A record increase in tourist arrivals has been reported in Uttarakhand over the past three years (2022-2025), numbering 23.46 crore visitors. This follows a period of ‘significant growth’ from 2018 to 2023, clocking an increase of 61.97 percent. According to those in the trade, this growth can be attributed to the promotion of ‘adventure and pilgrimage tourism’, including initiatives like the Manaskhand Mala Mission. The post-pandemic surge is also being held responsible for the record increase.
The state’s people, of course, do not need such statistics to inform them of the growth – it is visible on the roads. The number of outstation vehicles jamming traffic has become a perennial headache for the locals. And while this must be impacting the economy in a positive way, it also indicates that the overall carrying capacity is being seriously tested. At the same time, the potential for growth still remains, and it only needs the tourism model to be shifted out of the traditional to a more sustainable one in environmental, economic and social terms.
One suggestion offered by some experts is that a lesson can be learned from Bhutan, which has raised the costs at various levels to keep out low- income tourists. However, considering that Uttarakhand is also a pilgrimage destination, this cannot be done in a general way. It will require careful calibration to separate the pilgrimage and tourism routes, making the latter costlier by promoting ‘luxury destinations’. More adventure sites need to be developed with well-maintained and eco-friendly accommodation. This would require roads to be constructed that bypass the main highways, which already carry heavy traffic. Approach to these places can also be promoted through trekking routes along the traditional mule tracks that connected the villages in the past.
The development of ropeways is being resisted at many places, but these can do a lot in cutting down vehicular traffic in hill stations like Mussoorie and Nainital. Air-connectivity is already on the increase and winter activity like skiing can receive a boost from it. In the lower altitude areas and the plains, tourists can be encouraged to take up river-rafting, camping, and other outdoor activity instead of just driving into the towns and cities for ‘chhola-bhatura’. A city like Dehradun, in the meanwhile, already has the infrastructure for ‘destination weddings’, which confines visitors mostly to the resorts and hotels. There is still considerable potential but utilising it will require much greater sophistication than visible at the present.
