of what today is the Periyar Sanctuary was declared a reserved
forest in order to protect the catchment area of the Periyar River. This river had been
dammed in 1895, resulting in several small lakes and a reservoir. In 1934 the area,
including the reservoir, was declared a Sanctuary. The total area of the present
Sanctuary is 777 square kilometers and it is located in the southernmost part of
Western Ghats. 70% of it includes tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.
What make Thekkady a unique destination on the tourism map are its climate,
landscape and possibility of watching wildlife closely on the lakeshore while taking a
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boat cruise. The prime attraction of tourists visiting Thekkady is a boat cruise in the
Periyar Lake. This lake is artificially formed, due to the submergence of low-lying
forest areas, following the construction of the Mullapperiyar Dam in 1895. It offers a
variety of opportunities to cater to the needs of various classes of tourists. Tourism
has become an important management issue ever since the area was declared a Tiger
Reserve in 1978 (tenth of its kind in India) and there has been tremendous increase in
the number of tourists visiting the park year after year.
An experiment in forest management called “India Eco-development Project” at
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkady developed an ecotourism component, the
Thekkady Tiger Trail late in 1998. The concept and implementation of the “India
Eco-development Project” made the managers of Periyar Tiger Reserve think
seriously in order to identify sustainable tourism activities that ensure local
participation in its fullest sense.
The Project at Periyar has two basic objectives:
To manage protected areas and to get local people involved in it.
To implement the project initially, local communities living off the forest were
organized into eco-development committees (EDCs).
Two basic objectives for the EDCs were to reduce the negative impact of local people
on the Sanctuary and to involve encroachers in conservation, instead of exploitation.
This was done by addressing the economic needs of those living in and around the
park (about 250,000 people) by finding viable and innovative livelihood alternatives
for them. The project has so far benefited about 40,000 people of 5,540 families.
Ex-Vayana Bark collectors, who were involved in the illegal de-barking of Cinnamon
trees (Vayana) as well as in Sandalwood smuggling and poaching formed an eco-
development committee (EDC) in 1998. 23 smugglers came forward to begin life
anew. They pledged to protect the very forests that they had plundered in the past and
in return, the Forest Department withdrew all the cases against them. They initiated a
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Bamboo Rafting programme for tourists in November 2002 and major part of the
earnings from this goes to a community development fund. The Tribal Trekkers Eco-
Development Committee (a group of 20 tribal youths), and the Periyar Tiger
Samrakshan (PETS) (a group of 70 members who were earlier employed by the
Forest Department as watchers), have an involvement in the tourism. They provide
services like day treks through the forest, arranging nature camps, horse riding and
special programmes for the tourists. The members of all the committees help the
Forest Department in undertaking the census of animals in the reserve.
Members of the Tribal Trekkers group have added four species of birds to the
checklist of the reserve. There is also clear evidence for a significant increase in the
number of animals in the sanctuary.
Periyar Tiger Trail
It is an adventurous trekking and camping programme in dense forest. It is offered in
two packages, one- night and two-night stays, depending upon the preference and
wallet of guests. Trekking in the Thekkady Tiger Trail is in reality participation in
forest patrols within Periyar Sanctuary and National Park. Trekking with tourists
during peak season is normally limited to two occasions a week. Each trekking is
unique in the sense that different paths are chosen randomly. The physical condition
of the trekking tourist determines to some degree the difficulty of the path chosen. As
the terrain is undulating, every trekking program demands that each participant is in
good physical condition. From the beginning, the trekking follows an easy footpath,
but then the team enters terrain and vegetation of varying difficulty to penetrate, in an
untouched landscape without tracks. There are no facilities within the Sanctuary, so
everything needed has to be carried along. Under the scheme, a maximum number of
five tourists will be accompanied by five guides and one armed forest guard. The
guides are very knowledgeable on every nook and cranny of Thekkady forest, and on
wildlife behavior.
During the night, the guests are put up in temporary erected tents right in the interior.
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Guests feel at the lap of Mother Nature and can have a close-up view of wildlife and
observe their behavior. Considering the vulnerability of biodiversity the number of
slots has been limited.
Although much publicity has been given to the project recently and its popularity is
increasing, the number of trekking is limited to not more than a couple of tours per
week. This is typical of ecotourism. An ecotourism project is never meant to be
expanding with increasing popularity - then it ceases to be a true ecotourism project,
which entails a minimum of damage and disturbance of the environment. One very
important result of the project so far, is that the former poachers have been converted
to devoted trackers with a genuine interest in conserving the Sanctuary. Some
trackers have reported that the number of wild animals is already increasing. One
national award for ecotourism was given to this project by The Ministry of Tourism
for excellence in environmental concern in January 2000. A state award (Kerala) was
also given recently for innovation in tourism.
Other Ecotourism products of Periyar Tiger Reserve
Bamboo Rafting: Ex-Vayana Bark collectors initiated a Bamboo Rafting program for
tourists in November 2002. A full day nature trail package is offered to nature lovers
to enjoy the panoramic beauty of Periyar Lake and undulating surroundings. A
maximum of ten tourists can be accommodated in one slot. They will be accompanied
by five guides and one armed guard. Only one slot will be allotted per day. Under this
package the guests can enjoy two-hour long trekking, one and half hours long rafting
upwards, and then after lunch break the party returns in the same manner. During the
trail the party can have a feeling of pristine forest, see even large mammals, birds and
indigenous people fishing in the lake. The guests will be helped to identify flora and
fauna.
Day Trekking Programme: Trekking programme, conducted by EDC, an Eco-
development Committee (involving Tribal trekkers cum Guides), formed by 20
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selected youths from the nearby tribal hamlets, and offers a possibility to know the
richness of an ideal tropical evergreen forest within a short span of time. The trekking
duration is 3 hours. Five guests will be accommodated in one slot and they will be
accompanied by one tribal youth. Born and brought up right in the lap of forests, the
guides are well familiar with the forest life. The guest will be taken through selected
nature trails. The programme is also ideal for bird enthusiasts as it starts early
morning.
Jungle Inn: A well furnished hut-like building right inside the forest, near by a vast
expanse of wetland, is open to the tourists for night-stay. Two tourists will be
accommodated and one guide will accompany them. During the stay in the inn they
can have a close watch of the movement of wildlife and if it is a full moon day their
experience in the jungle will be unforgettable. The guests will complete short
duration trekking to and from their destination. The accompanying guide will serve
light food during the stay in the inn.
Learning Program in Bamboo Grove: Typical tribal like huts and tents erected right in
a vast bamboo grove are offered to serious nature lovers for their experiential learning
programme. In addition to the huts and tents, a seminar hall also exists for conducting
sensitization programs. These programs include interactive lectures by topic specific
faculties/ professionals, simple food, accommodation in the tent etc.
Tribal Heritage: Under this programme tribal life and culture of 50 years ago has been
recreated in an exhibition centre right in the tribal hamlet. It is a 2-hour program and
includes an exhibition and interpretation of the heritage and a nature trail in the
hamlet.
The guest can get acquainted with their traditional life, such as medicinal herbs,
weapons, musical instrument, household articles etc.
Wild Adventures: This programme involves a close interaction with the nature in the
midst of a typical evergreen forest in Gavi, about 40 Kms. from Thekkady. The full
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programme is conducted by the eco-development committees of Meenar, Gavi and
Kochupanpa. The package includes vehicle safari from Thekkady to Gavi and
trekking in the forest. Animal sighting is common and abundant. Night-stay is also
facilitated for a limited number of tourists. Rowing, bird watching, outdoor camping
in the forest, tree-top stay and night safari are also arranged on request.
Review of Eco-development Project
The Eco-development project in the Periyar Tiger Reserve can be reviewed on the
basis of ecotourism principles like nature-based, ecological sustainability, scope of
education and interpretation, benefits to local people etc.
Nature- based: All the activities in the eco-development project are nature based.
Programs like the Tiger Trail, Bamboo Rafting and Day Trekking are carried out in
the interior parts of the Sanctuary. Each trekking in the Tiger Trail is unique in the
sense that different paths are chosen randomly. At the beginning, the trekking follows
an easy footpath, but then the team enters shifting terrain and vegetation of varying
difficulty, to penetrate an untouched landscape without tracks. There are no facilities
within the Sanctuary. So everything needed, has to be carried along.
Ecologically Sustainable: The ecotourists are expected to accept the environment as it
is, without trying to change it. This is also the case for less attractive portions of the
Sanctuary. The only facilities are a few bamboo rafts used to cross lakes and ponds
with. No foot-bridges or other installations to facilitate trekking are planned to be laid
out. It is a rule here that those who might enter the same trail, should, in principle, not
see that others have been there before, even if it has been a campsite.
Education and Interpretation: Education is also an important factor of the project - a
crash course for the ecotourist, and a permanent conservation education for the
trackers. Tiger Trail provides a first-hand encounter with the natural environment. As
the trekking in fact is a trail that is randomly chosen each time, the Thekkady Tiger
Trail programme definitely provides a first-hand encounter with the natural
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environment for the ecotourist. The small group of ecotourists, who have booked for
this trail, gather on the evening before the start for a briefing about what they can
expect, what they should consider, and dos & don’ts, by a professional
environmentalist. This briefing with a slideshow is a short but good lesson in
environmental ethics and "preferred" behaviour, as well as providing information
about the Sanctuary. Opportunity for learning is also available at the Tribal heritage
center, the bamboo grove, the visitor center and at the Rajiv Gandhi center for Nature
Education and Research.
Benefits to local people: In the communities bordering the Periyar Sanctuary, EDCs
(Ecodevelopment Committees) were implemented as part of the program. Also, some
well known poachers and exploiters of the Sanctuary were reformed and became
members of these committees when they were attached to the project. The project has
also laid the foundation for a welfare fund for the 22 trackers with families, and other
improvements remain to be made. One very important result of the project so far, is
that the former poachers have been converted to devoted trackers with a genuine
interest in conserving the Sanctuary. A major part of the earnings from the bamboo-
rafting program goes to the community development fund from which the members
earn a monthly wage of Rupees 3,500. The earnings from various activities and
services also go into a community development fund.
Conclusion
The success of the Eco-development project in the Periyar Tiger Reserve reflects the
concern for achieving a balance between conservation of the sanctuary and livelihood
of people living in and around it. The involvement of local communities in
Ecotourism activities is a step in the right direction. It provides for alternative sources
of income to local communities, which live in and around protected areas, thus
decreasing their dependence on forest resources and increasing their commitment to
keeping the forests intact. For the vast protected area network in India, the lessons
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from the Periyar experience is important, as it legitimately shows the need for
communities and conservation to go hand in hand.
Chapter 9
ECO HOTEL
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9. ECO HOTELSOur environment is the most precious asset that will be passed on to the next
generation.
Protecting the environment is the task of all the individuals, governments and
enterprises.
The future of the World is in the protection of the environment, therefore the future of
the hotels is in eco-hotels. Hotels use large amounts of water, energy, chemicals,
supplies and disposable items. They also generate lots of waste in form of wastewater
and solid waste. The prevention of polluting the environment with this waste is of
great importance not only to stakeholders and the employees of the hotel, but also
tourists who are becoming more concerned for the preservation of the environment.
Eco-hotel or environmental suitable hotel has to follow the basic principles of good
housekeeping - based on maximizing benefits and minimizing costs. Those principles
are at the same time the main principles of the ecology as a scientific approach and as
a global movement aimed at preserving environment and implementing sustainable
development concept. Sustainable development is very important concept in
hospitality industry because it meets the needs of present tourists and host regions and
at the same time protects and enhance the opportunity for the future. Hotels have
positive or negative impact on their local area and host communities. Accordingly,
eco-hotels act in the way that they keep the environment clean and improve their
quality, rise up the level of satisfaction of more sophisticated and ecologically more
conscious guests and reduce costs, which, all together helps promoting the concept of
tourism sustainable development.
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Environmental costs are impacts that occur in society, enterprise, or individual. They
result from activities that affect quality of the environment, and can be expressed in
monetary and non-monetary items. They have to be fully integrated into company's
business decisions on long term basis, and only the enterprises that properly account
for the true environmental costs of their businesses will be in a better position to meet
competitive challenges in the future.
9.1 Orchid – An Eco-hotel
An Introduction Kamats - where hospitality is a tradition and a name that spells hospitality is India's
most successful and best-known hotel & restaurant chain.
The Group - Kamats had a humble and modest beginning. A clear vision along with
determination and hard work, have gone a long way in helping the Group achieve
successful results and has laid the foundation of the most successful Restaurant Chain
in India, which of course had gained a strong foothold in the hospitality Industry. The
brand equity "Kamats" has also gone up substantially over the years. At present, the
name is synonymous with value for money. It believes in the philosophy of best
quality food and service at the most affordable prices.
Chairman, Late Mr. Venkatesh Krishna Kamat who laid the foundation of what was
to later become one of India's largest and most successful restaurant chain started its
business with a small restaurant at Mazgaon, Mumbai which was soon followed by
Krishna Bhawan in Mumbai's busy Null Bazaar.
Later, his vision and foresight was in search of a new pasture and thus 'Satkar'
restaurant, a well known city landmark and popular meeting place came into
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existence. The Satkar restaurant flourished continuously for two decades and became
the flagship of the Kamat Empire and the rendezvous for people from all walks of
life. The group then acquired two more restaurants to its Empire --The 'Samrat' and
'Suvidha'.
Within a span of five years (1972-1976), a total of six establishments including a
partnership in the well known Asiatic Department Store at Churchgate, catering to the
distinctly, different needs of general office-goers and of up-market managerial
executives was created.
Success in such a big way and enterprising spirit led to birth of yet another hotel-
Kamat Plaza close to Santacruz Domestic Airport. Recognizing the need for a club to
cater to the suburban middle class, businessman and traveling executives. In
September 1995, the Management of Kamats Plaza decided to upgrade and reopen
the property as a Five Star Hotel. Accordingly 'THE ORCHID', which is Asia's first
Eco-Friendly Five Star Hotel, was opened.
The Flagship of the Company - KAMAT HOTELS (INDIA) LIMITED is a Public
Listed Company and the group flagship hotel of the company viz., THE KAMAT
PLAZA, a four star hotel near the Santacruz Airport was taken by the Company -
KAMAT HOTELS (INDIA) LIMITED pursuant to the Management Contract with
Plaza Hotels Private Limited for a period of 30 years with effect from 1st April, 1994.
In the year 1994, the company achieved good results ; reasons being the rising
demand for suitable accommodation in the City of Mumbai due to economic
globalization and at the same time a boom in the real estate market with acute
shortage of hotel rooms in the city of Mumbai.
Hence, the then Management of the Kamat Plaza Hotel undertook to expand the
project immediately after its Public Issue during the year. . Under their able guidance
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and after having done a detailed market study/ survey along with a feasibility report,
decided to upgrade the Project to a Five Star Property and hired the services of Mr. D.
M. Upasni, an Architect of repute and an International Designer - Lynn Wilson from
USA, (who is ranked among the top 10 in the world) to design the hotel interiors,
keeping in mind the needs of a Business Traveler along with his luxury and comforts,
comparable to international standards.
Marketing being an important aspect of the Hospitality Industry, positioning of the
property is an important aspect too. Unto them was born a brand, unknown so far in
the continent of Asia - a green hotel - environmentally sensitive - right from brick to
paper and taking care of every little guest need at the same time - In their efforts to
position this brand, it was proved that 87% of international travelers do patronize
green hotels.
Thus awakened the need to tie up with an International Firm- HVS ECO SERVICES
of - HVS INTERNATIONAL, NEW YORK who were hired to undertake - specific
environmental programmes, designed to lower operating costs and increase revenues
and evaluate the hotel's environmental performance in various areas. Needless to say -
THE ORCHID, as it is aptly renamed, was awarded the prestigious 'ECOTEL'
Certification' by HVS ECO SERVICES, USA, which is the hall mark of
environmentally sensitive hotels. The Hotel thus becomes the first hotel in Asia to
obtain the coveted certification.
The Orchid has employed a high powered team of professionals from the Industry
and it opened its doors to Public on World Tourism Day - 27th September, 1997. It
has been well received both in the domestic and international market and enjoys a
near 82.7% occupancy in the year 2000-2001 having well appointed rooms and suites
with luxurious 5 star facilities.
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The Environment Measures by Orchid
1. Construction:
Architecture : Passive Energy Conservation Efforts in Design
The Plan Configuration : The building is designed with 72 rooms facing the
atrium; therefore these rooms are not directly exposed to the external elements
thus reducing the heat load.
Natural Lighting in the Atrium : This has been achieved by skylight as an
architectural element, detailed in a manner of doubly layered domes to reduce
heat load and noise levels yet admitting maximum natural light in the atrium
space.
Roof Top : The swimming pool is located on the rooftop with 4 feet of water body,
which acts as an insulator from the heat. KoolDeck is applied around the
swimming pool deck to reduce the glare and the surface temperature so that one
can walk barefooted around the pool.
Civil Work : To start at the very beginning the cement that has gone into making
The Orchid an Eco friendly Hotel is absolutely environment friendly. This
cement, PPC (Portland Pozzalana Cement) contains 15-20% fly ash, as compared
to OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement).
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Water Conservation: At The Orchid they believe in the three "R" theory of
reduce, reuse, and recycle. Water being one of the earth's most precious resources
and vital to life they have tried to put this theory in practice by taking special care
to conserve this resource by employing carefully planned techniques enlisted
below, which re-establishes our belief in the above theory.
Sewage Treatment Plant: At the Orchid they even recycle our wastewater. With
the latest technology, wastewater is treated and then reused in areas like air
conditioning & gardening.
Drip Irrigation : With the help of drip irrigation provided on site their endeavor to
conserve water will increase two folds!
2. Interiors
Reused Wood : At their specialty restaurant called the "Vindhyas" the entire
interiors i.e. the woodwork has been made from wood recycled from old
buildings! This concept was specially incorporated keeping our eco-friendly
image of the Hotel.
Triple Glazed Windows : This tripled glazed window blocks the heat of the sun
from entering the room and helps in conserving the air-conditioning energy. An
added advantage of this unit is that prevents fabric and furniture colours from
fading as the triple glazed unit prevents the infra red light from the sun to enter
the room. These windows also help in effectively cutting out the noise pollution
from India's busiest airport.
Electrica l: At The Orchid they have not only made efforts to reduce solid waste
and conserve water but also have contributed in saving energy.
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3. Electronic
Interactive T.V: These are televisions in the guest rooms by which we can receive
our messages on the TV, order room service through the interactive TV, set top
box. The welcome letter also will be displayed on this and last but not the least
you will also be able to view your room bill on the TV.
4. Zero Garbage
The Orchid in its endeavor to become a "zero garbage" hotel has taken various
measures to reduce the waste being generated. To reinforce this we have undertaken
the project of vermiculture on hotel site. For this purpose they have built 9 bins on
site wherein all the kitchen garbage is diverted for the process. This endeavor of ours
has helped to achieve "zero garbage" mission; the second benefit of this act is that
they are not adding to the waste stream of the city.
5. Operational Practices
Hangers : The hangers used in guestroom are made from Sawdust.
Fruits : At The Orchid fruits are served on request so as to avoid wastage.
Amenities : In keeping with environment theme in mind at The Orchid use Herbal
products, which are manufactured under an Ayurvedic license; these products are
not tested on animals and do not contain any animal fat.
Laundry: In their strive to reduce waste they have reusable cloth laundry bags
instead of the standard paper or plastic bags as in other hotels, in which the guests
could send the clothes for laundering and the same will be delivered in reusable
cane baskets wrapped in muslin cloth. A laundry button is incorporated in the
master control panel, eliminating the use of laundry pick up tent cards.
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Newspape r: Newspapers at The Orchid are delivered, on request, in reusable cane
baskets/cloth bags instead of the usual paper or plastic bags.
Shopping Bags : The Orchid provides you with a specially designed cloth
shopping bag with the environment messages we believe in.
ECO Harvest: As a special give away for all are dear guests we have the "Eco
Harvest" a basket containing an herbal pillow which induces sleep, a bunch of
neem twigs, two aromatic oils & 5 age old herbs.
Pens / Pencil : The Orchid uses eco-friendly pens and pencils. The eco-pens are
made using recycled cardboard, reprocessed plastic and scrap wood.
Recycling Bins : Separate recycling bin with a sticker for guest use is placed in all
rooms.
Recycled Garbage Bags: The garbage bags used by us are made from recycled
plastic and milk pouches.
Cut Flower vs. Potted Plants: At the Orchid , you'll find cut flowers cut to an
absolute minimum - instead living vibrant plants help bring the beauty of nature
indoors
Jute Folders: The Stationery, Guest Service and
minibar folders are made from jute.
Water Flask & Glasses: The water flask in the
guestrooms are left empty which are filled after asking the
guest for his preference of hot, cold or room temperature
water as water already filled and kept in the flask leads to
guest perception of the water being stale, which they
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promptly ask to be replaced. The glasses too are turned upside down and kept in
the tray, thereby doing away with having to wrap each glass in a plastic bag and
consequently generating more waste for the hotel.
Cloth Mats: To reduce the wastes generated by our hotel we use cloth mats
instead of paper ones.
Single Serving Items Minimized: To add to the above, use of single serving items
are minimized at The Orchid. In all Food & Beverage outlets, use of condiments
like sugar sachets is replaced by using sugar cubes; jams, sauces, ketchup are
served in preserve pots and butter chiplets have been replaced by butter curls.
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Team members
At The Orchid, staff is fondly referred to as - TEAM MEMBERS.
Every member of The Orchid team from the Managing Director down to the newest
recruit has a total commitment towards being environmentally responsible. At the
recruitment stage they select those individuals who had the drive in them or showed
concern and care for the environment.
Environment education, in fact starts from the very first day the team members join
The Orchid. They go through an intensive one week environment training
programme, wherein they are educated to understand the importance of the
environment to not only their livelihood but also to the future of the world. The team
members are on six-month environment training, on successful completion of which
only are they confirmed. In their annual appraisal forms too we have a separate
section dedicated towards this.
They have monthly activities for team members in which they can participate. To
mention a few - quizzes, slogan competitions, sketching & drawing competitions,
Eco-Skits, on the spot surprise quizzes, clean-up drives, etc. In their monthly
Antakshari game they have 1 round out of the 4 wherein the teams are made to sing
songs related to the environment and many more.
The team members actively participate in programmes and activities organized for the
community to spread and create the awareness of being environmentally responsible.
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They have a Green Team in the hotel, which act as the Green Eyes of the hotel. It
comprises of 19 members from different departments, who are nominated by their
respective departmental heads. Besides assisting in the various programmes, they
implement and audit the environment practices in their respective departments. They
are also empowered to conduct training classes in their areas and go on inspection to
various departments. With the help of the 19-member Green Team, not only is
wastage in hotel, has been kept to a bare minimum, but also every employee is kept
well-aware of his/her environmental commitments.
Incentives
Team members participating in any environment activities are given a gift for the
efforts made by them e.g. as an incentive for the clean up drive all those who
participated were given a T-shirt with an environment slogan. For the other ongoing
competitions winners are given mementos and on other such occasion's cash rewards
are also given. The Orchid also gives each of its team members a cloth bag as an
alternative to using plastic bags. The more dedicated the team member, the more
chance he has of being included into the Green Team of the hotel & being made a
Green Team member. They are also given a chance to represent the hotel at various
seminars and events organized by the hotel and/or in which the hotel is participating.
It is not only the team members, but also the executives and heads of departments
who show enthusiasm, involvement and commitment towards our environmental
causes.
The awareness and commitment in our team members for the improving the
Environment has reached such phenomenal levels that even in their spare time, they
go out into localities on a "clean up drive", thereby passing on the message of eco-
friendliness and its benefits, to all and sundry
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Guest participation
Guests form an integral part of any hotel in the world. The Orchid, have left no stone
unturned in our quest for a clean environment, to the extent that we have provided
opportunities for our guests to be a part of our environmental programmes.
Guest’s participation programmes:
Newspapers on request: Newspapers are delivered on request, in a
cloth bag instead of a plastic bag. Only about 50% of our guests prefer
a newspaper delivered in their rooms, showing an increasing level of
awareness amongst our guests. Approximately till date they have had
231960 check-ins, which means we have prevented the use of 231960
plastic bags had we had to deliver newspaper in plastic bags to all our guests.
Recycle Bins : Two bins – one for wet waste and the other for
dry/recyclable waste is placed in all our guestrooms. This is done so
that the guest voluntarily disposes waste in the respective bins.
Key Cards : The guests recycle keycards by
returning them to the reception before they check
out.
Guests Participation in the Orchid's Environment Programmes:
Guests are encouraged to participate in our environmental crusades, and they do it
with a lot of enthusiasm and zeal.
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Guests participate in:
Eco Floats
Eco Boat Floats
Eco Days celebrated at The Orchid.
As a result of all the hard work put in by us, The Orchid has reaped the following
business benefits:
A 55.9% Repeat Clientele being patronized by over 3,500 Corporate Clients.
In terms of monetary savings we have saved a whopping Rs. 33, 28,435/- per
year, which works out to Rs. 9119/- per day only be the use of PL Lamps.
As a direct result of the saving done by The Orchid we have been able to pay
dividends to our shareholders this year also!
Conclusion
Our environment is the most precious asset that will be passed on to the next
generation. Protecting the environment is the task of all the individuals, governments
and enterprises. The future of the World is in the protection of the environment, and
all the enterprises need to adjust their business performance to act in such way to
minimize harmful impact to the environment. Enterprises use large amounts of water,
energy, chemicals, supplies and disposable items. They also generate lots of waste in
form of wastewater and solid waste. The prevention of polluting the environment
with this waste is of great importance to everyone. To become an environmentally
friendly enterprise is the adoption of a new culture that extends through the
enterprise, employees, guests, vendors, suppliers, local community and other
elements of environmental management system (EMS).
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Chapter 10CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
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10. Conclusion and Recommendation
ConclusionTourism has proved to be an engine of growth in many economies in the world. It
provides for the generation of income, wealth and employment, and helps in the
sustainable development of remote areas. In India, tourism provides direct
employment to 9 million people and indirect employment to another 13 million
persons, thus providing a livelihood to 22 million persons. It contributes an estimated
2.4% of the gross national product. Its contribution to the economies of states like
Rajasthan, Goa and Kerala are significant. Although beginning to be understood for
its potential to provide for development in India, tourism still remains a sector that
needs serious attention.
Tourism has proved to have negative impacts as well as the positive ones. It is
criticized for contaminating indigenous culture. This takes the form of changing
values, resulting in social maladies like drug addiction, child prostitution, etc. A far
more widespread negative impact is caused by mass tourism in environmentally
fragile areas like mountains, hills, deserts and coastal regions. Due to heavy tourist
traffic in some areas, the cultural and environmental assets of the community are
under threat. Although this phenomenon is not widespread in India, there is a need to
take note of the possible negative influences of tourism so that timely preservation
action can be taken and irreparable loss avoided.
The movement towards ecotourism is at once a threat and an opportunity to create
more sustainable tourism: by diverting tourist traffic to ensure the carrying capacity
of any destination is not exceeded; by planning for regeneration of natural resources;
and by generating awareness in the host community whereby they are prepared and
forearmed to deal with the negative impact of mass tourism.
As in most cases, a middle path is the most creative way to maximize the economic
potential of tourism, while at the same time minimizing the negative social influences
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and threats to the environment. Only ecotourism where the tourists, the service
providers, the host community and authorities are well informed and prepared to
harness tourism as an engine of growth can yield sustainable results.
Recommendation and Suggestions:
Appointing consultants for each state of the country who would study the state
thoroughly, to identify destinations of tourist interest, which would result in
promoting tourism.
Involvement of private sector in tourism related projects in the state to give fillip
to this sector.
Overcoming restrictions and hurdles, improving infrastructure, a wider choice of
eco-hotels.
Instead of promoting the state as individual, efforts should be taken to promote
India as a whole just like Australia, Malaysia.
Proper security arrangements should be undertaken in order to make tourist
travelers feel more secure.
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AA-1 Annexure AA-1 Annexure
Earnings from Tourism in Kerala (1999-2003)
Year Earnings (Rs, Cr)
1999 416.07
2000 525.30
2001 535.00
2002 705.67
2003 983.39
AA-2 Annexures
Tourist’s visitation to Thekkady
__________________________________________________________________
Year Number of visitors
Domestic Foreign Total
__________________________________________________________________
1999-00 320973 24347 345320
2000-01 303895 37038 340933
2001-02 357690 26026 383716
2002-03 420960 31831 452791
__________________________________________________________________
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ECO TOURISM IN INDIA
BIBLIOGRAPHY
WEBSITES:
www.JourneyMart .com
www.Ecoindia.com
www.Incredible India.org
www.orchidhotel.com
www.mpecotourism.org
www.indidline.com
www.ecoclub.com
BOOKS
Development of eco-tourism in India- G. Raveendran
Ecotourism in India – Mohan Krishen Khanna
Ecotourism in Kerala - K. G. Mohanlal
Environment and tourism- Andrew Holden
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