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Women also participate in the tourism economy as vendors, artisans, and more, but the nature of this work is completely dependent on the volume of tourist footfall.
This article was first published by The NEWS MINUTE as part of a series of articles on the impacts of COVID-19 on the unorganised sector in tourism.

The tourism sector that has both provided work to fisherfolk, while also alienating them from the natural resources required by the community. This article was published by The NEWS MINUTE as part of a series of articles on the impacts of COVID-19 on the unorganised sector in tourism.

We buy one million plastic bottles every minute, a large quantity of them ending up in our forests, beaches or mountain tops. More than 15,000 tons of plastic waste is generated in India alone every day, it did not come as a surprise when the theme for the World Environment Day, 2018 was announced as #BeatPlasticPollution.

With the recognition of Tourism as an industry, there is a wide range of income-generation opportunities for women in both formal and informal sector. Tourism jobs which are often flexible and can be carried out at various different locations such as the workplace, community, and household creates a wide range of opportunities for women. In the tourism industry, the percentage of women who work in the industry is high, but their function is dominated by unskilled, low-paid jobs

A group of activists and representatives of organization working on tourism issues met at Salvador, Brazil in March, 2018. We reaffirmed our commitment to the principles of the Istanbul Statement and considered the experiences of communities suffering the negative impacts of tourism policies and projects and the imposition of models of hegemonic development.

Sustainability is a choice – if we have the courage to make it. Declaring 2017 as the year of Sustainable Tourism has once again served to highlight how unsustainable mainstream tourism is. The peak tourism season this year, saw local residents from many “destinations” across Europe on the streets, protesting. The Venetians, the Spanish – resisting a tourism that was ruining their cities, resisting the knock-on effects of rising rent, over crowding and pollution. They were angry at the loss of a place that no longer felt like their own but one that is constantly changing to accommodate the demands of the burgeoning tourism industry.

Majestic mountains, thick forests, an unmatched biodiversity- all of these make the Western Ghats very popular among tourists. But tourism, if not done sustainably, could also bring with it a host of issues which lead to degradation of the environment.

The situations of women in the larger world and within the systems of State, community and family control, coerces her to exist without self-expression, thereby forcing her to live within the dominating and unconstitutional framework of patriarchy. Women’s socio-political and economic status and overall economic empowerment is influenced by her status and role in the family and community, her reproduction responsibilities and her access and ownership over economic resources. Stereotyping their roles continues in the private and public institutions. Gender relations are also often determined by the sexual division of labour.

In the 2015-16 budget, only 0.41 per cent of GDP is earmarked for children who constitute 40 per cent of the population of India, as compared to 0.63 per cent of GDP in 2014-15. Similarly, total child budget as a percentage of total Union budget shows a declining trend since 2012-13 and it stands at a paltry 3.26 per cent in the Union budget of 2015-16. The budgetary allocation is a clear indicator of the priority granted to a sector in public policy. Hence, declining budgetary allocation raises serious concerns and doubts about the governments commitment towards child welfare. Budgetary analysis shows that the allocation for child protection continues to receive the smallest share.

After a prolonged wait and the constant push by the child rights groups, the Union Cabinet recently gave its approval to banning all kinds of child labour under the age of 14 years. The set of proposed amendments, however, are not full proof. One of the proposed amendments allows the employment of children below 14 years in family enterprises, audio-visual entertainment industry and sports industry except circus on condition that such work does not interfere with their education. Through the amendment the government has failed to recognise that these industries can be equally exploitative and oppressive. The move to allow children to work in family enterprises is also problematic as it moves to a space which is extremely difficult to regulate.

Coastal tourism in India is not just confined to Goa and Puducherry but almost the entire peninsular coast has become a tourism hub. The coastal states have focused on tourism development and huge infrastructural investments have already been sanctioned which is reflected in their budget plans and policies. One amongst these investments is the seaplane service, which has received a lot of attention in the recent years.

With the move to repeal The Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985, there is yet another attempt at mechanising the traditional crafts forms, that would eventually render lakhs of artisans jobless. The argument of the powerloom lobbies is that the same textile product, like a saree, can be made faster, cheaper and at a larger scale. The move is ignorant of the fact that the historical and glorious skills that artisans have, will be rendered obsolete by mechanical alternatives that produce cheaper, but employ far fewer people in a country where power is scarce and labour abundant. More importantly, the soul of the traditional skills and artforms would be lost forever.

While the initiative "I respect women" in 2013 in response to gang rape of a foreign woman tourist and other harassment cases against women tourists shows recognition of the issue by the Ministry, one wonders if the reason was because India’s image globally was taking a beating or if they were truly concerned. If the reason is the latter, why hasn’t an initiative like this been taken earlier when many Indian women tourists have also been faced with similar situations.

Travelling child sex offenders look for opportunities and travel where they perceive the lowest risk. There have been a few successful convictions of child sex offenders in Cambodia and UK. But many offenders go scot-free. Successful convictions would send out a clear message to the offenders and could bring a stop to children being abused.

A solar heating system, water recycling unit or use of paper bags has become reason enough for establishments to lay claim to the eco-tourism label. True benefits to the environment and society will accrue only when local communities are made central to the tourism enterprise

Dam sites have always been popular destinations among many tourists in India. The impacts of dams on fragile ecosystems are two-fold – first with the construction of the dams and secondly with the development of tourism. What were once thriving villages is now an endless lake. The pleasure seeking tourist is often oblivious to the tragedy that rests beneath and the realities of what may have transpired before a dam was built; before a community was displaced. This article explores the issues around tourism and dams, illustrating two examples – Sardar Sarovar (Gujarat) and Tehri (Uttarakhand). This article was featured in Contours - Incredible India - Tourism for ‘Development’ – Vol 20 No 4 [a publication of Ecumenical Coalition for Tourism (ECOT)].

EQUATIONS was invited to contribute a perspective piece on tourism and protected areas in PA Update.
Protected Areas (PAs) have seen increasing intensive tourism development under the guise of “ecotourism”. While the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 does allow tourists into PAs, it clearly disallows commercial establishments. The Indian Board for Wildlife, the apex advisory body, had in its XXI meeting in January 2002 resolved “lands falling within 10 km. of the boundaries of National Parks and Sanctuaries should be notified as eco-fragile zones under section 3(v) of the Environment (Protection) Act and Rule 5 Sub-rule 5(viii) & (x) of the Environment (Protection) Rules”. Despite this, a rash of tourism establishments have been established cheek by jowl in the immediate periphery of many PAs like Corbett, Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Nagarahole, Bandipur, Mudumalai, and Periyar.