Travelers and Locals Don’t Fail Tourism. Broken Systems Do.
Everyone is a tourist or a traveler at some point in their life. Yet the way tourism is managed, not just experienced, determines whether it becomes a force for good or a source of strain on people and places. Travel and tourism is a trillion-dollar global industry and accounts for approximately 10 per cent of the world’s economic output. Despite its vast scale and influence, the sector still lacks comprehensive systems to safeguard destinations, like historic monuments, popular tourist cities, natural parks, and cultural heritage sites, that drive its success. Without robust protections, these irreplaceable assets face growing threats. The stakes extend beyond environmental and cultural loss: the livelihoods of millions of people across communities dependent on tourism are also at risk.
It’s Not Too Many Tourists, It’s Too Little Management
Today, tourism backlash is occurring globally, mostly due to the negative impacts of mass tourism. Be it Europe, Asia, or other regions of the world, local communities are protesting against overtourism, and tourists are facing backlash for visiting certain destinations. For instance, in Barcelona, the Southern Europe Against Overtourism (SET) alliance organized protests, placing stickers with messages like “Tourists go home.” Venice has implemented an entry fee to control visitor numbers, while Amsterdam has been rethinking strategies to curb mass tourism. Additionally, Bali and countries in the Caribbean have also faced criticism and backlash due to the negative impacts of tourism, including environmental harm and cultural disruption. Most of the ‘Instagrammable’ tourist spots are now feeling the strain of poor management.
Tourism isn’t flawed just because of travelers or locals; it’s broken because of the system built around them. The way policies are drafted, destinations marketed, rules applied, and profits distributed often leave both communities and travelers empowered or disempowered. Locals are reduced to service providers instead of custodians of culture, while travelers are pushed into a cycle of consumption rather than meaningful connection. Today, we often hear that irresponsible tourist behaviour is the primary reason why destinations suffer. In reality, overtourism is more often a result of under-management. The fault doesn’t lie in people’s desire to explore or share; it lies in a system that prioritises volume over value, short-term gains over long-term well-being, and infrastructure over ecology.
What’s Happening in the Indian Himalayas?
Himachal Pradesh in the Indian Himalayas
Tourism in the Indian Himalayas has long been celebrated as a source of livelihood, cultural exchange, regional development, and for experiencing nature and adventure. Yet, in recent years, the fragile landscapes of the mountainous states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have become sites of recurring ecological and infrastructural crises, which include landslides, flash floods, traffic congestion, and water shortages. These challenges have raised urgent questions about sustainability and the management of tourism.
While locals have protested against certain tourist behaviors like irresponsible attitudes, disrespect towards locals, waste generation in natural spots, and over-crowding in places, tourists, on the other hand, have raised voices against violent local behaviors and poor management of tourist spots. But is overtourism really the problem? Yes, it is, but not entirely.
HIMACHAL PRADESH
Growing public concern in Himachal Pradesh reflects the mounting costs of unchecked development. Frequent house collapses, landslides, and severe ecological damage linked to unscientific construction on the state’s four-lane highways have sparked widespread debate.
Since 2023, the proposed ropeway near the Bijli Mahadev temple in Kullu has faced continuous opposition. Local groups, including the Bijli Mahadev Sangharsh Samiti (BMRSS), have organized rallies, demonstrations, and even a trade bandh. Their concerns are multi-layered: the risk of ecological degradation from large-scale tree felling, the possibility of land subsidence in an already fragile terrain, and the potential erosion of the sanctity of a sacred site.
At its core, the movement highlights the increasing demand for tourism development that respects both ecological balance and cultural heritage.
UTTARAKHAND
The flash flood in Dharali, Uttarakhand, stands among the most destructive disasters India has witnessed in the past decade. On 5th August 2025, an abrupt surge in the Khirganga River sent torrents of water, rocks, uprooted trees, and mud crashing through the valley. The deluge swept away more than 80 hotels, the local marketplace, and a significant stretch of the Gangotri Highway.
Residents attribute the scale of devastation to government inaction and unchecked construction in a fragile mountain ecosystem. The tragedy has left scars that extend beyond the immediate loss of life. Dharali’s economy, anchored in apple orchards and tourism, has been brought to a standstill, raising urgent questions about how Himalayan development can balance growth with resilience.
SHIFTING THE LENS OF BLAME
While public discourse often frames “irresponsible tourists and local behaviors and overtourism” as the root of these problems, such a perspective risks oversimplifying a far more complex reality. The challenges confronting the region stem less from the presence of visitors themselves and more from systemic shortcomings in governance, planning, and infrastructure management.
To understand overtourism in the Himalayas, therefore, requires moving beyond narratives of blame to critically examine how institutions, policies, and development models shape the capacity of these destinations to host tourism in ways that are environmentally viable and socially equitable.
Tourists are frequently placed in a negative light, but the real solution lies in looking at the bigger picture: creating systems and management practices that ensure destinations are administered responsibly. This way, tourism can work in harmony with local communities, the environment, and the travelers themselves, turning the conversation from blame to better stewardship.
Rethinking Tourism
Learning the art of pottery from a local potter - showcasing a mutual exchange between a traveler and a local.
Destinations frequently allocate substantial resources to global marketing campaigns aimed at boosting tourist arrivals. However, the on-ground reality often discloses a tension between promotional success and community well-being. Visitors are increasingly confronted with local concerns over rising housing costs linked to short-term rentals, overcrowding, noise pollution, and other issues associated with overtourism. This dissonance presents a critical policy challenge of aligning destination promotion and preservation with sustainable management practices that safeguard both resident quality of life and visitor experience.
Though there is no simple fix to this problem, some solutions can help navigate these challenges and make tourism more effective.
Manage tourism growth responsibly: It’s integral to bring the right stakeholders together to manage tourism in destinations. These stakeholders include members of the local communities, government, businesses, and DMCs. Visitor surveys are also significant in managing tourism, especially in popular destinations. A shared vision and tourism strategy are crucial in this regard, along with monitoring key issues that destinations face and taking prompt action on those.
Tourist caps: These can help as a congestion control model, reducing the burden on a high-demand destination.
Tourist taxes: These could include taxes like the green tax in certain destinations that help fund maintenance, waste management, environmental conservation, and road repairs. Such taxes help ensure that destinations can sustain the visitors they welcome.
Promote lesser-known destinations: This helps distribute tourist pressure from places that suffer from overtourism and distribute the benefits of tourism to lesser-known destinations.
Tourism education and encouraging longer stays: Tourism education plays an important role in shaping responsible travel habits, helping visitors understand how their choices impact local communities and the environment. Encouraging longer stays, especially for those flying in, not only reduces the carbon footprint per trip but also builds meaningful connections with a place and its people.
Gather data and make informed decisions: It is imperative to gather data, carry out evidence-based diagnoses and responses to the unique challenges faced by each destination.
Ecology-aligned infrastructure planning: The ecological ecosystem of a destination should be taken into consideration in order to build tourism infrastructure. Not adhering to environmentally friendly norms may often result in unfavorable situations for both locals and travelers.
After all, we’re all travelers, and protecting the future of tourism means fixing systems, not just blaming people.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deeksha Sharma is a travel enthusiast, a passionate writer, and a storyteller who loves sharing local stories about conscious travel, communities, and culture. She’s a senior storyteller and editorial co-lead at Postcard Travel Club, a global media company fostering a community of conscious travellers. She was also recently nominated for the Regenerative Travel Impact Awards – Storyteller of the Year 2024 by Regenerative Travel.
With her new book launched at the New Delhi World Book Fair in 2025 by the National Book Trust of India (Ministry of Education), Deeksha is helping shape the narrative around tourism’s role in cultural preservation and sustainable development. In her award-winning blog, Story Happens, she aims to bring underrepresented voices and traditions to mainstream audiences. In addition, she loves to practice mindfulness, read and write poems, go for long walks, especially in the evenings, and enjoy sunsets.