How To Deal With The Epidemic Of Overtourism

Some well-known tourist spots are underprepared against nature's vagaries and seasonal rush. One way out could be to charge a tourist tax and use it to help lesser-known destinations

I drove over to Udhagamandalam or Ooty the other day. The idea was to spend two precious nights in cooler climes, enjoy a muchcraved-for break and come back refreshed. Ooty was cool for sure. Additional bonus: It rained cats and dogs. Thunderstorms were the norm. The traffic on narrow mountain roads was jammed, and reminded me of good old Bengaluru and its bumper to bumper traffic. Every tourist attraction I passed made the traffic move slower. There were people everywhere. All in a hurry, but nowhere to go, thanks to the traffic jam.

This holiday was no holiday really. I can imagine the plight of the holiday-goers coming in from distant locations and standing in sweaty queues to get their entry ticket to the Botanical Garden, the Rose Garden and the brand new Karnataka Siri Horticulture Garden.

Ooty is a big holiday destination for literally everyone. Come school holiday season, everyone makes a beeline to the queen of the hills. Just to get jammed. Chaos is most certainly a big part of the Indian holiday for sure. A lot of us enjoy it as well.

Even as I bemoan the state of the tourist as she knifes out a holiday from the chaos, I equally pity the life and times of the locals. Every hill station like Ooty, Kodaikanal, Yercaud, Shimla, Nainital and more has a local populace. This populace is of two kinds. Those who live there, having bought into a hill-station lifestyle for one. This segment is full of complaints.

This segment even moves out during the busy season, unable to bear the sight of what happens. The second segment of people are those who make a living out of the tourist populace. Every hotelier, restaurant, cab driver, tourist guides and their ilk love this season. This is the time money is made. Even out of the mayhem.