Attenuating the impact of over tourism on the community place relationship: case of Pushkar Rajasthan

Abstract

Tourism industry throughout the world is recognised as a critical driver for the economic growth. Indian cities provide myriad experiences including natural landscapes, heritage assets and spiritual ethos for its visitors, which not only provides employment generation but also leads to conservation and preservation of heritage assets, along with infrastructure development and promotion of culture and heritage. However, with improper management and unsustainable development it can turn into “over tourism” (a term coined by Skift in 2016) resulting in economic problems, socio-cultural contradictions and environmental degradation. The question however is not about the total number of people visiting the city, it is actually about the city’s capacity to accommodate them, where in most examples the local community is left out of the planning equation. Eventually clubbed together with the pressure of excessive place promotion and rapid transformations it may eventually transform or completely alter the core dialectics of “community place relationship” that includes the place identity, its experience and attachment. Pushkar is a small town, located in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan, around 14 km away from the city of Ajmer. Considered as the tirtha raj, it has been a prime Hindu pilgrimage site since ages. After the 1980s’ it has also observed a sudden influx of international tourists as well, making it a popular tourist destination for both the religiously inclined Hindu population as well as the western tourists. These crosscultural identities have not only influenced the economy in Pushkar but because of Indian schemes such as HRIDAY, PRASAD and Incredible India among others the town has observed an exponential increase in terms of domestic as well as international tourists for the past few decades. Around 40 lakh tourists visit the city annually when the city’s area is just around 3.36 sq. km and the total population is only 21,685 (2011, census). This has led to an inevitable contestation of resources and transformation in the core dialects of community place relationship. The thesis is an attempt to attenuate the impact of over tourism on the community place relationship through the spatial inquiry of resident’s lived experience considering the physical and visual transformations that have taken place in thepreceding decades, highlighting the gaps in the existing heritage management proposals and initiatives by the government. As an outcome of the thesis, the design proposal through the strategies of tourist dispersal and community inclusive development, attempts to de-stress the core of the town and improve the quality of life for the locals, such that the resident community do not suffer under the pressure of over tourism.