Impact of tourism on quality of life: a case of Shimla, Himanchal Pradesh/

Abstract

Shimla is one of the 80 hill stations which were established in preferred locations during British rule in India. It was the summer capital of pre-independent India, planned and developed for a maximum population of 25,000 in a picturesque hill setting. The hill town now has 1.69 lakh inhabitants and a floating population of over 75,000 people. The rising number of tourists observed in the last two decades has impacted Shimla town, which till just three years ago faced an acute drinking water crisis in summer, has been ranked as the most liveable among 62 cities with a population under a million in the 2020 Ease of Living Index (EoLI). 90% of building constructions in the city are over a 60-degree slope which is against norms and standards making Shimla the most vulnerable city in Himachal Pradesh. Shimla is one of the 80 hill stations which were established in preferred locations during British rule in India. It was the summer capital of pre-independent India, planned and developed for a maximum population of 25,000 in a picturesque hill setting. The hill town now has 1.69 lakh inhabitants and a floating population of over 75,000 people. The rising number of tourists observed in the last two decades has impacted Shimla town, which till just three years ago faced an acute drinking water crisis in summer, has been ranked as the most liveable among 62 cities with a population under a million in the 2020 Ease of Living Index (EoLI). 90% of building constructions in the city are over a 60-degree slope which is against norms and standards making Shimla the most vulnerable city in Himachal Pradesh. The study aims to comprehensively understand the impact of tourism on the Quality of Life of residents of Shimla City, in the last two decades. In order to do that, it utilizes a combination of indicators from three different indices to assess the impact on residents, focusing on the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) area, which is considered the city area of Shimla. The study adopts a multi-dimensional approach to evaluate the difference in impact on the Quality of Life of residents residing near and far from tourist spots, taking into consideration various aspects. Data from the primary household survey and secondary sources, such as government reports, statistical databases, and research papers, are collected and analysed to generate insights for Difference-in-impact analysis. Based on that analysis, it is observed that the residents near the tourist spots have more deterioration rate in their Quality of Life than residents residing far from tourist spots in Shimla city. Major problems affecting residents’ Quality of Life of residents are lack of parking spaces, traffic congestion, soil erosion, increase in landslides frequency and sinking zones, rise in youths’ drug addiction, air pollution, water pollution, light pollution, noise pollution, etc. but at the same time tourist places turn out to be the major happy places for residents resulting in enhancement of their Quality of Life. The study tries to achieve an understanding of how tourists impact the area’s resident life over the years with which all sectors have a maximum impact due to the growth of the tourism sector. The study's findings can be used to make plans and informed decisions to balance the relationship between the tourism sector and the Quality of life of Shimla city residentsIn order to do that, it utilizes a combination of indicators from three different indices to assess the impact on residents, focusing on the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) area, which is considered the city area of Shimla. The study adopts a multi-dimensional approach to evaluate the difference in impact on the Quality of Life of residents residing near and far from tourist spots, taking into consideration various aspects. Data from the primary household survey and secondary sources, such as government reports, statistical databases, and research papers, are collected and analysed to generate insights for Difference-in-impact analysis. Based on that analysis, it is observed that the residents near the tourist spots have more deterioration rate in their Quality of Life than residents residing far from tourist spots in Shimla city. Major problems affecting residents’ Quality of Life of residents are lack of parking spaces, traffic congestion, soil erosion, increase in landslides frequency and sinking zones, rise in youths’ drug addiction, air pollution, water pollution, light pollution, noise pollution, etc. but at the same time tourist places turn out to be the major happy places for residents resulting in enhancement of their Quality of Life. The study tries to achieve an understanding of how tourists impact the area’s resident life over the years with which all sectors have a maximum impact due to the growth of the tourism sector. The study's findings can be used to make plans and informed decisions to balance the relationship between the tourism sector and the Quality of life of Shimla city residents Shimla is one of the 80 hill stations which were established in preferred locations during British rule in India. It was the summer capital of pre-independent India, planned and developed for a maximum population of 25,000 in a picturesque hill setting. The hill town now has 1.69 lakh inhabitants and a floating population of over 75,000 people. The rising number of tourists observed in the last two decades has impacted Shimla town, which till just three years ago faced an acute drinking water crisis in summer, has been ranked as the most liveable among 62 cities with a population under a million in the 2020 Ease of Living Index (EoLI). 90% of building constructions in the city are over a 60-degree slope which is against norms and standards making Shimla the most vulnerable city in Himachal Pradesh. The study aims to comprehensively understand the impact of tourism on the Quality of Life of residents of Shimla City, in the last two decades. In order to do that, it utilizes a combination of indicators from three different indices to assess the impact on residents, focusing on the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) area, which is considered the city area of Shimla. The study adopts a multi-dimensional approach to evaluate the difference in impact on the Quality of Life of residents residing near and far from tourist spots, taking into consideration various aspects. Data from the primary household survey and secondary sources, such as government reports, statistical databases, and research papers, are collected and analysed to generate insights for Difference-in-impact analysis. Based on that analysis, it is observed that the residents near the tourist spots have more deterioration rate in their Quality of Life than residents residing far from tourist spots in Shimla city. Major problems affecting residents’ Quality of Life of residents are lack of parking spaces, traffic congestion, soil erosion, increase in landslides frequency and sinking zones, rise in youths’ drug addiction, air pollution, water pollution, light pollution, noise pollution, etc. but at the same time tourist places turn out to be the major happy places for residents resulting in enhancement of their Quality of Life. The study tries to achieve an understanding of how tourists impact the area’s resident life over the years with which all sectors have a maximum impact due to the growth of the tourism sector. The study's findings can be used to make plans and informed decisions to balance the relationship between the tourism sector and the Quality of life of Shimla city residents