Eco tourism might have become a much-used adage of late, but its relevance lies beyond just heading to a quaint, unexplored far-off territory.
Eco tourism might have become a much-used adage of late, but its relevance lies beyond just heading to a quaint, unexplored far-off territory.
And if the sound of it fails to trigger your interest, this might help — ecotourism is not just about the geography of the place but is a way of life, wherein one is expected to adhere to all the possible eco-friendly measures such as rain water harvesting, tapping solar energy and organic farming.
Travel trends suggest that the Shiwalik hills running across the North Indian states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh is the popular choice for all eco-friendly practices.
For Sumith Dutta — co-founder of Emerald Trails, an eco tourism property in Jungaliagaon, near Nainital (Uttarakhand) — eco-friendly tourism is more of a responsibility than a travel trend.
“From my perspective, eco-tourism is a bit of a necessity and a bit of a belief that I hold in green energy. It is an expensive proposition. You cannot overburden the infrastructure in the hills since they are so ancient,” asserts Dutta. He states that though eco-tourism has become the buzzword, the travellers opting for it are mostly well-read and mindful people, who are willing to share the responsibility of sustaining the eco-system.
The Valley of Flowers (declared a heritage site by the United Nations), in the Nanda Devi National Park (Uttarakhand), which has the world’s largest species of endemic flowers is one of the best places to visit in the summer solstice. Yog Raj Khanduri, founder of Divine Adventures, has been promoting eco-tourism for almost 10 years now. “Chakrata, Gangotri (the origin of the river ganges), Tapovan, Joshimath, Dhanaulti, Gaurital and Deveru are some of the hotspots in eco-tourism destinations. However, Mori (160 km from Dehradun) is the best camping place and also the perfect summer destination,” he informs.
Soft adventure sports like rock climbing, trekking, river rafting, camping, and bridge slithering. are also a part of the program. “While most families flock to the rafting/camping places; the corporate clients prefer Rishikesh and Mussoorie because of their proximity to Delhi,” adds Khanduri.
And it doesn’t come as a surprise that over 60 per cent of the domestic tourists who visit these places, are from the metro cities, mainly Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.
Heena Munshaw, head of a leading travel group, asserts that people are interested in eco-tourism, but sadly don’t know enough about the concept. “It’ll be great if we could make the public aware of the idea.”
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