Forests

Tourism Carrying Capacity and the Western Ghats
One of the important prerequisites to tourism planning is a sound understanding of the thresholds of the area being used for tourism. The concept of Tourism Carrying Capacity allows for planning tourism in a sustainable manner.

Over the last few years, EQUATIONS has been visiting different regions of the Western Ghats in Karnataka and Maharashtra to document the growth of tourism and identify issues and areas for study.

One of the important prerequisites to tourism planning is a sound understanding of the thresholds of the area being used for tourism. The concept of Tourism Carrying Capacity allows for planning tourism in a sustainable manner. Assessment of tourism carrying capacity in India is at a very rudimentary stage and is applied to only one context - wildlife tourism in protected areas. We have analysed in-depth significant tourism carrying capacity frameworks from around the world and has proposed a framework suited to the Indian context. We are now looking to apply these frameworks to identify the capacities of forests in India.

EQUATIONS is a research, policy, and advocacy organisation working on tourism and development issues in India. Our work has focused on the economic, environmental, social, cultural, political and administrative impacts of tourism particularly on people living in and around tourism destinations. We collaborate closely with organisations and peoples movements, to influence people-centered forms of tourism & policies that ensure significant local benefits and take into account the negative impacts of an unbridled growth of tourism.

 

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