Domestic tourism in India and climate change

 

The last few months have seen sufficient reportage about the impact of climate change and heavy rains in many parts of India, especially the hilly areas, with huge loss of life, limb and property. The impact on tourism, especially for hill tourism that depends a lot on road connectivity, is not fully understood as yet - but it certainly has some fallout on travel within, to and from these hill tourism locations.

At the same time, domestic tourism is not going to simply abandon parts of the country which suffer the burden of climate change more than others, it is just that we shall as tourists need to make our own decisions and take our own judgement calls on where and when to go and how. Travel is education, and education will need to continue, especially pilgrimage.

To start with, the first rule that I have started following over the last few decades, is to use local transport for local movements. Even assuming that self-drive till destination has been the mode of transport, then once the vehicle is safely secured, step out and hire a local vehicle with a local driver. It is not only about driving skills and awareness of road conditions, but also the information network which local drivers share, that matters.

Next, the season for travel shall matter even more, though perforce for family people, it will likely be during school vacations, and so the choices often come down to school holidays. Monsoons are probably the best time to travel, from the point of view of experiencing revival and nature, and at the same time, they are also in context with climate change, when maximum seasonal risks occur - so you do have to select routes and destinations carefully.

Third, selecting locations for night halts now have to be done with more care than ever before, in terms of safety and construction. I am not sure how this can be done, but getting a second opinion from local people somehow, especially if the night halt is built on a hill slope or similar, may not be a bad idea, along with some reasonable common sense on maps with terrain or satellite view. Every which way, new constructions are to be approached with caution, and that's about all I can say at this juncture.

Climate change is here to keep changing even faster. This photograph is from one of our favourite locations, kept secret at the owner's request, which also has efficient EV battery charging facilities. The most important part to remember is that resorts built right on the banks of fast flowing rivers may need to be researched a lot, before making your selection.