Changing Tourism Trends and Vulnerability Assessment of Built Environment in Hill Stations of Indian Himalayan Region.

Abstract

Tourist arrivals in the Indian Himalayan region have led to an increase of 1.6 times the population of the native residents in 2019. The trend of winter tourism among foreign tourists, along with adventure and pilgrimage tourism, has resulted in an average annual growth of 28.78% between 2002 and 2013. This study focuses on the changing tourism and climatic trends in tourist hotspots of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) to evaluate the vulnerability of the built environment, which arises from the increasing demand for tourist infrastructure. The approach taken in this research is based on secondary literature available and case studies of emerging tourist centers in and around Shimla region of Himachal Pradesh. According to records from 2019-20, domestic tourism has increased in Himachal Pradesh by 4.57% and in Shimla by 5.51%. However, the changing trends and the tourist demand for fast, unplanned infrastructure growth can lead to over-tourism and disaster vulnerability. Therefore, there is a need to consider the risk and change management in the fragile ecosystem of IHR through analysis of climatic and tourism trends. To achieve this, computerized tools such as Real-Time Systems, Intelligent Transport Systems, and Neural networks projects are suggested for feasibility and assessment of proposed tourism infrastructure projects. The suggested process will strengthen the project vision by benefiting the policymakers, stakeholders, and tourists while maintaining eco-friendly tourism opportunities through project performance management.