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NETWOKK We invite Network members to contribute to the Network Letter


by sharing their work, ideas and plans through these pages.
NEWS
KOUNDUP
Communication is vital to the life of a Network, especially when
physical distances cannot easily be bridged by closer contacts. ALTERNATIVE NETWORK LETTER
The European NetworR A Third World Tourism Critique
a departure from the normal practise of reporting on a number of events and
developments within the growing international networks, we are reporting mainlv on a
Reaching us
visit to members of the Tourism European Network in December 1989. For Private Circulation Only Vol. 6 No. 1 February 1990
We have a new phone number: 542.313. The code for India
Following the International Seminar on Alternative Tourism in Tamanrasset, is 91, and followed by (0)812 for Bangalore. Call between
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 1ST on weekdays, or until 1 p.m. on
Algeria, I visited TEN members in 4 countries, some for the first time. This was
coordinated by Rev Martin Staebler, the TEN Coordinator, ably assisted by
Ludmilla Tu~ting and other friends in Europe.
In Stuttgart, it was opportune that Reggie Gomes of the Goa Research Institute
~:;aturdays. We are trying to arrange for calls to be diverted
to another number outside hou~, but this might take
some time.
T HE year has begun well for India, with a new government at the reins
in New Delhi: having asked for a clear break from the shoddy politics
of the last five years, the people will keenly monitor the performance
of those who have received our mandate.
TOURISM IN NEPAL:
Who benefits?
for Development was present at the same time. GRID had produced a report Our new telex number is 0845-8600 escI IN (ATTN 007). Ms Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister for Environment and Forests, has moved
by Binod Bhattarai
on the Socio-economic Impact of Tourism in Goa, and Reggie was able to This is a 24--hour reception service. cables can addressed in asking the Uttar Pradesh government to review its plans for tourism

T
discuss tourism issues from a Goan perspective, leading into my presentation to EQUATIONS BANGALORE. OURISM, some say is all benefits: it brings new jobs and the much
development in the Gangotri region of the Himalayas. On the other
of the situation at the overall national level. This was at a meeting with We look forward to hearing from you. hand, the Tourism Ministry has stated its intention to continue with the policy needed hard currency. In addition, it also promotes an exchange and
ecumenical media persons. of the previous government, based on the May 1988 report of the National understanding between the visitors and the host population. Others
Later, there were several other meetings: with staff of various ecumenical Committee on Tourism. charge it hurts: with the economic relief tourism brings to developing
agencies; with students of Hohingen University who are preparing a visual Tourism Ecumenical European Networ~. Stutt\:1art economies, it also brings something that is uncalled for.
display on Goan tourism for ITB '90; and, of course, planning for future Those who have been asking for a change in tourism policy will continue
It destroys the local culture, pollutes the environment and dismantles local
A German television crew was recently in Goa, and was able to recoro to do so: in fact our expectations will be greater. The presence of people like
collaboration with Martin Staebler. On the final day, a press conference had economies. The inflationary forces that corne with tourism stay on for long after
extensive material on current tourism issues in this part of India. Although brief Ms Gandhi in the Cabinet, the reconstitution of the Planning Commission to
been set up by the Green Party at the Bundeshaus in Bonn. the visitors have left, leaving the locals to suffer the punch. Th is comes in the
portions have been shown on West German television, it will be possible to incl ude a range of SOcially aware persons, among other developments, fuel our
At Brussels, in the absence ofTEN-Belgium's Mils Roekaert, I was graciously forms of artificial price hikes and the remains of the copied alien values.
produce a half-hour documentary for educational use. TEN-Germany is in the hopes. The task of governance over a country so vast and complex as India has
hosted by Kris Savat, who also arranged a half-day press conference. This to Also with tourism comes an imported consumer culture like the denims,
process of doing so, in time for the International Tourism Fair at Berlin in March never been easy, but political power is vested with a purpose. And that purpose
me was a most useful encounter, since the group in Belgium is at a nascent 1990, where Goan tourism concerns will be a major focus of the Tourism with tee-shirts and drugs that infect the host population. Kathmandu has not been
stage, and there was plenty of time for detailed discussions. I was later driven is always defined by society and its needs. It would be illusory - even dangerous spared the deluge. Narcotic drugs, which were unknown prior to the
Insight groups. - to contemplate of any power as permanent, of any support as unconditional.
by Dominic Verhoeven to Maastricht, just inside the Dutch border. days, reached the streets with the visitors who come here in search of
There, I met Brigitte Sie, a member of the Dutch Third World Tourism Write to Rev Martin Staebler, ZEB, Gerokstr. 17, 7000 Stuttgart 1, FR\Jt::lll1ally. Tourism is only a part of the larger change that we are hoping for: over the Today almost every third street-kid in the city's tourist quarters at Thamel or
Foundation, who writes for the development education journal, BIJEEN. Our past five years or so, the environmental movement in India has emerged as one Jhochhen has been affected by the copied culture. It has become a rule rather
conversation lasted several hours, and she was well informed of tourism issues of the best organised the world over, encompassing a wide range of issues and than the exception.
Resources
Iil
in India, making it easy to discuss matters in The kids who would have been more at home in classrooms like other
At the office of the Foundation in Nijmegen, it was good to renew contact children of their age are today's most noticeable sufferers of this side-effect of
Tourism Concern Newsletter, Issue 1, Autumn 1989, Tourism Concern, 8 S1.
with Kees van Teefelen, and learn more of each others' work, exploring areas
Mary's Terrace, Ryton, Tyne and Wear, NE 40 3AL, U.K. Winds of Change mass tourism. The stray penny falling into their palms once in a while has
of mutual cooperation. I also spoke of alternative travel possibil ities with aformer become an addiction. Being able to speak in gibberish french, German and
staff person from the India workgroup in Utrecht. This new publication is an attempt to change the one-way focus of current English and hounding the tourists for the rupee has become part of their lives.
The two-day programme in London was hectic and tiring, though well perceptions about tourism and to assert the essential equality of host and guest ideological pOSItIOns. Pollution of natural resources, Bhopal, traditional But who cares. Industry pundits, blindly rushing after reaching the tourism
organised by Alison Stancliffe ofTourism Concern. First, a lecture-discussion that lies at the heart of worthwhile travel experiences. Write to editor Alison fisherfolk, Chipko (and its counterpart, Appiko, in Karnataka), Baliapal, Kaiga targets for the year 2000 ann beyond, seem to have little thought to what
with staff and students of the MA in Anthropology of Tourism at Stancliffe for a sample copy. and Koodangulam the list is endless. The litmus testforthe new government might happen the day after.
Roehampton Institute, hosted by Dr Tom Selwyn. Then, a radio-interview by could well be the Narmada Sagar dam project, opposition to which has resulted Going by rough population projections that Nepal may count about 20
Nick Rankin of BBC World Service, followed by a late-night meeting with Alison Economic Issues of Tourism, Centre for Responsible Tourism, 2 I(pn<;.;naton in the rallying of an unprecedented number of groups and individuals million people by century-end and assuming the target is met, there will be
and other friends. On the second day, Frank Barrett of The Independent Road, San Anselmo, CA 94960, USA. countrywide. one touristfor every 20 Nepalis. Trying to visualise what the crowd will be like
interviewed me for their travel column, and this was followed by a full day of The report of consultation IV of the North American Network for Responsible Nor are the Indian people alone in asking for change. Recent developments in major urban settlements like Kathmandu and Pokhara when the one million
meetings with various people in the work of Tourism Concern and the TEN­ Tourism provides an overview of the economic imbalance between countries :n Eastern Europe and China have left many political theorists and others happens is frightening
UK network. of the North and South, and the role played by tourism in this context, in the breathless. EI Salvador and the Philippines could be foreseen, and even diehard The situation is however not as hopeless as it appears. Right steps taken today
My thanks to all who helped in organising meetings, hosted me at their paper by Prof. William Tabb. Presentations by other participants are South Africa has become less so. can help save tomorrow.
homes, and contributed to making the concerns of India better known through also included. The World Tourism Organisation and the sociaiist government of Algeria have In some countries there have emerged crusade-groups who claim to have
this brief visit. Apologies to friends in Austria and Switzerland, that for reasons agreed to establish an International Centre for Responsible Tourism at the answer: saner, gentler alternatives for today's mass tourism. The dharma
beyond my control I could not accept their kind invitations. Tourism in Tasmania Blessing or Blight: A discussion paper, by Michael Tamanrasset, a small Saharan town close to the borders of Mali and Niger. While of these groups that promote the alternatives: equal benefits both social and
Lynch, Tasmanian Institute for Independent Policy Studies, Australia, May 1988. some participants (at the seminar on Alternative Tourism held at Tamanrasset economic to the tourists as well as the hosts. The host population should not
This paper presents a "green" philosophy of tourism for Tasmania and studies last November) were not entirely satisfied with this decision, it is significant be looked UDon as the monkey-in-the-zoo and the tourists as invaders from
Heritaae Interpretation International specific issues which have a major impact on the direction of future tourism. that some steps - however tentative are being taken in the direction of a another
Hawaii. 1991 Included is a list of key elements of an environmentally responsible tourism new kind of tourism, and that this initiative has emerged from the industry, not Another idea that is taking shape is that of atourism with and
i}\'l'rledl
To he held at Honolulu, Hawaii in November 1991, the 3rd Global for Tasman ia. from its critics.
Congress of HI! will be co-sponsored by the University of Hawaii and But the job of the critics is not yet over. Bob Dylan's song of hope
Eastern Michigan University. The congress focus will be: "Interpretation, Himal, P.O. Bo)(.42, Lalitpur, many hundreds of thousands in the post-Vietnam war era: it rings even truer INSIDE
Preservation, and the Travellndustry'~ Organised trienially, prior heritage This bi-monthly magazine reports on the social, economic. cultural and Our job will now be to recognise the signs of change, and harness them International Centre ........ .. . 4
interpretation congresses were held in Coventry, England (1988) and in a positiv~~, creative end. And to do so more effectively than ever before,
environmental aspects of life in the Himalayan region. Vo!'2, No.3 is a special The Last Battle .......... . .................... 5
Banff, Alberta (1985). For detai Is write to: Dr. Gabe Cherem, Co-Chai r, Th" ff1'-' Ie ;c An thp t1P\loi.,nrnont rof tn. Irjcm hQ hln\J\!n ;:l'~"';)\/ ''''l
h" th p \fUr" \A!'n~C f)n \/i,h;rh tho" '''n h0rpr.

HI! 1991 Honolulu Congress, f:MU Department ot Geography,


• , • "- ' ............... -' ,~, ~~,. ~ •• ~ .......... , -....' '" I~' ••• ~ •• '" -" ~ '"" ---, .­ ,#'- ' ••' , . . . " " •• ~~"~J '-"-~ '~'} ." " ........ .., ~" . , . " ........ """'-'"1 ............ "" ......... 11 ......

india News & Views 6,


and its and the environment.
MI 48197 USA. Blame it on Rio 11
Paul Gonsalves
Published by: Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS), 96, H Colony. Indiranagar Stage 1, Bangalore 560 038, INDIA.

Design and Phototypesetting; Revisuality Dieitised Typp~ettingand Graphic Design, 42/1 Lavelle Road, Bangalore, India.

2
11
r
Blame it on Rio!
contd. (rom page

understanding. The proponents of this thought feel that everyone in the trade
- the visitors, the hosts, the government and the travel business operators
Counting the Cost
Sir,' , By Doreen Taylor
have certain reponsibilities. Sanity can only come into the business when the
different players of the game abide by the rules. Local populations are usually the last to be consulted if consulted
The cultural impact of tourism in Nepal has been both good and bad. While at all- about tourism developments which happen on their doorstep. Brian went to Rio de Janeiro under doctor's orders,to cure a broken heart. He destination Ipanema on its front, with the address tightly in my hand to show
the visitors have given planners the push to preserve the ancient monuments The social, cultural and environmental impact on their lives of new was mugged five times in four days: twice at gunpoint, three times with a knife, the driver.
and historic sites, the apparent generosity of the individual tourists who flock hotels, attractions and marketing strategies is seldom investigated and twice one day within five minutes. "I've just been robbed, I have nothing;' At lord jim's I met most of the resident gringos in town. Paul, from Scotland,
the Himalayan hinterlands has given birth to hundreds of "one-rupee-sir-kids" beforehand. Quantifyi ng jobs created seems an altogether easier option he pleader!. Unfortunately, they do not speak English in Rio. They took his shorts. was traveling the world witn his friend Lenny. They were both street smart with
along the most frequented trekking destinations. for planners and politicians. But Rio is a guaranteed cure for heartache: you are constantly aware of soft streaks, and they invited meto join them on the beach. It was in lord Jim's
The other area of concern is the environmental impact that results from Perhaps it is because we take our holidays expressly to forget OUT O\'Vn potential danger so there is no room for self-indulgence. I had no broken heart, that they came across Brian and took him in as a lo~ger at their transit camp
uncontrolled mass-tourism. Pulling down trees for cooking which is alarmingly pains that we choose to ignore the unpleasant consequences of our but I had a long-stantling ambition to see Rio's famous carnival. Having been at Copacabana. The two of them had leased aone-bedroom apartment for six
high in trekking routes is stated to be one of the major areas of concern. Then pleasu re-seeking. assured that everybody in the city spoke English and that carnival time was weeks: it now profitably slept five or six transients, grateful for acheap mattress.
come the others - the non-biodegradable refuse and the toi let paper trai Is in When, however, we take our pleasure-seeking further, into the "party, party, party;' , booked a return flight and a room for my first two nights
the mountains. impoverished "paradises" of the Third World, we must surely open our Rio at carnival was full of South Americans from other regions and Copa­
in Copacabana and set out with a carry all filled with bikinis, shorts, T-shirts cabana's beach cafes ItYere full of hard-faced prostitutes. Apart from back-packers,
While blindly running aftertheeconomics of the trade, care should be taken eyes. In the name of mass tourism livelihoods are lost, religious and
and high expectations, but.without aword of Portuguese or even a phrase book. the only unescorted women I met in Lord Jim's after 11 p.m. were hookers on
that this does not end up in the neglect of the other issues that are not measured cultural traditions debased, and natural enviroments dangerously
in monetary terms. degraded. Cocooned, the tourists hear and see nothing. At Copacabana airport I was met by a courier and car, sent by my hotel. The the prowl.
A profitable industry does not happen on its own or by making the entry free­ However much we may resist the idea, we consume such people's foxy-looking female courier ascertained my financial situation as we drove One doctor said 80 percent of Rio's prostitutes had AIDS. OIle hooker I talked
for-all. It is the cost-benefit equation that matters. The question of the costs and experience as part of the holiday product we buy. If we are at last through the dusty streets and as quickly stopped hustling and in her modest to said she didn't care what, when, where or why as long as it paid plenty cash.
benefits again depends on how things are seen. In our context,if one is to draw becoming critical consumers of tourist packages, we can surely include English offered to be my interpreter and guide. She then advised me to remove Whenever I frequented aGerman tavern near the red-light area someone always
conclusions from what little the official records say, it is all benefits. These studies in our quality search quality of life for those whose resources we my gold rings and watch (a cheap 'Timex) and lock them away until it was time staggered in having just been threatened with a knife and mugged. You quickly
however seem to bother little about the costs that do not figure in the balance consume. We can begin to ask about wages and conditions; about to leave Rio. learned only to bring out what you could afford to lose. Every morning there
sheets. environmental safeguards; about local management. We can begin to
hotel was alongside dingy bars, clip joints and pornographic shows; the was a new robbery story: three Swedish men renting an apartment were
If the price that must be paid for turo-dollar means losing the cultural identities demand the restoration of the equal host-guest relationship that lies at
the heart of the best travel experiences. wrong side of town. At 20 Pounds a night, it was more than I intended paying, breakfasting when masked men burst in brandishing guns, forced them to sign
and distorting the natural surroundings, then the price is too high. The most
We are the pipers in the modern industrial market. Let's now playa even using paralelo, the black market exchange which practically doubles your their travellers' cheques and tied them up. They ended by taking a group
reasonable step then will be to look for acheaper bargain, which could mean
different tune as tourists.
money. If I was not approached by a boy in the street, I used the magic word photograph of their victims, throwing them the film and making off with their
taking in only the number of tourists that can be managed.
The alternatives that exist are either to bring in only the top clientele who para/eto to any passer-by, and a man or a shop was pointed out. But generally, camera. The perfect souvenir. "Hello Mum, here I am in Rio:'
Yours faithfully,

pay more and usually travel in groups and are managed by tour operators or the locals were positively hostile. We were warned at a fancy dress party to get out of town fast before the
Alison Stanclitte, 51. Mary's Terrace, Tyne & Wear.

quadruple the present 250,000 tourists per year not caring who comes in, My first search along the streets back from the beach was for a smaller, less carnival. The atmosphere was already electric, sparking with sambo bands
THE TIMES, london, 28 August 1989
what he does and where he goes. expensive hotel, and when that failed I searched for anyone who spoke English. bobbing from cafe to cafe like Pied Pipers with dancers swaying behind them.
Tourism today accounts for about 21 percent of Nepal's total foreign exchange J even tailed the only European-looking person I saw. He turned out to be a
The carnival crowd was what we had expected, but we were not prepared
earnings and its contribution to die Gross Domestic Product is 2.5 percent Scandinavian, and could not speak a word of English.
(1987 statistics). Doomed Mahabaleshwar and Panch~ani Dripping with sweat, I sat on the extremely wide Copacabana beach. The
for the teeming mob gyrating for miles around. There were street vendors at
every few yards yelling and selling drinks, barbecued chicken wings, masks,
Statistics that show tourism's actual costs in terms of the foreign currency that
By Sarosh 8ana sultry sensuous senoritas were as beautiful as rumoured with string bikinis souvenirs; acrobats entertained while the maimed and disabled begged on the
needs to be spent to import the amenities to keep the visitors content are almost
Exuberant construction activity and utter laxity in developmental controls, both emphasising their nearly exposed buttocks (aerobic classes for women periphery. Floats of froth carried bands and dancers, plumes, feathers, sequins,
nonexistent.
In Nepal, pollution, both cultural and environmental, exists but is rarely seen. evidently fueled by black money from Bombay, are dooming the idyllic twin concentrate on the waist down). Macho tarzans of all shades, worked out on diamante and gravity-defying headpieces, and each seemed more splendid and
Very few Nepalis let alone the tourism planners - bother to go out to the hill-resorts of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani in Satara district. rope lifts, played volleyball and battled huge breaker waves, ensuring their original than the last.
hinterlands to see what it is like there. These salubrious townships have been immensely popular with tourists, rippling, oiled torsos were in superb condition. I never removed my shorts while In the crowd we were outnumbered, like the away team at a football match.
To begin we should start thinking in terms of the garbage that has piled up particularly on account of their proximity to Bombay: they are just afive-hour standing about on the beach; anything less than perfect was too embarrassing A cry went up from Brian that he was being body-searched by a thief. Lenny
in the mountains. For almost four decades now, Nepal has hosted tourists drive away. But, unfortunately, this easy accessibility has not only opened the to display. pulled back aclenched fist, and though he was 6 ft 3 in, the crowd turned ugly
coming to see the highest peak in the world. The tourists have in turn "helped" floodgates of tourist traffic, it has also led to a veritable invasion by moneyed I remembered a book on Rio which mentioned that English speaking and started to boo him. We were split up and jostled. One hand flew to my
Nepal create another of the world's highest here - Everest South Col, the world's entrepreneurs who have plunged into real estate wheeling-dealings with gusto, expatriates frequented lord Jim's pub in Ipanema. Normally scornful of crotch to connect with my money-bag; the other clenched my bag and umbrella
highest garbage throwing developmental and environmental norms to the winds. transported British pubs, I was 50 desperate I leapt on the first bus with the against equally sudden and explosive downpours.
The Rising Nepal, 15 September 1989 As a consequence, land prices have spiraled to between RS.5 lakh and Rs.6
lakh per acre for land along the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani Road from Rs.l0,000
per acre barely adecade ago. Trees, several species of which are unique to this
region are hacked indiscriminately to make way for expanding construction.
And thick forest tracts are systematically decimated to fuel the increasing
numbers of cooking and heating fires.
Tourists, who numbered around 20,000 in 1961-62, today descend in droves
exceeding 4 lakh every season which stretches from October to March and
the months of May and June. The resident population has also been on the
upswing (and why not?), swelling from 24,370 in 1961 to over 42,000 at present,
prOjected to touch 55)70 by this century-end. Of them, 46.5 per cent inhabit
the townships, the rest spread over the 58 villages in the vicinity.
According to a 43 page report, Mahahaleshwar-Panchgani: A Case for
Conservation, prepared by the Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG), the
present land use patterns indicate a Floor Space Index (FSI) of 1.33, on par with
the ratio prevailing in a bustling metropolis like Bombay. Moreover, agricultural
lands have been granted permission for reclassification as non-agricultural
:ilnds.
In fact, developers publicly advertise sale of plots or built-up structures which
are unauthorisedly erected on leasehold and freehold properties which
10 3
specifically prohibit such developments. One which invites interested parties
An Appeal Threatened Alps
to contact '1\mir Hotel at 188 Chesson Road, Panchgani" actually proclaims: Death on Holiday
"Land Grab at Forest Hi lis, Mahabaleswar. NCM' you can acquire your own plot A cloud hangs over Pattaya. GrCM'ing numbers ofAsian and Western male visitors
We are upset and disappointed. There was a change of bishops in An avalanche in the form of environmental problems threatens to engulf one of land at Mahabaleshwar by paying just Rs.1250/- initially and balance in equal
of Europe's most popular playgrounds for holiday makers - the Alps. A boom have been dying of heart attacks in Thailand's best-known resort - but their
Mombasa. The new bishop, Bishop Njenga, demands the closing down instalments. Forest Hills. The property opportunity of a lifetime. Grab it now:'
in mass tourism and a steady growth in decaying forests are just two indicators illnesses have apparently been brought on by other than normal holiday­
of the Centre. He regards it as a danger to the parish it belongs to. He Even the already lenient development regulations are flouted, For instance,
of the enormous social and ecological pressure faced by Europe's highest time exertions. In November the Bangkok Post quoted a Pattaya police report as
wants the women to pay a monthly fee of DM 30 for their training. This the BEAG alleges that Hotel Sunny International,supposed to have stilts for car­
mountain range. saying that, of 39 tourist deaths locally due to heart failure thus far in 1989,
request is quite impossible for them to comply with. The women neither parking, has converted the area into a reception lounge. What was permitted
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has just drawn up only four elderly men seemed to have died of natural causes. Many of the others,
have money to pay for their living expenses, nor for their training. This as a basement, stilts and ground-plus-one, but in practice this amounted to
a comprehensive list of the dangers and has put forward a series of remedies all aged between 23 and 40, had taken stimulants and hard drugs. Doctors and
is why they receive a kind of grant from us which enables them to do basement with ground-plus-two.
which it says must be enacted quickly. police in Pattaya, which attracted 900,000 foreign tourists to its sandy beaches
what life has so far denied them. The money we support them with does In the regional plan, the land earmarked for residential purposes has
'1\n unbelievable number of 41,000 ski courses, masts for ski lifts and ugly and throbbing night-life last year, have become worried about a new and deadly
not come from Bishop Njenga, but from your donations. been more than tripled from 167.05 to 509.96 hectares by including the
villages of concrete and asphalt are ruining the landscape;' says the organisation's crime wave where prostitutes and drugs are part of avicious method of robbery
Jenny, who had just started a training as an office clerk, writes: ''I'm leasehold properties within the future residential areas. The BEAG has which can end up in murder.
director-general, Martin W. Holdgate. He also bemoans the stripping afforests
without food, have not got the money to buy soap or clothes. Surely recommended Government sanction of the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani Regional
to make way for golf courses and the traffic jams that clog many resorts at Police quickly uncovered a gang that included some foreigners, and on
you remember my parents who are ill and poor and depend on me. I Plan 1984-2001 which had been submitted some five years ago. The plan
weekends. Dec. 11 issued arrest warrants for two Pakistanis and seven others, said to be
don't know what to do:' recommends that these leasehold properties be indicated as green zones and
Each year,more than 100 million people visit the Alps. That is eight times from West Asia. But the pattern continues: two more young foreigners have died
We are very upset at the Bishop's attitude, and consider his decision the region's population and about the same number as visit the beaches of the there should be no increase in the residential area of Mahabaleshwar except
as marginally required for the legitimate needs of the local population. in suspicious circumstances since. Police think at least a fifth of the 20,000 or
perfectly arbitrary. We have asked Misereor to intelVene, and are hoping Mediterranean/ Europe's other major centre of tourism. so bar-girls in Pattaya are drug addicts, and work with robbers to seduce men
for positive results. Another possibility, dear friends, would be to write The problem began in the early 1960's when the growth of winter sports led The Department of Environment had also recommended in its report on the
Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani plateau that "ecological considerations and its and persuade them to take heroin. The deaths compound the tCM'n's problems:
to the Bishop expressing your personal protest and disappointment. to the creation of a giant infrastructure that has since spread deep into the authorities are already struggling with pollution, a tap water shortage and
He has good connections with German parishes and even speaks mountains. The use of snow cannon in warm winter months/ helicopter ski carrying capacity should place certain restrictions on any expansion of building
activity which has become counterproductive. Unless checked now, the entire warnings of an AIDS epidemic. But, with a future in both tourism and as the
German; he apparently is getting a lot of support. His address is: Bishop tours and even the latest craze - mountain bikes, have added to the difficulties pivot of the massive Eastern Seaboard development project, Pattaya is seriously
Njenga, cIa Bishop's tIouse, P.O. Box 8313], Mombasa, Kenya. faced by the environment. rJlateau may well be destroyed within a decade and be rendered unfit for human
lbitation:' concerned about cleaning up its image.
Recently, an important and encouraging event has happened within Huge numbers of apartments and chalets built to accommodate vacationers
have radically altered the face of traditional mountain villages. Today, many It is yet not too late to act. INDIAN EXPRESS, 7 June, 1989 ASIAWEEK, January 5, 1990
ConciIiary Process. Participants of the European Ecumenical Assembly
on two boats, sailing from Rotterdam to Basel against the stream on resemble the concrete housing complexes of big cities and are totally dependent
the Rhine river, stopped at st. Goar. We, together with other church on tourism.
groups, welcomed them. We presented our project to them and sent a The environmentalists say they do notwantto curtail tourism, but would like SEED

to see ashih of emphasis from downhill skiing, which they believe encourages (Sahyadri Ecolo~ Education Documentation)

message to the delegates in Basel. Our SOLWODI team, supported by


aggression. Instead, they feel more should be done to promote cross-country
Goa Update
a few women and men from the local parish, by means of a short sketch,
skiing and hiking/ which pose less of a challenge to the environment. Sahyadri (Western Ghats) ranges stretching 2000 kms. on India's western coast
put forth the problems and causes of sex tourism. In the past.:; months, the tourism scene in Goa has witnessed
The nature conservation union has just launched a new study into the green­ and passing through the states of Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maha­
The girls, we are helping are not the unscrupUlous, frivolous persons house effect - global warming caused by pollution that stops enough heat from rashtra and Gujarat is of crucial ecological importance to the whole world. seveJal happenin~. In earty November, demonstrations by the JGf
they often are taken for. These women very often have a family to the earth radiating into space. One of the main fears is that an increase in (Vigilant Goans Anny) and re,siclents of Saligao village urged action
SEED is a group/centre engaged in the study, documentation and dissemi­
support, they are mothers and daughters whc1 worry about their temperature could cause glaciers to melt and lead to widespread flooding in nation of ecological problems of the Western Ghats region. We combine on various fronts: pressure on local water resources by new hotels,
relatives, struggling hard to sUlVive. We sent a suitcase to BaseL on the Alps. Holdgate says he hopes the new study will contribute to an Alpine professionalism with ideology while focussing on issues. This means that we the Anjuna flea market, the proliferation of drug-running in coastal
which labels with slogans and banknotes were pasted, and we were Protection Law, which he would like to see enacted in the next five years. aim to make effective use of the media, courts and public education measures. villages, and ecological damage such as removal of sand-dunes.
happy to hear that the subject was taken up at the Assembly. A first step in this direction will be made soon by officials from the seven We also act as a·link between grassroots workers and scientists, academicians, Leaflets were distributed to German Condor-tourists. The role of
Through the media you have surely heard about the Philippine women nations bordering the 1,200 kilometre long mountain chain. wildlife experts, media persons and lawyers. At present we are campaigning German multinationals was emphasised, including the J\empinski
who have recently been arrested in some larger cities of the federal on the following issues: Hotel, Steigenberger consultants, and Lufthansa-Condor.
THE RISING NEPAL, 3 October, 1989
Republic of Germany. They have been locked up in tiny flats and 1. to protect the forests of Pooyamkutty in Kerala from destruction (the proposed Despite the relatively short notice at which national elections were
employed as domestic workers - some of them were paid only DM 300 high dams there will submerge 5000 Ha. and ultimately destroy 400 sq.km. held in November, tourism activists evolved a strategy of
- a month part of which they had sent home to support their About EQUATIONS, Briefly of precious forest.) campaigning for those candidates who actively oppose five-star
families. Their families had undergone great financial sacrifices to send tourism.
With this issue of the ANL, we reach abenchmark. Established in 1985 following 2. to get all the rainforest areas in the Western Ghats to be declared as natural
the girls to Germany. In one case, the whole village had contributed, In mid~february, a candlelight demonstration was held in front of
the 1984 Chiangmai Workshop, EQUATIONS is five years old. Our involvement heritage and protected as sanctuaries.
in another case the family sold their one carabao, a water buffalo. None the Secretariat in Partiim, by the Citizens Concerned Against
of them had any idea what awaited them in this country. in tourism issues in India has helped in deepening our understanding and ,.,. to protect the vital wildlife sanctuaries in the Western Ghats from being
Tourism. They demanded a halt to the midnight beach parties at
Recently we had a visitor from Kenya. This person told us about the sharpening our critique. tampered and destroyed. This includes the Nilgiri Biosphere (MAB Project)
As a result, we have also felt the urgent necessity of placing tourism on the Anjuna. That night, police kept a vigil at Anjuna, not allowing the
difficult political situation in the country. The Govemment promotes comprising Nagarahole NP, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Mudumalai WLS, SiJent
agenda of other concerns, in away that the struggle against exploitative tourism party to take place. Beach parties have become notorious for drug­
tourism above all as its main source of income. Everything endangering Valley NP and Wynaad WLS, the Anamalai - Anamudi Conservation Unit
might be broader based. During 1989 we participated in several events with comprising Eravikulam (NP), Parambikulam (WLS) Chinnar (WLS) and Indira dealing and related abuses.
this is treated as a threat to the existing political system. All massive
precisely this intention. Gandhi (WLS) and also the Periyar and Agasthyarmalai Conservation Units. Meanwhile, membelS of the Green Party of West Germany have
disadvantages and grave consequences don't seem to matter. Apart from our involvement in the Kanyakumari March reported in an earlier
4. to extend support to the campaigns against the nuclear power plants comi ng been in Goa to express their concern over German corporate
Prostitution is one of these consequences, although it is prohibited by issue, KT Suresh took part in a national consultation on Child Labour in India,
up at Kaiga (Karnataka) and Koodangulam (Tami Inadu). And also against the involvement in negative tourism development. Representatives of
law. However, too many persons profit from it: the police, the taxi drivers, along with others representing 70 voluntary organisations countrywide. Suresh
concentrated mining activities in Goa. the JGF are also expected to participate in the Intemational
the waiters, the bar owners. Even 'loitering for the purpose of presented apaper on Tourism and Child Prostitution, relating it to the larger issues Tourism Fair in West Berlin during early March, to express their
prostitution' is prohibited, which means that any woman may be of the consultation, held at Bhopal in mid-Odober. 5. to prevent the destruction of the unique ecology of the backwaters in Kerala.
views directly to the tourism industry.
controlled. Couples walking together in the evening must prove that In December, Mary Nirmala and Suresh took part in amajornationa! workshop 6. to help protect endangered species in the Western Ghats from extinction.
the woman indeed is no prostitute. As prostitution is illegal, the women on Social Movements, Human Rights and the Law, in Bombay. Representatives As a result of appeals made by the Goa Foundation, Ms Maneka
SEED is very concerned about the environmental impact of tourism, especially Gandhi, Union Minister of Environment, has directed demolition
are treated like criminals. If they are mishandled, they have none to tum from the Goan anti-tourism front jGF were also present, and tourism issues were
with reference to point 3, where tourism oriented development is playing a of expansions by existing hotels, and called for a halt to new hotel
to. highlighted, especially in the discussion on environment.
We intend to continue this trend in 1990, with at least one initiative from our big role in tampering and destroying wildlife parks. SAVARI, a sister concern, construction. She also plans to visit Goa to see for herself the
Sr. Lea Ackermann, Marion Feuerstein-Tubach, Karin Gappisch is exploring ways and means of authentic alternatives, as also ecological tourism.
side. Anational seminar on Tourism, Environment and the Law is planned between ecological damage now taking place. Informed source1? say that
(From Newsletter 13, 1989, SOLWODI, Solidarity with Women in Distress, Probstei - Str. Al/(lll~t )/).:~o Plprl~p writp to II~ if VOl I rirp int13rp,t13d in mrtirimtinD Ipttinl' '" For more derails, please write to: these moves have put the industry on the defensive.
iiirLelidch, 5407 BopparJ j, West lJermany.), kn~ ho~ you c~uld contrib~t~t~ the-discu~si~n-~nci ~th~;~-~~i·~(~s. -,,- .~--
The So:wodi contact person in Kenya is Ms Anna Sankei Catholic Parish/Makupa, p.o. Anand Skaria, Secretary, SEED, Post Box 14, Cochin-682 001, Kerala, INDIA.
Box 86821, Mombasa, KenYiL
4 9

Hotels vs. Forests in Orissa International Centre for


History for Sale A Brooding Glory
Despite the Responsible Tourism
For Vietnam, war is about to become a major tourist weapon. The Hanoi
"Opening in October," announces a notice-board at the railway
station in Sisaket, northeastern Thailand. Attached to the sign are
j. B. Patnaik government has after all An International Centre for Responsible Tourism will be set up shortly at war museum, with its antiquated Soviet rocket launchers and downed
numerous recent photographs of the Khmer temple of Phra, Vihear,
vast expanses of reserve forests and a wildl ife sanctuary on Tamanrasset, a town of increasing touristic importance in the Algerian Sahara. u.s. planes even the tank that smashed through the gates of the Saigon a crumbIng cliff-top complex that was for many years the focus of a
to private hoteliers for luxury beach resorts. This decision was taken at a Seminar on Alternative Tourism organised by the presidential palace in 1975 is being dressed for visitors. English labels
bitter border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. In 1962 the
World Tourism Organisation, and hosted by the Government of Algeria, already adorn its spruced-up tanks and guides dispense a heavily loaded
After a lull over one year, fresh efforts have been clandestinely initiated by World Court awarded it to Phnom Penh, even though its perch makes
November 27-30, 1989. account of the murderous maChinery. Located near the final resting place
the Orissa government to lease out prime land to famous hotel groups like the it virtually inaccessible from the Cambodian side. Tourists continued
Nearly eighty participants attended the Seminar, roughly .half from other of revolutionary hero Ho Chi Minh, the macabre museum is but one irony
Oberois, Hyatt Regency and the Clarke, for locating five-star resorts amidst the to enter the temple from Thailand for a while after the ruling, but
countries, though only one of the international participants was from the in Vietnam's emerging peace-time offensive - luring its erstwhile enemies
natural serenity of the Puri-Konark beach. To push through the barter, a reserve it has been off-limits since 1975, when the Khmer Rouge took power
'Third World'. Five basic papers were presented, including a background back to a country bidding for capitalism's tourism and business bucks.
forest has been denotified in the process and the protected status of a wildlife in Cambodia. Sisaket officials think the situation will soon change.
document from the WTG. Prof Bernard Morucci Prof Anthony Travis, Mr Peter "Vietnam is one of the most favourable places for foreign invesbnent
sanctuary withdrawn by the state government. f
"We expect thousands of Thai tourists every week," says provincial
Zimmer, Mr Jean-Marie Bergeret and Mr Paul Gonsalves presented the other in the world;' says government economic adviser Le Dang Doanh. "We're governor Thawat Pothisunthorn. "We're planning to build restau­
According to highly-placed sources in the state secretariat, a high-powered papers. Several other papers and reports were read by those participating. aware that we don't have enough people in management, but we do have
committee has been set up to fi nalise the deal. Comprising the Chief Secretary, The mai n cond usions and recommendations of the Semi nar were as follows:
rants, souvenir shops, rest stops and so on to accommodate the flow."
a cheap labour force:' For many, the stumbling block remains Vietnam's
Those ambitions may be jumping the gun. Thailand does not
Forest Secretary and the Revenue Secretary, the committee is slated to have
already scrutinised the proposals of the three hotel barons and given its assent.
* Sustainable tourism development is viable, if the positive effects can be troop presence in Cambodia. But with a Vietnamese pullout promised
by the end of September, the West's decade-Iong-aid-and-trade embargo recognise the Phnom Penh government, whose soldiers occupy the
maximised and the negative effects minimised through integrated planning,
The proposals currently await formal clearance of the state government. shouid finally end. Can a global invasion ofbusiness suits and blue-jeaned temple today (they get in by struggling up a tortuous and dangerous
appropriate legislation, education and training.
path). Moreover, negotiations to end Cambodia's ten-year conflict are
The Chief Minister, Mr. Patnaik at a meeting with local hoteliers in the state
Secretariat during the first week of August is also learnt to have indicated that
* Instead of the term 'alternative' tourism, the term 'responsible tourism' tourists be far behind?
The advance forces have already landed, Last year 30,000 tourists bogged down without any sure sign of settlement. There have
should be used for all forms of tourism which respect the host natural, built certainly been feelers about opening the temple. Phnom Penh's
the decks have almost been cleared for setting up the luxury beach resorts. and cultural environments, and the interests of all the parties concerned. visited Vietnam, according to its tourism office in Bangkok, double 1987's
premier, Hun Sen, talked to Thai officials about it during his visit to
Besides the proposals of the Oberois, Hyatt Regency and the Clarke groups,
16 applications from local entrepreneurs for allocation of sites on the beach
* An International Centre for Responsible Tourism should be established at
numbers. This year more than 50,000 are expected to tour the
,npoverished country. As for business, Hanoi issued licences in 1988 for Bangkok in May. Though no details or conditions have been
Tamanrasset, with research, education, training and information functions. discussed. the border regions needed no further encouragement
are also pending consideration of the government.
Of the proposals by the three premier hotel groups, one pursued by the
* The Centre could utilize the expertise and experience from tour operators
50 foreign-investment projects worth about $300 million. Gianluca
Cicogna, director of Hongkong-based ItaJ-Viel, is one of the growing anny than the thaw signalled by Hun Sen's trips. Enthusiastic Sisaket civil
and national parks authorities of Ahaggar and Tassili, as well as of free-enterprise soldiers. Cicogna is planning a $5(X),(XX) business centre servants contacted their counterparts in Cambodia's Preah Vihear
Oberois is the most controversial. For, if the Oberois has its way, the luxury valuable inputs to the Hotel and Tourism Institute to be established at Province and went to scout out the ruins. Now they are waiting for
resort would come up in contravention of all conservation laws and overruling in the fonner South Vietnamese capital of Saigon. Says Cicogna: "I think
Tamanrasset by the Algerian Government and all those concerned with
we'll make money" the tourists - and their money - to start rolling
departmental objections. issues relating to tourism and environment.
Hanoi, to date, has been less fortunate than Ho Chi Minh City in the When they do (and it may be long after October), they will find the
The chosen 70-acre plot came under a reserve forest, A report of the Seminar, including background documents, is to be published foreign-investment and tourism sweep stakes. But even in the capital, sights well worth the fourteen-year wait. The 850-meter sandstone
the Indian Forests Act. Its status as a reserve forest denied rights to put the land by the WTO (Capitan Haya 42, 28020 Madrid, Spain). bureaucracy is slowly catching on to what visitors want: reasonable complex rises from a steep stone staircase through three gopura ­
under any use other than forestry purposes. The Orissa government, however The meeting concluded with an overnight visit to the Assekrem plateau in accommodation, passable food and several must-see attractions. The pavilions -linked by sloping walkways to the main sanctuary. Built
notification de-reserved the entire stretch of forests in Konark west block. the midst of the breathtaking views of the Hoggar. Here the French mystic Thong Nhat Hotel. a run-down building in the centre of the 1ree-lined city, on a spur of the border-marking Dongrek range, the lofty edifice
remained a hitch. The prized plot was found to fall under a protected Charles de Foucauld constructed asimple Hermitage in 1910, devoting his days has been slated for renovation by a French company. Plans are to restore presides over a sheer 600-metre drop and spectacular panorama.
wildlife sanctuary. This obstacle too was subsequently removed by the to work and prayer, before he was shot in the head by villagers known to him, the dusty, dilapidated hovel to the glory of its halcyon days before the That, in fact. is the main attraction. "It's not so much the structures
government. By a notification in December 1987, it was oroclaimed that the in 1916. war. As for attractions, aside from the museum there is another war that make Phra Vihear so beautiful," says Thailand's most eminent
70-acre plot would no more fall under the sanctuary. At the Seminar, some participants suggested that the proposed Centre be memorial: the Ho Chi Minh trail. A senior government official has archaeologist, Prince Subhadradis Diskul. "It's the breathtaking view."
specialised in arid zone or Sahara tourism, or be located elsewhere. Tamanrasset
The government's motives are dearly suspect. Following reports ayear ago, suggested the once-vital 6()()-km North Vietnamese supply route be Phra Vihear was begun about A.D.900 and finished 250 years later.
is part of a politically and environmentally fragile region, and there could be
the government initially admitted the move to lease out parts of the beach to
unforeseen consequences of establishing a large-scale Centre here. This view
spruced up for trekking tours. Most of the construction took place in the reign of King Suryavarman
hotel iers but in the face of public protests announced that the plans have been
was acknowledged, but overruled by abroad range of consensus favouring its
Finally, there is Ho Chi Minh himself. The revered socialist leader lies I (1005-1050), a worshipper of Shiva, the Hindu god of creation and
shelved.
establishment .as proposed.
in a Russian-built mausoleum, available for scrutiny on special request destruction to whom the temple is dedicated. The walls of the
The de-notification of the reserve forest in the entire Konark west block was only. Those who manage to join the line for a 6(}second peek at one of pavilions are mostly down, but their huge stone blocks up to five
presumably to benefit not just the Oberois but the Clarke group too. This group the 20th century's most extraordinary leaders are seldom disappointed. tons apiece - lie close by. These could be reassembled, according
is stated to have an eye on a 50-acre plot of forest land near Balighai near the Some say the bearded Uncle Ho wears a peaceful look on his embalmed to Prof. Smitthi Siribhadra, an expert on Khmer temples from
Konark Sun temple. And possibly keeping this choice in mind, the Government face - as if he's not displeased with Vietnam's foray into capitalism. Bangkok's Silpakorn University. The roof of the main sanctuary, he
says, has caved in, but some pavilions are little damaged. Restoration
de-reserved not just the 70-acre plot sought by the Oberois but the entire forest In Quotes ASIAWEEK, 1 September, 1989
work could capably be done by French specialists with long
stretch in the Konark west block.
Dr W'illibald Pahr at the First International Tourism Forum.
experience at Angkor. Two French experts went to Phnom Penh in
State forest officials and envi ronmental ists sti II argue that the de-reservations July to offer help with temple renovation, but there can be no official
by the government are violative of the Conservation of Forest Act, 1980 and Switzerland. 1989. The Last Baffle (contd. from page 5)
agreement because Paris does not recognise Hun Sen's government.
the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. initially, and later in the Garhwal hills, through liberal soft loans by financial "We are simply trying to open avenues," said a French Embassy
Ironically, the state government by its de-reservation, has sought to destroy Tourism, particularly in developing countries. also has institutions and handed over to local, educated youth for management. source in Bangkok.
aforest which it itself had grown at an enormous cost. The Puri-Konark beach, an important impact on the social structure within these As the days pass, the situation is getting worse. Traffic congestion is growing,
with a fatality on the roads every week, according to local reports. Privacy for
Phra Vihear's greatest hazard is not the dangerous cliff edge. "There
old timers recount, was barren, and then the state government painstakingly countries. In particular the loss of cultural heritage of are anti-personnel mines all around," says a Thai TV reporter who
grew the forest. And it is this very same forest which the government now seeks people caused by tourism has given rise to a real anti­ atourist is almost non-existent. Ufe is getting costlier and quality of materials
has fallen.
went in with the Sisaket group. "We had to keep strictly to the marked
to clear to make way for star resorts. tourism movement. Finally, many historical and archae­ path:' Although mine-clearing has begun, Thai army rangers still
Noise pollution is almost unbearable in the evenings and smoke from
Tourism, environmentalists admit, would certainly receive a boost with the logical monuments and sites of cultural interest have ousands of hearths pollutes the cooi,dean air blowing from the Himalavas.
keep unauthorised visitors out because of the risk. But they are on
resorts on the beach. But the price would have to be paid in the form of blatant suffered from the many, and sometimes too reckless, As Sanon says, "Mussoorie has been invaded by builders and the
good terms with the troops on the other side. "We even buy food for
environmental degradation, they add in the same breath. Clearing the forest visiting tourists. also has exceeded the desirable limits:' Only the state gOJernment has the power
them," says a Thai soldier, referring to the difficulty of bringing up
of its thick casuarina plantations would lead to shifting of sands, thus advel to handle the situation effectively. But will it, pressured as it is, by extraneous supplies from below. If such cooperation is the keynote at the border,
Withdrawal of the sanctuary status of the 70-acre These negative consequences cannot be denied and they there is certainly some hope for an end to Cambodia's war and for
require, in the interests of tourism and future qenerations, considerations? Or will the environmentalists' protest be a voice in the
toll on wildlife. wilderness? t:dbY <1CCt:i::ii;i to Oilt: uI tIlt i eui0u's 111<1IU1 llbtuficdl dttrdctioflS.
OUI full attention.

INDIAN EXPRESS, 28 September, 1989 BUSINESS INOlA, 21 August, 1989 ASIAWEEK, 1 September; 1989
8 5

Traded Women of .30,000-40,000 yen, out of which only 8,()()()-1O,000 yen goes to the
women, leaving the dealer with a huge profit. The Last Battle
By Mizuho Matsuda
The route for importation of women grew out of the channels between TourisD'l and Me The 'queen of the hills' is breathing its last. And its well wishers are readying
The problem of female migrant workers in Japan is becoming an Japan and other parts of Asia which were created by the 1970's thems~lves for the fight to save it. The 'Save Mussoorie' campaigners are
increasingly important issue. With the numbers of immigrant workers infamous "sex tours". In order to divert the international criticism of the I am a Goan
convinced that the final battie to save it will have to be fought now or never.
growing every year ooupled with the world's attention focussed on Japan rude behaviour of Japanese men, instead of the Japanese men going Inside out,
And they do have a fight on their hands. Ranged against this hill resort are miners
as a world leader, pressure to improve the inhumane exploitation of abroad, the Asian women are being delivered to them using the already
these peoples should force some changes. In considering what the most
I still have a culture,
with workers as allies, 12,000 - odd students, builders with hordes of rich
established route. Responsible for the creation of this new structure are businessmen in to'.N from Delhi and surrounding areas on a land grabbing spree,
effective reforms are and where they should be made, the entire situation countless go-betweens who assist in the delivering of these women. I still have a mou tIl.

and believe it or not, tourists, who actually sustain Mussoorie to a great extent.
must be examined. This means not only the conditions under which Those involved include, in some form, the Japanese and foreign
Since big hotels are coming,
Says Sunil Sanon, chief campaigner for the environmentalists, "The tourist
the labourers work in Japan, but the reasons and factors which have governments, airline companies, financial institutions, travel agencies, influx is like a 'barat' walking in and demanding to be entertained even when
forced them to come. By addressing each level of the problem, we can recruiter production agencies, advertisement agencies as well as the
I join others and shout:

there is no wedding:' Tourist traffic to Mussoorie has become totally


effectively and responsibly work towards improving the situation. gangster groups. Such an entourage of partners has made it very No one's listeninf/l.
disproportionate to the growth of its infrastructure or even population, which
The immediately obvious areas to consider when trying to correct the difficult to combat this industry within the structure of Japanese society. My friends are displaced, kicked out.
has increased fourfold in 75 years, from barely 4,000 in 1904 to 16,000 in 1981.
situation are the conditions under which they exist in Japan. The The causes behind this problem are rooted not only in the availability The tourist influx, has gone up from 250,000 in 1960 and 550,000 in 1978
migrant women labourers in Japan have entered with one of the of these kind of jobs in Japan, but also in the lack of employment
We're on display at Carnival.
to 1.14 million in 1988. So nearly 8000 tourists poured into Mussoorie everyday
following four visas: Tourist Entertainment Marriage or Student. opportunities in the undeveloped Asian countries. What forces the We're on display in the cruise;
in the summer of 1988. And the figure is expected to touch 15,000 by 2000
Although earning money is the main purpose of these female migrant women abroad are the primarily economic realities of no food or work, How this makes monkeys out of us
AD, according to the projections of the chief country town planner of Uttar
workers, the Japanese immigration law does not allow them any kind reasons being the lack of educational opportunities, slow development Is something over which to muse.
Pradesh. "Even with 128 licensed hotels and a 1,500 bed capacity of the
of work. Thus, their presence in Japan must be under false pretenses, and the incredibly low pay. Therefore, the number of migrant women dharmashalas, we are short of the more than 2,000 beds in the peak season;'
creating a demand to which only criminal elements can and will workers are increasing and will in all probability continue to do so. By We are represen ted in brochures
says Manmohan Karnwal, joint secretary, Mussoorie Hoteliers Association.
respond. From the outset these women, ignorant of the Japanese not recognising these labourers, Japan profits from their low cost Or so they'd have us believe,
Builders in the north have found in Mussoorie a happy hunting-ground for
language and customs, are dependant upon these underworld figures services without having the accept any responsibility, by denying then. profiteering. They lure the rich and the upper middle class who find n Mussoorie
.But one look at the pictures,

forjobs, housing, visas and information. The commission fees charged voting rights and pension benefits. an escape from the heat, dust and tension of Delhi.
by these recruiters put the women deep in debt before they even see Distorted representations, really repulSive!
As a result, land prices have sky rocketed. According to AX Gandhi,
their places of employment. failing to qualify for legal protection from
the Japanese government these women are left at the mercy of their
Ecotourism:
Tourism helps environment?
Managing Director, Ajanta Hotel, there has been almost a fivefold increase in
land prices which has made the locals resentful. The cry 'GarhwaI for Garhwalis'
Old hat! Pooh pooh!

criminal contacts, prime targets for victimisation. European Initiative


Check out for yourself.

and 'tourists go back' may soon resound in the Mussoorie hills.


While examining the labour conditions of the foreign women labourers Essential commodities are in short supply in Mussoorie and priced high
CEFAT (European Centre for Professional Training in Environment and Tourism)
in Japan, it becomes clear that theirjob opportunities are limited. After besides covering the European framework of action, is concerned with the
A walk along the coast will do,
especially in winter, when the pressure on the locals becomes almost
the wave of sex tours subsided in the 1970s the trend to import Asian unbearable.
conservation and rational use of the environment in those countries hosting Coconut groves and sand dunes,

women began increasing in the 1980s. It is estimated that there are At this stage, the outcome of the battle is uncertain. In spite of the backing
European and North American tourists.
presently seven to ten thousand Asian women labourers in Japan, Eroded and steamrolled:
of the so called 'Doon School' lobby, very close to Rajiv Gandhi, and a
For these countries, tourism is a means for solving economic problems. In government policy weighed heavily in their favour, the environmentalists are
87.4% of them in the sex and entertainment industry. At the root of Even within QOO nleters fronl high tide.

view of the current situation, we must rationally plan a type of tourist not having an easy time. Arrayed against them are the pO'.Nerful business interest,
the problem is Japan's 10 trillion yen entertainment industry and the .Big hotels stand bold.

development that will assure an attractive future. past masters in the art of finding loopholes in the most comprehensive laws,
lopsided demand for women labourers which it creates. What are the
factors creating this demand? Ecolour wants to give an environmental orientation to the new tourism Foreign exchanfJe, they yell.
and the 'exigencies of economic development:
policies, that is, to attempt to achieve a positive balance between the social, The proposed draft master plan for Mussoorie is full of holes. It lacks quali­
To begin, because the qualifications for this work always stress "youth We ask at what cost;

economic and ecological costs and the resulting benefits. Putting it simply, to tative and quantitative data on the present ecological balance, ignores the
and naivety", when the women get "old" they are less desirable and are
maximize results.
For the sake of a few dollars,
carrying capacity of the hill resort and, according to Sanon, is based on
dismissed. Thus, the resulting high rate of turnover magnifies the Should our identity be lost?
superficial yardsticks.
availability of jobs. VVe are speaking of soft tourism, of sustained development, of rationally taking
Says Sanon, "A hill resort ideally means, a place where tourists stay in
advantage of natural resources (the basis of tourist activity), of the appreciation Some cooks, butlers, receptionists,

In Japan there has historically been a tolerant attitUde towards the enjoyable co-existence with nature. Will the tourists appreciate a hill resort one
of local landscapes, of the participation of local populations, of increasing the
need for prostitution. Rooted deep in its sexist, patriarchal system, Employment this? Nope!
has to go five to six kilometers to see what a 'planned green belt' looks like?"
awareness of tour operators and consumers, etc., in short, of authentic
women have traditionally been either "tools to produce children" or used A bun;eoning narcotic industry
And that could very well be the case in the future for, as per the master plan,
cooperation based on information and training.
as "prostitutes". Neither position was given any respect Nor were women - Yes many engaged in dope.
Mussoorians is spread over an area of 64.5 sq. km.
even treated as human beings with individual personalities. Preventing In order to do this, regional workshops will be organised, approximately two Water scarcity is another problem Mussoorians have come to live with.
the economic and social independence of women contributing to the per continent, to which the "opinion leaders" in the field of tourism, the Drugged into submission.
Unfortunately for this hill resort, all the springs have their catchment area within
women's passive attitudes towards such discrimination in Japan are environment and rural areas will invited. The project is getting very good the municipal limits, where quarrying and urbanisation activities have played
feedback, and will soon be presented to different national and international
Civil liberties to the dOfJs.'

such widely accepted elements as unequal pay, difficulty of re­ havoc with the resort's water supply.The springs are rain fed, and depend on
employment and the high unemployment rate among older women. organisations like the World Bank, UNEP, IUCN, EEC, Agencia Espanola de Goa not for Goans nor other Indians,

the 200-odd cm of rainfall which the resort gets annually.


Cooperacion Internacional, etc. Currently it is being negotiated with the WTO, .But multinationals and big bUSiness hogs!
The denudation of the hill slopes has aggravated the problem of water flO'.Ning
Another reason for the demand in the sex industry, is the long working
the Tourism Policy Forum, and the Direccion General del Medio Ambiente down and going waste. The K.B. Raix spring has been drying up steadily in
day in Japan, as well as the stresses which come along with it. As a I aIn a Goan.

(Spain). the past 17 years and is now more or less dead, says Mukesh Nath, member,
reward for their workers, companies make use of this industry. The men
Although it is still quite early, various countries are be; ng considered to host Inside out;
Municipal council. "What is worse, most of the catchment area is private
frequently use these places accompanied by their colleagues and
clients, spending money regardless of the success or failure of the these meetings as well as the study - tours we want to carry out in order to I better persist with others in resisting
property. It is here that the urbanisation efforts of the private builders have
business. Japan's unprecedented economic growth, built on the gain positive experience. Among the possible candidates to be invited as Or I too will be kicked ou t.
clashed with the plans of the environmentalists;' adds Nath.
dehumanisation of Japanese men and women, has promoted 'the collaborators are: Nepal, Indonesia, Kenya, Zambia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and "The solution;' says Sanon, "is to allow only one cottage or even less per acre
growth of the sex industry by relying on its services to entertain its others. in these critical areas;' where as the draft master plan has proposed a cluster
by Vilasini Goenkarne after 500 square yards. "It will be tragic if it is allowed;' says Karnwal. "We
employees and clients. This, as stated, creates the need for cheap labour Once the different workshops are finalised, a "World Conference" will be
and the import of migrant women workers from Asia. organised, inviting the secretaries from each meeting to discuss an action THE HERALD, Goa, 27 September 1989 do not want to stOD urbanisation. Rut thprp ~hf)"lrl hp rl rlJt-nf{ r)l:'i[1t:'
strategy. This conference will be set to take place in mid 1991, with possibly Sanon. What the ~ut-off should be is a moot point.
Yet another reason is that the sex industry is itself a high growth, high
an additional demonstration in 1992. Sanon is propounding a new concept of tourist cottages away from the
profit industry. Especially in the case of "prostitution", tremendous profit
municipal limits of Mussoorie cottages that could be built in Mussoorie
is possible in a short period of time. An "overnight" brings in an average NATOUR, No.2, 1989, Madrid, SPAIN contd. Oil pa!?<, 9
6 7

We're letting the Litter Spoil the Glitter

by Rohini Chandra INDIA IPt£j


!/'~
News & Views
Ropeway in Gulmar~

A monocable gondola aerial ropeway passenger transportation system set up


Tourism is currently India!s largest domestic generator of foreign exchange. by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) for the Jammu and
Rs.2!100 crore in 1988! this figure is expected to rise by 17 percent! touching Environmental Measures Foreign Investment in Hotels Kashmir Government in Gulmarg is to be commissioned this month to boost
Rs.2A57 crore by the year 2000. Recognising the significance of tourism as a tourism and encourage winter sports.
tool of economic development! the National Development Council (NDC) in Union Forests and Environment Minister Maneka Gandhi has written a letter It is already the subject of a heated debate. Some time ago, the Rajiv Similar to the modern aerial ropeway systems in Switzerland and other
1984 g,lVe it the status of an industry. to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, stating that Government quietly let it to be known that it had decided in principle countries, it is for the first time in India that such advanced technology is being
India's efforts to promote tourism have been monumental. Besides promotina should be done which is even remotely damaging to the environment, forests to liberalise foreign equity participation in the booming hotels deployed. The system in Gulmarg touches one of the highest points in the world,
India through the electronic media for the first time! the department or wi IdIife. And that proposals in this regard be conceived with in the framework business in the country. Now, the proposal is being concretised. The 3,980 metres above mean sea level and enables visitors to scale this
helped organise Festivals of India abroad and smaller promotional of the national forest policy and national conservation strategy and get cleared decision to permit foreign equity investment of even 51 per cent by 18 to 20 minutes and enjoy the sight of world famous mountain peaks like
for travel agents, tour operators and the media. by the Centre before being announced to the press. the global stars of the travel industry has been all but formalised, with Parbat (7/900 metres) and Nun (7/140 metres).
Tourism is a way of utilising resources which would othervvise remain idle The letter pointed out that tourism has been banned in the ecological fragile a notification likely to be issued soon. This, say some experts at
- for instance landscapes and cultural sites, says S. K. Misra, Secretary, Nanda Devi sanctuary. More recently, restriction on the unbridled growth of least,is going to open a Pandora's box. TIMES OF INDIA, 17 October, 1989
Department of Tourism (DOT). tourism in the Gangotri region was recommended. After all the whole question of majority equity slakes and
An estimated five million people are directly employed by the tourism "It has to be recognised that the upper Himalayas represent afragile ecosystem management control has been debated time and again in the Indian
industry. This figure is expected to rise to eight mi Ilion by the end of the seventh and unregulated flow of tourists and increase in biotic pressures would be an context. In the specific context of the hotel industry, it is widely Policy Unchanged
plan. To boost the industry, the Ministry of Tourism has made investments in invitation to disaster. believed that this policy change could open up the floodgates of
the travel industry very attractive. "In fact, increased human activity in Kedarnath and Badrinath areas has foreign investment. As a senior official in the Ministry of Tourism The Government had initiated several measures to accelerate the pace of
mty per cent of the earnings in foreign exchange are exempt from income development of tourism in the country, Minister for Commerce and Tourism
tax. The balance is exempt if re-invested in the tourism industry. There are a
already taken its toll in the shape of environmental degradation, denudation argues: "With a 51 per cent stake, a hotel company should be able
of vegetative cover and soil erosion as also growing land and water pollution to call the shots for all practical purposes, which is what they want Arun Nehru told the Lok Sabha.
series of other direct and indi rect tax benefits. The Government had completed a comprehensive review of the tourism
One of the main bottlenecks in the development of tourism has been air
through haphazard disposal of solids and liquid wastes:' she added. and have been clamouring for."
Can't the tourism industry do without such massive infusions of policy in the light of the national committee on tourism.
capacity constraints. Remedying this, domestic airline capacity has been DECCAN HERALD, 21 December, 1989 The measures initiated include a package of incentives for attracting private
increased by leasing 19 Airbus aircraft. Simi larly, international air traffic to India lOreign exchange? Officially, the argument is that such investments
are essential. "Right now, we get around 1million foreign tourists in investment in the tourism sector, setting up of aTourism Finance Corporation
has been encouraged by liberalising charters. In the last two years, an additional
seats have been available everv week on the Indian sector. Promotional Greener Pastures a year. Our projections suggest that the figure would swell to 2.5 for meeting loan requirements of the industry and launching of a scheme to
promote tourism by providing marketing assistance to private entrepreneurs.
and an air taxi scheme aim to make travel more convenient and flexible. million a year by 1995. That means in the capital alone, we would
What do politicians with bags of unaccounted greenbacks do? In Maharashtra, require 2,000 more five-star hotel rooms," points out a top-level It has also been decided to liberalise the charter policy, introduction of air
"As the infrastructure becomes stronger, more and more people will come many of them are ploughing the dough into real estate. Like the smugglers who taxi service and rent-a-car scheme, strengthening of overseas marketing efforts
to India, ensuring asteady occupancy in resorts and hotels': says G. K. Goswami, bureaucrat. This line of argument is familiar: the hotel industry is
have entered the land business in Bombay, Bangalore and other cities in amajor extremely capital intensive; it is also a foreign exchange earner; and advertising through print and electronic media,and strengthening of training
India's director general of tourism. G. K. Khanna of the Travel Agents Association
way. For instance, a leading Congress politician has come to acquire a 60 per foreign collaborations help bring more tourists to the c~"~t~,, InTrastructre for development of human resources for the sector, he said.
of India adds: liThe potential for tourism in India is enormous. No projection
cent stake in a massive housing complex at Nalasopara, on the outskirts of While there are obvious advantages, not everyone is
is too far-fetched. All we need to do is pull the stops out:' INDIAN EXPRESS, 23 December, 1989
Bombay. Another worthy is busy setting up aweekend resort near Karjat in Thane that foreign funding of this magnitude is really necessary for the
The growth of foreign traffic to India vindicates this stand. In the two year
district. The tourism industry is also likely to witness the bcnami entry of the further growth of the Indian hotel industry. After all, local sources
period 1986-88, foreign tourist arrivals increased from one million to 1.5 million.
stars of Maharashtra politics. Is that why the state government is planning to
By 1995 this figure is likely to reach 2.3 million. The average stay of a foreign
give the industry an unprecedented boost?
of investment have hardly been exhausted. In fact, most of the major
business groups in the country are willing to enter the high-profile
UNDP Support
visitor is 29 days. On the domestic front, 14 mi Ilion tourists visited various sites
in 1988. Even conservatives estimate this figure touching 50 million by the year IllUSTRATED WEEKLY, 26 March, 1989
service industry. Clearly money is not the problem. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) proposed to assist India
2000. What experts are questioning is the wisdom of allowing foreign in developing tourism in the country, the new UNDP assistant administrator,
While economic benefits of the nhpnnrnpn::ll chains into the popular (four-star and below) segments of the industry K.G. Singh announced recently.
there is a flip side. The new New Beach Resorts outside the major metros. Asks a senior executive in an Indian hotel To begin with, UNDP would take up tourism projects for assistance in
Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, he told reporters.
wherewithal to travel, but not a civic mindset. company: "If heavy funding and international standards are the
In an effort to create awareness for the critical need of civic consciousness, The Maharashtra Chief Minister, Sharad Pawar; has said the State Tourism criteria, why should we allow international hotel chains to put their The UNDP is giving top priority to the establishment of the world/s first
DOT has taken on amajor advertising campaign on environmental preservation. Development Corporation (MTDCl would be given 34 plots in coastal areas tuppence into small hotel projects?" training institute for alternative tourism.
Created for DOT by Hindustan Thompson Associates (HTAi, the campaign to develop new sea-resorts. Naturally,the new provisions may lead to a further outgo of foreign The UNDP which is also stressing integrated development ill tourism is
taglined "Keep India Beautiful" hopes to bring about an attitudinal shift in the Speaking at a function felicitating noted yoga expert Yogacharya B. K. S. exchange. Even in the case of franchise operations, international helping governments find the right mix between private and public investment
mind-set of travellers. Iyengar here recently, Pawar said the state had vast potential to develop the chains demand as much as 3 per cent of the room revenue earned arid shaping policies that assure tourism did not erode environment.
Today, every major destination is threatened. Sri nagar is deluged by garbage. tourism industry and hoped the MTDC would achieve its target of attracting by the hotel. At present, most chains seem inclined to settle for NEWS TODAY, 21 January, 1990
Dallake is polluted. Silting in Nainital. MarJali and Leh are littered with empty a majority of the three million international tourists who were expected to visit nothing less than 5 percent of operating incomes as well as 12 per
packs and broken bottles. Mahabaleshwar is as crowded and littered as India in 1991. cent of operating profits.
Chowpatty. Roads leading to resorts are plagued by cars whizzing dangerously And foreign exchange may not actually come in. Some foresee the
by with open hatch-backs, blaring loud music. INDIAN POST, 19 September, 1989 creation of jOint holding and managing companies as the nucleii of Donkey Business
The crux is to build an awareness in the mind of this new breed. their Indian operations. Which means that they would not need to
littering, defacing monuments, leaving food to rot, creating a The Gujarat Tourism Development Corporation is making an ass
fork out 51 per cent of the equity capital; they would hold 51 per cent of itself by organising a car rally in the little Rann of Kutch the
will damage
cultural, social and Five Star Tie-ups of a much smaller holding company.
There are even those who question the linkages between tourism only wild ass sanctuary in the world.
The key benefits of tourism are juxtaposed in the IiKeep India Bt:(Jutiful" Foreign hotel groups are suddenly expressing a fresh interest in establishing and the development of hotels. Observes Gautam Khanna, a senior The three-day desert car rally programme for next month is ill­
campaign with the degradation of the very spots being visited in what HTA a presence in India. Four Seasons, the US deluxe hotel chain, is talking to vice-president with the Oberoi group: "An improvement in airline timed because February is the mating season for wild asses which
calls vivid demonstration. K.K. Modi's Godfrey Phillips on a tie-up, The upscale Regent group, also of the services would perhaps do a lot more to promote India as a tourist dislike human presence even othelWise.
Over the year, DOT hopes that the Indian traveller will be sensitised to the US, is scouting for opportunities here. The Sheraton group, which has a attraction than wooing foreign hotel chains, The acquisition of CommeroaJ prospects of luring foreign and domestic tourists from
need for environmental preservation. This public awareness campaign seeks international trade marks is not the crying need of the hour."
marketing and reservations agreement with lTC's Welcomgroup chain, has been neighbouring Rajasthan to Gujarat seems to have outweighed the
the participation of that segment of society who derive pleasure from tourism,
talking to the Government about a bigger role in India. And Club Med, the Obviously, the dice is loaded against the Indian hotel chains which governments professed love for nature.
but are not aware of the collective damage being done to the natural and cultural
French group which operates holiday resorts around the world, is tying up with may now find it more difficult than ever to maintain their
cnyi ronmcnt.
the Tata-run Taj group to open resorts in Goa. monopolistic hold on the hotel industry. THE INDEPENDENT, Bombay, 14th January, 1990.

TIMES OF INDIA, 9 September, 1989 INDIA TODAY 15 August, 1989 THE ECONOMIC TIMES, 28 August, 1989
6 7

We're letting the Litter Spoil the Glitter

by Rohini Chandra INDIA IPt£j


!/'~
News & Views
Ropeway in Gulmar~

A monocable gondola aerial ropeway passenger transportation system set up


Tourism is currently India!s largest domestic generator of foreign exchange. by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) for the Jammu and
Rs.2!100 crore in 1988! this figure is expected to rise by 17 percent! touching Environmental Measures Foreign Investment in Hotels Kashmir Government in Gulmarg is to be commissioned this month to boost
Rs.2A57 crore by the year 2000. Recognising the significance of tourism as a tourism and encourage winter sports.
tool of economic development! the National Development Council (NDC) in Union Forests and Environment Minister Maneka Gandhi has written a letter It is already the subject of a heated debate. Some time ago, the Rajiv Similar to the modern aerial ropeway systems in Switzerland and other
1984 g,lVe it the status of an industry. to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, stating that Government quietly let it to be known that it had decided in principle countries, it is for the first time in India that such advanced technology is being
India's efforts to promote tourism have been monumental. Besides promotina should be done which is even remotely damaging to the environment, forests to liberalise foreign equity participation in the booming hotels deployed. The system in Gulmarg touches one of the highest points in the world,
India through the electronic media for the first time! the department or wi IdIife. And that proposals in this regard be conceived with in the framework business in the country. Now, the proposal is being concretised. The 3,980 metres above mean sea level and enables visitors to scale this
helped organise Festivals of India abroad and smaller promotional of the national forest policy and national conservation strategy and get cleared decision to permit foreign equity investment of even 51 per cent by 18 to 20 minutes and enjoy the sight of world famous mountain peaks like
for travel agents, tour operators and the media. by the Centre before being announced to the press. the global stars of the travel industry has been all but formalised, with Parbat (7/900 metres) and Nun (7/140 metres).
Tourism is a way of utilising resources which would othervvise remain idle The letter pointed out that tourism has been banned in the ecological fragile a notification likely to be issued soon. This, say some experts at
- for instance landscapes and cultural sites, says S. K. Misra, Secretary, Nanda Devi sanctuary. More recently, restriction on the unbridled growth of least,is going to open a Pandora's box. TIMES OF INDIA, 17 October, 1989
Department of Tourism (DOT). tourism in the Gangotri region was recommended. After all the whole question of majority equity slakes and
An estimated five million people are directly employed by the tourism "It has to be recognised that the upper Himalayas represent afragile ecosystem management control has been debated time and again in the Indian
industry. This figure is expected to rise to eight mi Ilion by the end of the seventh and unregulated flow of tourists and increase in biotic pressures would be an context. In the specific context of the hotel industry, it is widely Policy Unchanged
plan. To boost the industry, the Ministry of Tourism has made investments in invitation to disaster. believed that this policy change could open up the floodgates of
the travel industry very attractive. "In fact, increased human activity in Kedarnath and Badrinath areas has foreign investment. As a senior official in the Ministry of Tourism The Government had initiated several measures to accelerate the pace of
mty per cent of the earnings in foreign exchange are exempt from income development of tourism in the country, Minister for Commerce and Tourism
tax. The balance is exempt if re-invested in the tourism industry. There are a
already taken its toll in the shape of environmental degradation, denudation argues: "With a 51 per cent stake, a hotel company should be able
of vegetative cover and soil erosion as also growing land and water pollution to call the shots for all practical purposes, which is what they want Arun Nehru told the Lok Sabha.
series of other direct and indi rect tax benefits. The Government had completed a comprehensive review of the tourism
One of the main bottlenecks in the development of tourism has been air
through haphazard disposal of solids and liquid wastes:' she added. and have been clamouring for."
Can't the tourism industry do without such massive infusions of policy in the light of the national committee on tourism.
capacity constraints. Remedying this, domestic airline capacity has been DECCAN HERALD, 21 December, 1989 The measures initiated include a package of incentives for attracting private
increased by leasing 19 Airbus aircraft. Simi larly, international air traffic to India lOreign exchange? Officially, the argument is that such investments
are essential. "Right now, we get around 1million foreign tourists in investment in the tourism sector, setting up of aTourism Finance Corporation
has been encouraged by liberalising charters. In the last two years, an additional
seats have been available everv week on the Indian sector. Promotional Greener Pastures a year. Our projections suggest that the figure would swell to 2.5 for meeting loan requirements of the industry and launching of a scheme to
promote tourism by providing marketing assistance to private entrepreneurs.
and an air taxi scheme aim to make travel more convenient and flexible. million a year by 1995. That means in the capital alone, we would
What do politicians with bags of unaccounted greenbacks do? In Maharashtra, require 2,000 more five-star hotel rooms," points out a top-level It has also been decided to liberalise the charter policy, introduction of air
"As the infrastructure becomes stronger, more and more people will come many of them are ploughing the dough into real estate. Like the smugglers who taxi service and rent-a-car scheme, strengthening of overseas marketing efforts
to India, ensuring asteady occupancy in resorts and hotels': says G. K. Goswami, bureaucrat. This line of argument is familiar: the hotel industry is
have entered the land business in Bombay, Bangalore and other cities in amajor extremely capital intensive; it is also a foreign exchange earner; and advertising through print and electronic media,and strengthening of training
India's director general of tourism. G. K. Khanna of the Travel Agents Association
way. For instance, a leading Congress politician has come to acquire a 60 per foreign collaborations help bring more tourists to the c~"~t~,, InTrastructre for development of human resources for the sector, he said.
of India adds: liThe potential for tourism in India is enormous. No projection
cent stake in a massive housing complex at Nalasopara, on the outskirts of While there are obvious advantages, not everyone is
is too far-fetched. All we need to do is pull the stops out:' INDIAN EXPRESS, 23 December, 1989
Bombay. Another worthy is busy setting up aweekend resort near Karjat in Thane that foreign funding of this magnitude is really necessary for the
The growth of foreign traffic to India vindicates this stand. In the two year
district. The tourism industry is also likely to witness the bcnami entry of the further growth of the Indian hotel industry. After all, local sources
period 1986-88, foreign tourist arrivals increased from one million to 1.5 million.
stars of Maharashtra politics. Is that why the state government is planning to
By 1995 this figure is likely to reach 2.3 million. The average stay of a foreign
give the industry an unprecedented boost?
of investment have hardly been exhausted. In fact, most of the major
business groups in the country are willing to enter the high-profile
UNDP Support
visitor is 29 days. On the domestic front, 14 mi Ilion tourists visited various sites
in 1988. Even conservatives estimate this figure touching 50 million by the year IllUSTRATED WEEKLY, 26 March, 1989
service industry. Clearly money is not the problem. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) proposed to assist India
2000. What experts are questioning is the wisdom of allowing foreign in developing tourism in the country, the new UNDP assistant administrator,
While economic benefits of the nhpnnrnpn::ll chains into the popular (four-star and below) segments of the industry K.G. Singh announced recently.
there is a flip side. The new New Beach Resorts outside the major metros. Asks a senior executive in an Indian hotel To begin with, UNDP would take up tourism projects for assistance in
Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, he told reporters.
wherewithal to travel, but not a civic mindset. company: "If heavy funding and international standards are the
In an effort to create awareness for the critical need of civic consciousness, The Maharashtra Chief Minister, Sharad Pawar; has said the State Tourism criteria, why should we allow international hotel chains to put their The UNDP is giving top priority to the establishment of the world/s first
DOT has taken on amajor advertising campaign on environmental preservation. Development Corporation (MTDCl would be given 34 plots in coastal areas tuppence into small hotel projects?" training institute for alternative tourism.
Created for DOT by Hindustan Thompson Associates (HTAi, the campaign to develop new sea-resorts. Naturally,the new provisions may lead to a further outgo of foreign The UNDP which is also stressing integrated development ill tourism is
taglined "Keep India Beautiful" hopes to bring about an attitudinal shift in the Speaking at a function felicitating noted yoga expert Yogacharya B. K. S. exchange. Even in the case of franchise operations, international helping governments find the right mix between private and public investment
mind-set of travellers. Iyengar here recently, Pawar said the state had vast potential to develop the chains demand as much as 3 per cent of the room revenue earned arid shaping policies that assure tourism did not erode environment.
Today, every major destination is threatened. Sri nagar is deluged by garbage. tourism industry and hoped the MTDC would achieve its target of attracting by the hotel. At present, most chains seem inclined to settle for NEWS TODAY, 21 January, 1990
Dallake is polluted. Silting in Nainital. MarJali and Leh are littered with empty a majority of the three million international tourists who were expected to visit nothing less than 5 percent of operating incomes as well as 12 per
packs and broken bottles. Mahabaleshwar is as crowded and littered as India in 1991. cent of operating profits.
Chowpatty. Roads leading to resorts are plagued by cars whizzing dangerously And foreign exchange may not actually come in. Some foresee the
by with open hatch-backs, blaring loud music. INDIAN POST, 19 September, 1989 creation of jOint holding and managing companies as the nucleii of Donkey Business
The crux is to build an awareness in the mind of this new breed. their Indian operations. Which means that they would not need to
littering, defacing monuments, leaving food to rot, creating a The Gujarat Tourism Development Corporation is making an ass
fork out 51 per cent of the equity capital; they would hold 51 per cent of itself by organising a car rally in the little Rann of Kutch the
will damage
cultural, social and Five Star Tie-ups of a much smaller holding company.
There are even those who question the linkages between tourism only wild ass sanctuary in the world.
The key benefits of tourism are juxtaposed in the IiKeep India Bt:(Jutiful" Foreign hotel groups are suddenly expressing a fresh interest in establishing and the development of hotels. Observes Gautam Khanna, a senior The three-day desert car rally programme for next month is ill­
campaign with the degradation of the very spots being visited in what HTA a presence in India. Four Seasons, the US deluxe hotel chain, is talking to vice-president with the Oberoi group: "An improvement in airline timed because February is the mating season for wild asses which
calls vivid demonstration. K.K. Modi's Godfrey Phillips on a tie-up, The upscale Regent group, also of the services would perhaps do a lot more to promote India as a tourist dislike human presence even othelWise.
Over the year, DOT hopes that the Indian traveller will be sensitised to the US, is scouting for opportunities here. The Sheraton group, which has a attraction than wooing foreign hotel chains, The acquisition of CommeroaJ prospects of luring foreign and domestic tourists from
need for environmental preservation. This public awareness campaign seeks international trade marks is not the crying need of the hour."
marketing and reservations agreement with lTC's Welcomgroup chain, has been neighbouring Rajasthan to Gujarat seems to have outweighed the
the participation of that segment of society who derive pleasure from tourism,
talking to the Government about a bigger role in India. And Club Med, the Obviously, the dice is loaded against the Indian hotel chains which governments professed love for nature.
but are not aware of the collective damage being done to the natural and cultural
French group which operates holiday resorts around the world, is tying up with may now find it more difficult than ever to maintain their
cnyi ronmcnt.
the Tata-run Taj group to open resorts in Goa. monopolistic hold on the hotel industry. THE INDEPENDENT, Bombay, 14th January, 1990.

TIMES OF INDIA, 9 September, 1989 INDIA TODAY 15 August, 1989 THE ECONOMIC TIMES, 28 August, 1989
8 5

Traded Women of .30,000-40,000 yen, out of which only 8,()()()-1O,000 yen goes to the
women, leaving the dealer with a huge profit. The Last Battle
By Mizuho Matsuda
The route for importation of women grew out of the channels between TourisD'l and Me The 'queen of the hills' is breathing its last. And its well wishers are readying
The problem of female migrant workers in Japan is becoming an Japan and other parts of Asia which were created by the 1970's thems~lves for the fight to save it. The 'Save Mussoorie' campaigners are
increasingly important issue. With the numbers of immigrant workers infamous "sex tours". In order to divert the international criticism of the I am a Goan
convinced that the final battie to save it will have to be fought now or never.
growing every year ooupled with the world's attention focussed on Japan rude behaviour of Japanese men, instead of the Japanese men going Inside out,
And they do have a fight on their hands. Ranged against this hill resort are miners
as a world leader, pressure to improve the inhumane exploitation of abroad, the Asian women are being delivered to them using the already
these peoples should force some changes. In considering what the most
I still have a culture,
with workers as allies, 12,000 - odd students, builders with hordes of rich
established route. Responsible for the creation of this new structure are businessmen in to'.N from Delhi and surrounding areas on a land grabbing spree,
effective reforms are and where they should be made, the entire situation countless go-betweens who assist in the delivering of these women. I still have a mou tIl.

and believe it or not, tourists, who actually sustain Mussoorie to a great extent.
must be examined. This means not only the conditions under which Those involved include, in some form, the Japanese and foreign
Since big hotels are coming,
Says Sunil Sanon, chief campaigner for the environmentalists, "The tourist
the labourers work in Japan, but the reasons and factors which have governments, airline companies, financial institutions, travel agencies, influx is like a 'barat' walking in and demanding to be entertained even when
forced them to come. By addressing each level of the problem, we can recruiter production agencies, advertisement agencies as well as the
I join others and shout:

there is no wedding:' Tourist traffic to Mussoorie has become totally


effectively and responsibly work towards improving the situation. gangster groups. Such an entourage of partners has made it very No one's listeninf/l.
disproportionate to the growth of its infrastructure or even population, which
The immediately obvious areas to consider when trying to correct the difficult to combat this industry within the structure of Japanese society. My friends are displaced, kicked out.
has increased fourfold in 75 years, from barely 4,000 in 1904 to 16,000 in 1981.
situation are the conditions under which they exist in Japan. The The causes behind this problem are rooted not only in the availability The tourist influx, has gone up from 250,000 in 1960 and 550,000 in 1978
migrant women labourers in Japan have entered with one of the of these kind of jobs in Japan, but also in the lack of employment
We're on display at Carnival.
to 1.14 million in 1988. So nearly 8000 tourists poured into Mussoorie everyday
following four visas: Tourist Entertainment Marriage or Student. opportunities in the undeveloped Asian countries. What forces the We're on display in the cruise;
in the summer of 1988. And the figure is expected to touch 15,000 by 2000
Although earning money is the main purpose of these female migrant women abroad are the primarily economic realities of no food or work, How this makes monkeys out of us
AD, according to the projections of the chief country town planner of Uttar
workers, the Japanese immigration law does not allow them any kind reasons being the lack of educational opportunities, slow development Is something over which to muse.
Pradesh. "Even with 128 licensed hotels and a 1,500 bed capacity of the
of work. Thus, their presence in Japan must be under false pretenses, and the incredibly low pay. Therefore, the number of migrant women dharmashalas, we are short of the more than 2,000 beds in the peak season;'
creating a demand to which only criminal elements can and will workers are increasing and will in all probability continue to do so. By We are represen ted in brochures
says Manmohan Karnwal, joint secretary, Mussoorie Hoteliers Association.
respond. From the outset these women, ignorant of the Japanese not recognising these labourers, Japan profits from their low cost Or so they'd have us believe,
Builders in the north have found in Mussoorie a happy hunting-ground for
language and customs, are dependant upon these underworld figures services without having the accept any responsibility, by denying then. profiteering. They lure the rich and the upper middle class who find n Mussoorie
.But one look at the pictures,

forjobs, housing, visas and information. The commission fees charged voting rights and pension benefits. an escape from the heat, dust and tension of Delhi.
by these recruiters put the women deep in debt before they even see Distorted representations, really repulSive!
As a result, land prices have sky rocketed. According to AX Gandhi,
their places of employment. failing to qualify for legal protection from
the Japanese government these women are left at the mercy of their
Ecotourism:
Tourism helps environment?
Managing Director, Ajanta Hotel, there has been almost a fivefold increase in
land prices which has made the locals resentful. The cry 'GarhwaI for Garhwalis'
Old hat! Pooh pooh!

criminal contacts, prime targets for victimisation. European Initiative


Check out for yourself.

and 'tourists go back' may soon resound in the Mussoorie hills.


While examining the labour conditions of the foreign women labourers Essential commodities are in short supply in Mussoorie and priced high
CEFAT (European Centre for Professional Training in Environment and Tourism)
in Japan, it becomes clear that theirjob opportunities are limited. After besides covering the European framework of action, is concerned with the
A walk along the coast will do,
especially in winter, when the pressure on the locals becomes almost
the wave of sex tours subsided in the 1970s the trend to import Asian unbearable.
conservation and rational use of the environment in those countries hosting Coconut groves and sand dunes,

women began increasing in the 1980s. It is estimated that there are At this stage, the outcome of the battle is uncertain. In spite of the backing
European and North American tourists.
presently seven to ten thousand Asian women labourers in Japan, Eroded and steamrolled:
of the so called 'Doon School' lobby, very close to Rajiv Gandhi, and a
For these countries, tourism is a means for solving economic problems. In government policy weighed heavily in their favour, the environmentalists are
87.4% of them in the sex and entertainment industry. At the root of Even within QOO nleters fronl high tide.

view of the current situation, we must rationally plan a type of tourist not having an easy time. Arrayed against them are the pO'.Nerful business interest,
the problem is Japan's 10 trillion yen entertainment industry and the .Big hotels stand bold.

development that will assure an attractive future. past masters in the art of finding loopholes in the most comprehensive laws,
lopsided demand for women labourers which it creates. What are the
factors creating this demand? Ecolour wants to give an environmental orientation to the new tourism Foreign exchanfJe, they yell.
and the 'exigencies of economic development:
policies, that is, to attempt to achieve a positive balance between the social, The proposed draft master plan for Mussoorie is full of holes. It lacks quali­
To begin, because the qualifications for this work always stress "youth We ask at what cost;

economic and ecological costs and the resulting benefits. Putting it simply, to tative and quantitative data on the present ecological balance, ignores the
and naivety", when the women get "old" they are less desirable and are
maximize results.
For the sake of a few dollars,
carrying capacity of the hill resort and, according to Sanon, is based on
dismissed. Thus, the resulting high rate of turnover magnifies the Should our identity be lost?
superficial yardsticks.
availability of jobs. VVe are speaking of soft tourism, of sustained development, of rationally taking
Says Sanon, "A hill resort ideally means, a place where tourists stay in
advantage of natural resources (the basis of tourist activity), of the appreciation Some cooks, butlers, receptionists,

In Japan there has historically been a tolerant attitUde towards the enjoyable co-existence with nature. Will the tourists appreciate a hill resort one
of local landscapes, of the participation of local populations, of increasing the
need for prostitution. Rooted deep in its sexist, patriarchal system, Employment this? Nope!
has to go five to six kilometers to see what a 'planned green belt' looks like?"
awareness of tour operators and consumers, etc., in short, of authentic
women have traditionally been either "tools to produce children" or used A bun;eoning narcotic industry
And that could very well be the case in the future for, as per the master plan,
cooperation based on information and training.
as "prostitutes". Neither position was given any respect Nor were women - Yes many engaged in dope.
Mussoorians is spread over an area of 64.5 sq. km.
even treated as human beings with individual personalities. Preventing In order to do this, regional workshops will be organised, approximately two Water scarcity is another problem Mussoorians have come to live with.
the economic and social independence of women contributing to the per continent, to which the "opinion leaders" in the field of tourism, the Drugged into submission.
Unfortunately for this hill resort, all the springs have their catchment area within
women's passive attitudes towards such discrimination in Japan are environment and rural areas will invited. The project is getting very good the municipal limits, where quarrying and urbanisation activities have played
feedback, and will soon be presented to different national and international
Civil liberties to the dOfJs.'

such widely accepted elements as unequal pay, difficulty of re­ havoc with the resort's water supply.The springs are rain fed, and depend on
employment and the high unemployment rate among older women. organisations like the World Bank, UNEP, IUCN, EEC, Agencia Espanola de Goa not for Goans nor other Indians,

the 200-odd cm of rainfall which the resort gets annually.


Cooperacion Internacional, etc. Currently it is being negotiated with the WTO, .But multinationals and big bUSiness hogs!
The denudation of the hill slopes has aggravated the problem of water flO'.Ning
Another reason for the demand in the sex industry, is the long working
the Tourism Policy Forum, and the Direccion General del Medio Ambiente down and going waste. The K.B. Raix spring has been drying up steadily in
day in Japan, as well as the stresses which come along with it. As a I aIn a Goan.

(Spain). the past 17 years and is now more or less dead, says Mukesh Nath, member,
reward for their workers, companies make use of this industry. The men
Although it is still quite early, various countries are be; ng considered to host Inside out;
Municipal council. "What is worse, most of the catchment area is private
frequently use these places accompanied by their colleagues and
clients, spending money regardless of the success or failure of the these meetings as well as the study - tours we want to carry out in order to I better persist with others in resisting
property. It is here that the urbanisation efforts of the private builders have
business. Japan's unprecedented economic growth, built on the gain positive experience. Among the possible candidates to be invited as Or I too will be kicked ou t.
clashed with the plans of the environmentalists;' adds Nath.
dehumanisation of Japanese men and women, has promoted 'the collaborators are: Nepal, Indonesia, Kenya, Zambia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and "The solution;' says Sanon, "is to allow only one cottage or even less per acre
growth of the sex industry by relying on its services to entertain its others. in these critical areas;' where as the draft master plan has proposed a cluster
by Vilasini Goenkarne after 500 square yards. "It will be tragic if it is allowed;' says Karnwal. "We
employees and clients. This, as stated, creates the need for cheap labour Once the different workshops are finalised, a "World Conference" will be
and the import of migrant women workers from Asia. organised, inviting the secretaries from each meeting to discuss an action THE HERALD, Goa, 27 September 1989 do not want to stOD urbanisation. Rut thprp ~hf)"lrl hp rl rlJt-nf{ r)l:'i[1t:'
strategy. This conference will be set to take place in mid 1991, with possibly Sanon. What the ~ut-off should be is a moot point.
Yet another reason is that the sex industry is itself a high growth, high
an additional demonstration in 1992. Sanon is propounding a new concept of tourist cottages away from the
profit industry. Especially in the case of "prostitution", tremendous profit
municipal limits of Mussoorie cottages that could be built in Mussoorie
is possible in a short period of time. An "overnight" brings in an average NATOUR, No.2, 1989, Madrid, SPAIN contd. Oil pa!?<, 9
4 9

Hotels vs. Forests in Orissa International Centre for


History for Sale A Brooding Glory
Despite the Responsible Tourism
For Vietnam, war is about to become a major tourist weapon. The Hanoi
"Opening in October," announces a notice-board at the railway
station in Sisaket, northeastern Thailand. Attached to the sign are
j. B. Patnaik government has after all An International Centre for Responsible Tourism will be set up shortly at war museum, with its antiquated Soviet rocket launchers and downed
numerous recent photographs of the Khmer temple of Phra, Vihear,
vast expanses of reserve forests and a wildl ife sanctuary on Tamanrasset, a town of increasing touristic importance in the Algerian Sahara. u.s. planes even the tank that smashed through the gates of the Saigon a crumbIng cliff-top complex that was for many years the focus of a
to private hoteliers for luxury beach resorts. This decision was taken at a Seminar on Alternative Tourism organised by the presidential palace in 1975 is being dressed for visitors. English labels
bitter border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. In 1962 the
World Tourism Organisation, and hosted by the Government of Algeria, already adorn its spruced-up tanks and guides dispense a heavily loaded
After a lull over one year, fresh efforts have been clandestinely initiated by World Court awarded it to Phnom Penh, even though its perch makes
November 27-30, 1989. account of the murderous maChinery. Located near the final resting place
the Orissa government to lease out prime land to famous hotel groups like the it virtually inaccessible from the Cambodian side. Tourists continued
Nearly eighty participants attended the Seminar, roughly .half from other of revolutionary hero Ho Chi Minh, the macabre museum is but one irony
Oberois, Hyatt Regency and the Clarke, for locating five-star resorts amidst the to enter the temple from Thailand for a while after the ruling, but
countries, though only one of the international participants was from the in Vietnam's emerging peace-time offensive - luring its erstwhile enemies
natural serenity of the Puri-Konark beach. To push through the barter, a reserve it has been off-limits since 1975, when the Khmer Rouge took power
'Third World'. Five basic papers were presented, including a background back to a country bidding for capitalism's tourism and business bucks.
forest has been denotified in the process and the protected status of a wildlife in Cambodia. Sisaket officials think the situation will soon change.
document from the WTG. Prof Bernard Morucci Prof Anthony Travis, Mr Peter "Vietnam is one of the most favourable places for foreign invesbnent
sanctuary withdrawn by the state government. f
"We expect thousands of Thai tourists every week," says provincial
Zimmer, Mr Jean-Marie Bergeret and Mr Paul Gonsalves presented the other in the world;' says government economic adviser Le Dang Doanh. "We're governor Thawat Pothisunthorn. "We're planning to build restau­
According to highly-placed sources in the state secretariat, a high-powered papers. Several other papers and reports were read by those participating. aware that we don't have enough people in management, but we do have
committee has been set up to fi nalise the deal. Comprising the Chief Secretary, The mai n cond usions and recommendations of the Semi nar were as follows:
rants, souvenir shops, rest stops and so on to accommodate the flow."
a cheap labour force:' For many, the stumbling block remains Vietnam's
Those ambitions may be jumping the gun. Thailand does not
Forest Secretary and the Revenue Secretary, the committee is slated to have
already scrutinised the proposals of the three hotel barons and given its assent.
* Sustainable tourism development is viable, if the positive effects can be troop presence in Cambodia. But with a Vietnamese pullout promised
by the end of September, the West's decade-Iong-aid-and-trade embargo recognise the Phnom Penh government, whose soldiers occupy the
maximised and the negative effects minimised through integrated planning,
The proposals currently await formal clearance of the state government. shouid finally end. Can a global invasion ofbusiness suits and blue-jeaned temple today (they get in by struggling up a tortuous and dangerous
appropriate legislation, education and training.
path). Moreover, negotiations to end Cambodia's ten-year conflict are
The Chief Minister, Mr. Patnaik at a meeting with local hoteliers in the state
Secretariat during the first week of August is also learnt to have indicated that
* Instead of the term 'alternative' tourism, the term 'responsible tourism' tourists be far behind?
The advance forces have already landed, Last year 30,000 tourists bogged down without any sure sign of settlement. There have
should be used for all forms of tourism which respect the host natural, built certainly been feelers about opening the temple. Phnom Penh's
the decks have almost been cleared for setting up the luxury beach resorts. and cultural environments, and the interests of all the parties concerned. visited Vietnam, according to its tourism office in Bangkok, double 1987's
premier, Hun Sen, talked to Thai officials about it during his visit to
Besides the proposals of the Oberois, Hyatt Regency and the Clarke groups,
16 applications from local entrepreneurs for allocation of sites on the beach
* An International Centre for Responsible Tourism should be established at
numbers. This year more than 50,000 are expected to tour the
,npoverished country. As for business, Hanoi issued licences in 1988 for Bangkok in May. Though no details or conditions have been
Tamanrasset, with research, education, training and information functions. discussed. the border regions needed no further encouragement
are also pending consideration of the government.
Of the proposals by the three premier hotel groups, one pursued by the
* The Centre could utilize the expertise and experience from tour operators
50 foreign-investment projects worth about $300 million. Gianluca
Cicogna, director of Hongkong-based ItaJ-Viel, is one of the growing anny than the thaw signalled by Hun Sen's trips. Enthusiastic Sisaket civil
and national parks authorities of Ahaggar and Tassili, as well as of free-enterprise soldiers. Cicogna is planning a $5(X),(XX) business centre servants contacted their counterparts in Cambodia's Preah Vihear
Oberois is the most controversial. For, if the Oberois has its way, the luxury valuable inputs to the Hotel and Tourism Institute to be established at Province and went to scout out the ruins. Now they are waiting for
resort would come up in contravention of all conservation laws and overruling in the fonner South Vietnamese capital of Saigon. Says Cicogna: "I think
Tamanrasset by the Algerian Government and all those concerned with
we'll make money" the tourists - and their money - to start rolling
departmental objections. issues relating to tourism and environment.
Hanoi, to date, has been less fortunate than Ho Chi Minh City in the When they do (and it may be long after October), they will find the
The chosen 70-acre plot came under a reserve forest, A report of the Seminar, including background documents, is to be published foreign-investment and tourism sweep stakes. But even in the capital, sights well worth the fourteen-year wait. The 850-meter sandstone
the Indian Forests Act. Its status as a reserve forest denied rights to put the land by the WTO (Capitan Haya 42, 28020 Madrid, Spain). bureaucracy is slowly catching on to what visitors want: reasonable complex rises from a steep stone staircase through three gopura ­
under any use other than forestry purposes. The Orissa government, however The meeting concluded with an overnight visit to the Assekrem plateau in accommodation, passable food and several must-see attractions. The pavilions -linked by sloping walkways to the main sanctuary. Built
notification de-reserved the entire stretch of forests in Konark west block. the midst of the breathtaking views of the Hoggar. Here the French mystic Thong Nhat Hotel. a run-down building in the centre of the 1ree-lined city, on a spur of the border-marking Dongrek range, the lofty edifice
remained a hitch. The prized plot was found to fall under a protected Charles de Foucauld constructed asimple Hermitage in 1910, devoting his days has been slated for renovation by a French company. Plans are to restore presides over a sheer 600-metre drop and spectacular panorama.
wildlife sanctuary. This obstacle too was subsequently removed by the to work and prayer, before he was shot in the head by villagers known to him, the dusty, dilapidated hovel to the glory of its halcyon days before the That, in fact. is the main attraction. "It's not so much the structures
government. By a notification in December 1987, it was oroclaimed that the in 1916. war. As for attractions, aside from the museum there is another war that make Phra Vihear so beautiful," says Thailand's most eminent
70-acre plot would no more fall under the sanctuary. At the Seminar, some participants suggested that the proposed Centre be memorial: the Ho Chi Minh trail. A senior government official has archaeologist, Prince Subhadradis Diskul. "It's the breathtaking view."
specialised in arid zone or Sahara tourism, or be located elsewhere. Tamanrasset
The government's motives are dearly suspect. Following reports ayear ago, suggested the once-vital 6()()-km North Vietnamese supply route be Phra Vihear was begun about A.D.900 and finished 250 years later.
is part of a politically and environmentally fragile region, and there could be
the government initially admitted the move to lease out parts of the beach to
unforeseen consequences of establishing a large-scale Centre here. This view
spruced up for trekking tours. Most of the construction took place in the reign of King Suryavarman
hotel iers but in the face of public protests announced that the plans have been
was acknowledged, but overruled by abroad range of consensus favouring its
Finally, there is Ho Chi Minh himself. The revered socialist leader lies I (1005-1050), a worshipper of Shiva, the Hindu god of creation and
shelved.
establishment .as proposed.
in a Russian-built mausoleum, available for scrutiny on special request destruction to whom the temple is dedicated. The walls of the
The de-notification of the reserve forest in the entire Konark west block was only. Those who manage to join the line for a 6(}second peek at one of pavilions are mostly down, but their huge stone blocks up to five
presumably to benefit not just the Oberois but the Clarke group too. This group the 20th century's most extraordinary leaders are seldom disappointed. tons apiece - lie close by. These could be reassembled, according
is stated to have an eye on a 50-acre plot of forest land near Balighai near the Some say the bearded Uncle Ho wears a peaceful look on his embalmed to Prof. Smitthi Siribhadra, an expert on Khmer temples from
Konark Sun temple. And possibly keeping this choice in mind, the Government face - as if he's not displeased with Vietnam's foray into capitalism. Bangkok's Silpakorn University. The roof of the main sanctuary, he
says, has caved in, but some pavilions are little damaged. Restoration
de-reserved not just the 70-acre plot sought by the Oberois but the entire forest In Quotes ASIAWEEK, 1 September, 1989
work could capably be done by French specialists with long
stretch in the Konark west block.
Dr W'illibald Pahr at the First International Tourism Forum.
experience at Angkor. Two French experts went to Phnom Penh in
State forest officials and envi ronmental ists sti II argue that the de-reservations July to offer help with temple renovation, but there can be no official
by the government are violative of the Conservation of Forest Act, 1980 and Switzerland. 1989. The Last Baffle (contd. from page 5)
agreement because Paris does not recognise Hun Sen's government.
the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. initially, and later in the Garhwal hills, through liberal soft loans by financial "We are simply trying to open avenues," said a French Embassy
Ironically, the state government by its de-reservation, has sought to destroy Tourism, particularly in developing countries. also has institutions and handed over to local, educated youth for management. source in Bangkok.
aforest which it itself had grown at an enormous cost. The Puri-Konark beach, an important impact on the social structure within these As the days pass, the situation is getting worse. Traffic congestion is growing,
with a fatality on the roads every week, according to local reports. Privacy for
Phra Vihear's greatest hazard is not the dangerous cliff edge. "There
old timers recount, was barren, and then the state government painstakingly countries. In particular the loss of cultural heritage of are anti-personnel mines all around," says a Thai TV reporter who
grew the forest. And it is this very same forest which the government now seeks people caused by tourism has given rise to a real anti­ atourist is almost non-existent. Ufe is getting costlier and quality of materials
has fallen.
went in with the Sisaket group. "We had to keep strictly to the marked
to clear to make way for star resorts. tourism movement. Finally, many historical and archae­ path:' Although mine-clearing has begun, Thai army rangers still
Noise pollution is almost unbearable in the evenings and smoke from
Tourism, environmentalists admit, would certainly receive a boost with the logical monuments and sites of cultural interest have ousands of hearths pollutes the cooi,dean air blowing from the Himalavas.
keep unauthorised visitors out because of the risk. But they are on
resorts on the beach. But the price would have to be paid in the form of blatant suffered from the many, and sometimes too reckless, As Sanon says, "Mussoorie has been invaded by builders and the
good terms with the troops on the other side. "We even buy food for
environmental degradation, they add in the same breath. Clearing the forest visiting tourists. also has exceeded the desirable limits:' Only the state gOJernment has the power
them," says a Thai soldier, referring to the difficulty of bringing up
of its thick casuarina plantations would lead to shifting of sands, thus advel to handle the situation effectively. But will it, pressured as it is, by extraneous supplies from below. If such cooperation is the keynote at the border,
Withdrawal of the sanctuary status of the 70-acre These negative consequences cannot be denied and they there is certainly some hope for an end to Cambodia's war and for
require, in the interests of tourism and future qenerations, considerations? Or will the environmentalists' protest be a voice in the
toll on wildlife. wilderness? t:dbY <1CCt:i::ii;i to Oilt: uI tIlt i eui0u's 111<1IU1 llbtuficdl dttrdctioflS.
OUI full attention.

INDIAN EXPRESS, 28 September, 1989 BUSINESS INOlA, 21 August, 1989 ASIAWEEK, 1 September; 1989
10 3
specifically prohibit such developments. One which invites interested parties
An Appeal Threatened Alps
to contact '1\mir Hotel at 188 Chesson Road, Panchgani" actually proclaims: Death on Holiday
"Land Grab at Forest Hi lis, Mahabaleswar. NCM' you can acquire your own plot A cloud hangs over Pattaya. GrCM'ing numbers ofAsian and Western male visitors
We are upset and disappointed. There was a change of bishops in An avalanche in the form of environmental problems threatens to engulf one of land at Mahabaleshwar by paying just Rs.1250/- initially and balance in equal
of Europe's most popular playgrounds for holiday makers - the Alps. A boom have been dying of heart attacks in Thailand's best-known resort - but their
Mombasa. The new bishop, Bishop Njenga, demands the closing down instalments. Forest Hills. The property opportunity of a lifetime. Grab it now:'
in mass tourism and a steady growth in decaying forests are just two indicators illnesses have apparently been brought on by other than normal holiday­
of the Centre. He regards it as a danger to the parish it belongs to. He Even the already lenient development regulations are flouted, For instance,
of the enormous social and ecological pressure faced by Europe's highest time exertions. In November the Bangkok Post quoted a Pattaya police report as
wants the women to pay a monthly fee of DM 30 for their training. This the BEAG alleges that Hotel Sunny International,supposed to have stilts for car­
mountain range. saying that, of 39 tourist deaths locally due to heart failure thus far in 1989,
request is quite impossible for them to comply with. The women neither parking, has converted the area into a reception lounge. What was permitted
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has just drawn up only four elderly men seemed to have died of natural causes. Many of the others,
have money to pay for their living expenses, nor for their training. This as a basement, stilts and ground-plus-one, but in practice this amounted to
a comprehensive list of the dangers and has put forward a series of remedies all aged between 23 and 40, had taken stimulants and hard drugs. Doctors and
is why they receive a kind of grant from us which enables them to do basement with ground-plus-two.
which it says must be enacted quickly. police in Pattaya, which attracted 900,000 foreign tourists to its sandy beaches
what life has so far denied them. The money we support them with does In the regional plan, the land earmarked for residential purposes has
'1\n unbelievable number of 41,000 ski courses, masts for ski lifts and ugly and throbbing night-life last year, have become worried about a new and deadly
not come from Bishop Njenga, but from your donations. been more than tripled from 167.05 to 509.96 hectares by including the
villages of concrete and asphalt are ruining the landscape;' says the organisation's crime wave where prostitutes and drugs are part of avicious method of robbery
Jenny, who had just started a training as an office clerk, writes: ''I'm leasehold properties within the future residential areas. The BEAG has which can end up in murder.
director-general, Martin W. Holdgate. He also bemoans the stripping afforests
without food, have not got the money to buy soap or clothes. Surely recommended Government sanction of the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani Regional
to make way for golf courses and the traffic jams that clog many resorts at Police quickly uncovered a gang that included some foreigners, and on
you remember my parents who are ill and poor and depend on me. I Plan 1984-2001 which had been submitted some five years ago. The plan
weekends. Dec. 11 issued arrest warrants for two Pakistanis and seven others, said to be
don't know what to do:' recommends that these leasehold properties be indicated as green zones and
Each year,more than 100 million people visit the Alps. That is eight times from West Asia. But the pattern continues: two more young foreigners have died
We are very upset at the Bishop's attitude, and consider his decision the region's population and about the same number as visit the beaches of the there should be no increase in the residential area of Mahabaleshwar except
as marginally required for the legitimate needs of the local population. in suspicious circumstances since. Police think at least a fifth of the 20,000 or
perfectly arbitrary. We have asked Misereor to intelVene, and are hoping Mediterranean/ Europe's other major centre of tourism. so bar-girls in Pattaya are drug addicts, and work with robbers to seduce men
for positive results. Another possibility, dear friends, would be to write The problem began in the early 1960's when the growth of winter sports led The Department of Environment had also recommended in its report on the
Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani plateau that "ecological considerations and its and persuade them to take heroin. The deaths compound the tCM'n's problems:
to the Bishop expressing your personal protest and disappointment. to the creation of a giant infrastructure that has since spread deep into the authorities are already struggling with pollution, a tap water shortage and
He has good connections with German parishes and even speaks mountains. The use of snow cannon in warm winter months/ helicopter ski carrying capacity should place certain restrictions on any expansion of building
activity which has become counterproductive. Unless checked now, the entire warnings of an AIDS epidemic. But, with a future in both tourism and as the
German; he apparently is getting a lot of support. His address is: Bishop tours and even the latest craze - mountain bikes, have added to the difficulties pivot of the massive Eastern Seaboard development project, Pattaya is seriously
Njenga, cIa Bishop's tIouse, P.O. Box 8313], Mombasa, Kenya. faced by the environment. rJlateau may well be destroyed within a decade and be rendered unfit for human
lbitation:' concerned about cleaning up its image.
Recently, an important and encouraging event has happened within Huge numbers of apartments and chalets built to accommodate vacationers
have radically altered the face of traditional mountain villages. Today, many It is yet not too late to act. INDIAN EXPRESS, 7 June, 1989 ASIAWEEK, January 5, 1990
ConciIiary Process. Participants of the European Ecumenical Assembly
on two boats, sailing from Rotterdam to Basel against the stream on resemble the concrete housing complexes of big cities and are totally dependent
the Rhine river, stopped at st. Goar. We, together with other church on tourism.
groups, welcomed them. We presented our project to them and sent a The environmentalists say they do notwantto curtail tourism, but would like SEED

to see ashih of emphasis from downhill skiing, which they believe encourages (Sahyadri Ecolo~ Education Documentation)

message to the delegates in Basel. Our SOLWODI team, supported by


aggression. Instead, they feel more should be done to promote cross-country
Goa Update
a few women and men from the local parish, by means of a short sketch,
skiing and hiking/ which pose less of a challenge to the environment. Sahyadri (Western Ghats) ranges stretching 2000 kms. on India's western coast
put forth the problems and causes of sex tourism. In the past.:; months, the tourism scene in Goa has witnessed
The nature conservation union has just launched a new study into the green­ and passing through the states of Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maha­
The girls, we are helping are not the unscrupUlous, frivolous persons house effect - global warming caused by pollution that stops enough heat from rashtra and Gujarat is of crucial ecological importance to the whole world. seveJal happenin~. In earty November, demonstrations by the JGf
they often are taken for. These women very often have a family to the earth radiating into space. One of the main fears is that an increase in (Vigilant Goans Anny) and re,siclents of Saligao village urged action
SEED is a group/centre engaged in the study, documentation and dissemi­
support, they are mothers and daughters whc1 worry about their temperature could cause glaciers to melt and lead to widespread flooding in nation of ecological problems of the Western Ghats region. We combine on various fronts: pressure on local water resources by new hotels,
relatives, struggling hard to sUlVive. We sent a suitcase to BaseL on the Alps. Holdgate says he hopes the new study will contribute to an Alpine professionalism with ideology while focussing on issues. This means that we the Anjuna flea market, the proliferation of drug-running in coastal
which labels with slogans and banknotes were pasted, and we were Protection Law, which he would like to see enacted in the next five years. aim to make effective use of the media, courts and public education measures. villages, and ecological damage such as removal of sand-dunes.
happy to hear that the subject was taken up at the Assembly. A first step in this direction will be made soon by officials from the seven We also act as a·link between grassroots workers and scientists, academicians, Leaflets were distributed to German Condor-tourists. The role of
Through the media you have surely heard about the Philippine women nations bordering the 1,200 kilometre long mountain chain. wildlife experts, media persons and lawyers. At present we are campaigning German multinationals was emphasised, including the J\empinski
who have recently been arrested in some larger cities of the federal on the following issues: Hotel, Steigenberger consultants, and Lufthansa-Condor.
THE RISING NEPAL, 3 October, 1989
Republic of Germany. They have been locked up in tiny flats and 1. to protect the forests of Pooyamkutty in Kerala from destruction (the proposed Despite the relatively short notice at which national elections were
employed as domestic workers - some of them were paid only DM 300 high dams there will submerge 5000 Ha. and ultimately destroy 400 sq.km. held in November, tourism activists evolved a strategy of
- a month part of which they had sent home to support their About EQUATIONS, Briefly of precious forest.) campaigning for those candidates who actively oppose five-star
families. Their families had undergone great financial sacrifices to send tourism.
With this issue of the ANL, we reach abenchmark. Established in 1985 following 2. to get all the rainforest areas in the Western Ghats to be declared as natural
the girls to Germany. In one case, the whole village had contributed, In mid~february, a candlelight demonstration was held in front of
the 1984 Chiangmai Workshop, EQUATIONS is five years old. Our involvement heritage and protected as sanctuaries.
in another case the family sold their one carabao, a water buffalo. None the Secretariat in Partiim, by the Citizens Concerned Against
of them had any idea what awaited them in this country. in tourism issues in India has helped in deepening our understanding and ,.,. to protect the vital wildlife sanctuaries in the Western Ghats from being
Tourism. They demanded a halt to the midnight beach parties at
Recently we had a visitor from Kenya. This person told us about the sharpening our critique. tampered and destroyed. This includes the Nilgiri Biosphere (MAB Project)
As a result, we have also felt the urgent necessity of placing tourism on the Anjuna. That night, police kept a vigil at Anjuna, not allowing the
difficult political situation in the country. The Govemment promotes comprising Nagarahole NP, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Mudumalai WLS, SiJent
agenda of other concerns, in away that the struggle against exploitative tourism party to take place. Beach parties have become notorious for drug­
tourism above all as its main source of income. Everything endangering Valley NP and Wynaad WLS, the Anamalai - Anamudi Conservation Unit
might be broader based. During 1989 we participated in several events with comprising Eravikulam (NP), Parambikulam (WLS) Chinnar (WLS) and Indira dealing and related abuses.
this is treated as a threat to the existing political system. All massive
precisely this intention. Gandhi (WLS) and also the Periyar and Agasthyarmalai Conservation Units. Meanwhile, membelS of the Green Party of West Germany have
disadvantages and grave consequences don't seem to matter. Apart from our involvement in the Kanyakumari March reported in an earlier
4. to extend support to the campaigns against the nuclear power plants comi ng been in Goa to express their concern over German corporate
Prostitution is one of these consequences, although it is prohibited by issue, KT Suresh took part in a national consultation on Child Labour in India,
up at Kaiga (Karnataka) and Koodangulam (Tami Inadu). And also against the involvement in negative tourism development. Representatives of
law. However, too many persons profit from it: the police, the taxi drivers, along with others representing 70 voluntary organisations countrywide. Suresh
concentrated mining activities in Goa. the JGF are also expected to participate in the Intemational
the waiters, the bar owners. Even 'loitering for the purpose of presented apaper on Tourism and Child Prostitution, relating it to the larger issues Tourism Fair in West Berlin during early March, to express their
prostitution' is prohibited, which means that any woman may be of the consultation, held at Bhopal in mid-Odober. 5. to prevent the destruction of the unique ecology of the backwaters in Kerala.
views directly to the tourism industry.
controlled. Couples walking together in the evening must prove that In December, Mary Nirmala and Suresh took part in amajornationa! workshop 6. to help protect endangered species in the Western Ghats from extinction.
the woman indeed is no prostitute. As prostitution is illegal, the women on Social Movements, Human Rights and the Law, in Bombay. Representatives As a result of appeals made by the Goa Foundation, Ms Maneka
SEED is very concerned about the environmental impact of tourism, especially Gandhi, Union Minister of Environment, has directed demolition
are treated like criminals. If they are mishandled, they have none to tum from the Goan anti-tourism front jGF were also present, and tourism issues were
with reference to point 3, where tourism oriented development is playing a of expansions by existing hotels, and called for a halt to new hotel
to. highlighted, especially in the discussion on environment.
We intend to continue this trend in 1990, with at least one initiative from our big role in tampering and destroying wildlife parks. SAVARI, a sister concern, construction. She also plans to visit Goa to see for herself the
Sr. Lea Ackermann, Marion Feuerstein-Tubach, Karin Gappisch is exploring ways and means of authentic alternatives, as also ecological tourism.
side. Anational seminar on Tourism, Environment and the Law is planned between ecological damage now taking place. Informed source1? say that
(From Newsletter 13, 1989, SOLWODI, Solidarity with Women in Distress, Probstei - Str. Al/(lll~t )/).:~o Plprl~p writp to II~ if VOl I rirp int13rp,t13d in mrtirimtinD Ipttinl' '" For more derails, please write to: these moves have put the industry on the defensive.
iiirLelidch, 5407 BopparJ j, West lJermany.), kn~ ho~ you c~uld contrib~t~t~ the-discu~si~n-~nci ~th~;~-~~i·~(~s. -,,- .~--
The So:wodi contact person in Kenya is Ms Anna Sankei Catholic Parish/Makupa, p.o. Anand Skaria, Secretary, SEED, Post Box 14, Cochin-682 001, Kerala, INDIA.
Box 86821, Mombasa, KenYiL
2
11
r
Blame it on Rio!
contd. (rom page

understanding. The proponents of this thought feel that everyone in the trade
- the visitors, the hosts, the government and the travel business operators
Counting the Cost
Sir,' , By Doreen Taylor
have certain reponsibilities. Sanity can only come into the business when the
different players of the game abide by the rules. Local populations are usually the last to be consulted if consulted
The cultural impact of tourism in Nepal has been both good and bad. While at all- about tourism developments which happen on their doorstep. Brian went to Rio de Janeiro under doctor's orders,to cure a broken heart. He destination Ipanema on its front, with the address tightly in my hand to show
the visitors have given planners the push to preserve the ancient monuments The social, cultural and environmental impact on their lives of new was mugged five times in four days: twice at gunpoint, three times with a knife, the driver.
and historic sites, the apparent generosity of the individual tourists who flock hotels, attractions and marketing strategies is seldom investigated and twice one day within five minutes. "I've just been robbed, I have nothing;' At lord jim's I met most of the resident gringos in town. Paul, from Scotland,
the Himalayan hinterlands has given birth to hundreds of "one-rupee-sir-kids" beforehand. Quantifyi ng jobs created seems an altogether easier option he pleader!. Unfortunately, they do not speak English in Rio. They took his shorts. was traveling the world witn his friend Lenny. They were both street smart with
along the most frequented trekking destinations. for planners and politicians. But Rio is a guaranteed cure for heartache: you are constantly aware of soft streaks, and they invited meto join them on the beach. It was in lord Jim's
The other area of concern is the environmental impact that results from Perhaps it is because we take our holidays expressly to forget OUT O\'Vn potential danger so there is no room for self-indulgence. I had no broken heart, that they came across Brian and took him in as a lo~ger at their transit camp
uncontrolled mass-tourism. Pulling down trees for cooking which is alarmingly pains that we choose to ignore the unpleasant consequences of our but I had a long-stantling ambition to see Rio's famous carnival. Having been at Copacabana. The two of them had leased aone-bedroom apartment for six
high in trekking routes is stated to be one of the major areas of concern. Then pleasu re-seeking. assured that everybody in the city spoke English and that carnival time was weeks: it now profitably slept five or six transients, grateful for acheap mattress.
come the others - the non-biodegradable refuse and the toi let paper trai Is in When, however, we take our pleasure-seeking further, into the "party, party, party;' , booked a return flight and a room for my first two nights
the mountains. impoverished "paradises" of the Third World, we must surely open our Rio at carnival was full of South Americans from other regions and Copa­
in Copacabana and set out with a carry all filled with bikinis, shorts, T-shirts cabana's beach cafes ItYere full of hard-faced prostitutes. Apart from back-packers,
While blindly running aftertheeconomics of the trade, care should be taken eyes. In the name of mass tourism livelihoods are lost, religious and
and high expectations, but.without aword of Portuguese or even a phrase book. the only unescorted women I met in Lord Jim's after 11 p.m. were hookers on
that this does not end up in the neglect of the other issues that are not measured cultural traditions debased, and natural enviroments dangerously
in monetary terms. degraded. Cocooned, the tourists hear and see nothing. At Copacabana airport I was met by a courier and car, sent by my hotel. The the prowl.
A profitable industry does not happen on its own or by making the entry free­ However much we may resist the idea, we consume such people's foxy-looking female courier ascertained my financial situation as we drove One doctor said 80 percent of Rio's prostitutes had AIDS. OIle hooker I talked
for-all. It is the cost-benefit equation that matters. The question of the costs and experience as part of the holiday product we buy. If we are at last through the dusty streets and as quickly stopped hustling and in her modest to said she didn't care what, when, where or why as long as it paid plenty cash.
benefits again depends on how things are seen. In our context,if one is to draw becoming critical consumers of tourist packages, we can surely include English offered to be my interpreter and guide. She then advised me to remove Whenever I frequented aGerman tavern near the red-light area someone always
conclusions from what little the official records say, it is all benefits. These studies in our quality search quality of life for those whose resources we my gold rings and watch (a cheap 'Timex) and lock them away until it was time staggered in having just been threatened with a knife and mugged. You quickly
however seem to bother little about the costs that do not figure in the balance consume. We can begin to ask about wages and conditions; about to leave Rio. learned only to bring out what you could afford to lose. Every morning there
sheets. environmental safeguards; about local management. We can begin to
hotel was alongside dingy bars, clip joints and pornographic shows; the was a new robbery story: three Swedish men renting an apartment were
If the price that must be paid for turo-dollar means losing the cultural identities demand the restoration of the equal host-guest relationship that lies at
the heart of the best travel experiences. wrong side of town. At 20 Pounds a night, it was more than I intended paying, breakfasting when masked men burst in brandishing guns, forced them to sign
and distorting the natural surroundings, then the price is too high. The most
We are the pipers in the modern industrial market. Let's now playa even using paralelo, the black market exchange which practically doubles your their travellers' cheques and tied them up. They ended by taking a group
reasonable step then will be to look for acheaper bargain, which could mean
different tune as tourists.
money. If I was not approached by a boy in the street, I used the magic word photograph of their victims, throwing them the film and making off with their
taking in only the number of tourists that can be managed.
The alternatives that exist are either to bring in only the top clientele who para/eto to any passer-by, and a man or a shop was pointed out. But generally, camera. The perfect souvenir. "Hello Mum, here I am in Rio:'
Yours faithfully,

pay more and usually travel in groups and are managed by tour operators or the locals were positively hostile. We were warned at a fancy dress party to get out of town fast before the
Alison Stanclitte, 51. Mary's Terrace, Tyne & Wear.

quadruple the present 250,000 tourists per year not caring who comes in, My first search along the streets back from the beach was for a smaller, less carnival. The atmosphere was already electric, sparking with sambo bands
THE TIMES, london, 28 August 1989
what he does and where he goes. expensive hotel, and when that failed I searched for anyone who spoke English. bobbing from cafe to cafe like Pied Pipers with dancers swaying behind them.
Tourism today accounts for about 21 percent of Nepal's total foreign exchange J even tailed the only European-looking person I saw. He turned out to be a
The carnival crowd was what we had expected, but we were not prepared
earnings and its contribution to die Gross Domestic Product is 2.5 percent Scandinavian, and could not speak a word of English.
(1987 statistics). Doomed Mahabaleshwar and Panch~ani Dripping with sweat, I sat on the extremely wide Copacabana beach. The
for the teeming mob gyrating for miles around. There were street vendors at
every few yards yelling and selling drinks, barbecued chicken wings, masks,
Statistics that show tourism's actual costs in terms of the foreign currency that
By Sarosh 8ana sultry sensuous senoritas were as beautiful as rumoured with string bikinis souvenirs; acrobats entertained while the maimed and disabled begged on the
needs to be spent to import the amenities to keep the visitors content are almost
Exuberant construction activity and utter laxity in developmental controls, both emphasising their nearly exposed buttocks (aerobic classes for women periphery. Floats of froth carried bands and dancers, plumes, feathers, sequins,
nonexistent.
In Nepal, pollution, both cultural and environmental, exists but is rarely seen. evidently fueled by black money from Bombay, are dooming the idyllic twin concentrate on the waist down). Macho tarzans of all shades, worked out on diamante and gravity-defying headpieces, and each seemed more splendid and
Very few Nepalis let alone the tourism planners - bother to go out to the hill-resorts of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani in Satara district. rope lifts, played volleyball and battled huge breaker waves, ensuring their original than the last.
hinterlands to see what it is like there. These salubrious townships have been immensely popular with tourists, rippling, oiled torsos were in superb condition. I never removed my shorts while In the crowd we were outnumbered, like the away team at a football match.
To begin we should start thinking in terms of the garbage that has piled up particularly on account of their proximity to Bombay: they are just afive-hour standing about on the beach; anything less than perfect was too embarrassing A cry went up from Brian that he was being body-searched by a thief. Lenny
in the mountains. For almost four decades now, Nepal has hosted tourists drive away. But, unfortunately, this easy accessibility has not only opened the to display. pulled back aclenched fist, and though he was 6 ft 3 in, the crowd turned ugly
coming to see the highest peak in the world. The tourists have in turn "helped" floodgates of tourist traffic, it has also led to a veritable invasion by moneyed I remembered a book on Rio which mentioned that English speaking and started to boo him. We were split up and jostled. One hand flew to my
Nepal create another of the world's highest here - Everest South Col, the world's entrepreneurs who have plunged into real estate wheeling-dealings with gusto, expatriates frequented lord Jim's pub in Ipanema. Normally scornful of crotch to connect with my money-bag; the other clenched my bag and umbrella
highest garbage throwing developmental and environmental norms to the winds. transported British pubs, I was 50 desperate I leapt on the first bus with the against equally sudden and explosive downpours.
The Rising Nepal, 15 September 1989 As a consequence, land prices have spiraled to between RS.5 lakh and Rs.6
lakh per acre for land along the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani Road from Rs.l0,000
per acre barely adecade ago. Trees, several species of which are unique to this
region are hacked indiscriminately to make way for expanding construction.
And thick forest tracts are systematically decimated to fuel the increasing
numbers of cooking and heating fires.
Tourists, who numbered around 20,000 in 1961-62, today descend in droves
exceeding 4 lakh every season which stretches from October to March and
the months of May and June. The resident population has also been on the
upswing (and why not?), swelling from 24,370 in 1961 to over 42,000 at present,
prOjected to touch 55)70 by this century-end. Of them, 46.5 per cent inhabit
the townships, the rest spread over the 58 villages in the vicinity.
According to a 43 page report, Mahahaleshwar-Panchgani: A Case for
Conservation, prepared by the Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG), the
present land use patterns indicate a Floor Space Index (FSI) of 1.33, on par with
the ratio prevailing in a bustling metropolis like Bombay. Moreover, agricultural
lands have been granted permission for reclassification as non-agricultural
:ilnds.
In fact, developers publicly advertise sale of plots or built-up structures which
are unauthorisedly erected on leasehold and freehold properties which
12

NETWOKK We invite Network members to contribute to the Network Letter


by sharing their work, ideas and plans through these pages.
NEWS
KOUNDUP
Communication is vital to the life of a Network, especially when
physical distances cannot easily be bridged by closer contacts. ALTERNATIVE NETWORK LETTER
The European NetworR A Third World Tourism Critique
a departure from the normal practise of reporting on a number of events and
developments within the growing international networks, we are reporting mainlv on a
Reaching us
visit to members of the Tourism European Network in December 1989. For Private Circulation Only Vol. 6 No. 1 February 1990
We have a new phone number: 542.313. The code for India
Following the International Seminar on Alternative Tourism in Tamanrasset, is 91, and followed by (0)812 for Bangalore. Call between
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 1ST on weekdays, or until 1 p.m. on
Algeria, I visited TEN members in 4 countries, some for the first time. This was
coordinated by Rev Martin Staebler, the TEN Coordinator, ably assisted by
Ludmilla Tu~ting and other friends in Europe.
In Stuttgart, it was opportune that Reggie Gomes of the Goa Research Institute
~:;aturdays. We are trying to arrange for calls to be diverted
to another number outside hou~, but this might take
some time.
T HE year has begun well for India, with a new government at the reins
in New Delhi: having asked for a clear break from the shoddy politics
of the last five years, the people will keenly monitor the performance
of those who have received our mandate.
TOURISM IN NEPAL:
Who benefits?
for Development was present at the same time. GRID had produced a report Our new telex number is 0845-8600 escI IN (ATTN 007). Ms Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister for Environment and Forests, has moved
by Binod Bhattarai
on the Socio-economic Impact of Tourism in Goa, and Reggie was able to This is a 24--hour reception service. cables can addressed in asking the Uttar Pradesh government to review its plans for tourism

T
discuss tourism issues from a Goan perspective, leading into my presentation to EQUATIONS BANGALORE. OURISM, some say is all benefits: it brings new jobs and the much
development in the Gangotri region of the Himalayas. On the other
of the situation at the overall national level. This was at a meeting with We look forward to hearing from you. hand, the Tourism Ministry has stated its intention to continue with the policy needed hard currency. In addition, it also promotes an exchange and
ecumenical media persons. of the previous government, based on the May 1988 report of the National understanding between the visitors and the host population. Others
Later, there were several other meetings: with staff of various ecumenical Committee on Tourism. charge it hurts: with the economic relief tourism brings to developing
agencies; with students of Hohingen University who are preparing a visual Tourism Ecumenical European Networ~. Stutt\:1art economies, it also brings something that is uncalled for.
display on Goan tourism for ITB '90; and, of course, planning for future Those who have been asking for a change in tourism policy will continue
It destroys the local culture, pollutes the environment and dismantles local
A German television crew was recently in Goa, and was able to recoro to do so: in fact our expectations will be greater. The presence of people like
collaboration with Martin Staebler. On the final day, a press conference had economies. The inflationary forces that corne with tourism stay on for long after
extensive material on current tourism issues in this part of India. Although brief Ms Gandhi in the Cabinet, the reconstitution of the Planning Commission to
been set up by the Green Party at the Bundeshaus in Bonn. the visitors have left, leaving the locals to suffer the punch. Th is comes in the
portions have been shown on West German television, it will be possible to incl ude a range of SOcially aware persons, among other developments, fuel our
At Brussels, in the absence ofTEN-Belgium's Mils Roekaert, I was graciously forms of artificial price hikes and the remains of the copied alien values.
produce a half-hour documentary for educational use. TEN-Germany is in the hopes. The task of governance over a country so vast and complex as India has
hosted by Kris Savat, who also arranged a half-day press conference. This to Also with tourism comes an imported consumer culture like the denims,
process of doing so, in time for the International Tourism Fair at Berlin in March never been easy, but political power is vested with a purpose. And that purpose
me was a most useful encounter, since the group in Belgium is at a nascent 1990, where Goan tourism concerns will be a major focus of the Tourism with tee-shirts and drugs that infect the host population. Kathmandu has not been
stage, and there was plenty of time for detailed discussions. I was later driven is always defined by society and its needs. It would be illusory - even dangerous spared the deluge. Narcotic drugs, which were unknown prior to the
Insight groups. - to contemplate of any power as permanent, of any support as unconditional.
by Dominic Verhoeven to Maastricht, just inside the Dutch border. days, reached the streets with the visitors who come here in search of
There, I met Brigitte Sie, a member of the Dutch Third World Tourism Write to Rev Martin Staebler, ZEB, Gerokstr. 17, 7000 Stuttgart 1, FR\Jt::lll1ally. Tourism is only a part of the larger change that we are hoping for: over the Today almost every third street-kid in the city's tourist quarters at Thamel or
Foundation, who writes for the development education journal, BIJEEN. Our past five years or so, the environmental movement in India has emerged as one Jhochhen has been affected by the copied culture. It has become a rule rather
conversation lasted several hours, and she was well informed of tourism issues of the best organised the world over, encompassing a wide range of issues and than the exception.
Resources
Iil
in India, making it easy to discuss matters in The kids who would have been more at home in classrooms like other
At the office of the Foundation in Nijmegen, it was good to renew contact children of their age are today's most noticeable sufferers of this side-effect of
Tourism Concern Newsletter, Issue 1, Autumn 1989, Tourism Concern, 8 S1.
with Kees van Teefelen, and learn more of each others' work, exploring areas
Mary's Terrace, Ryton, Tyne and Wear, NE 40 3AL, U.K. Winds of Change mass tourism. The stray penny falling into their palms once in a while has
of mutual cooperation. I also spoke of alternative travel possibil ities with aformer become an addiction. Being able to speak in gibberish french, German and
staff person from the India workgroup in Utrecht. This new publication is an attempt to change the one-way focus of current English and hounding the tourists for the rupee has become part of their lives.
The two-day programme in London was hectic and tiring, though well perceptions about tourism and to assert the essential equality of host and guest ideological pOSItIOns. Pollution of natural resources, Bhopal, traditional But who cares. Industry pundits, blindly rushing after reaching the tourism
organised by Alison Stancliffe ofTourism Concern. First, a lecture-discussion that lies at the heart of worthwhile travel experiences. Write to editor Alison fisherfolk, Chipko (and its counterpart, Appiko, in Karnataka), Baliapal, Kaiga targets for the year 2000 ann beyond, seem to have little thought to what
with staff and students of the MA in Anthropology of Tourism at Stancliffe for a sample copy. and Koodangulam the list is endless. The litmus testforthe new government might happen the day after.
Roehampton Institute, hosted by Dr Tom Selwyn. Then, a radio-interview by could well be the Narmada Sagar dam project, opposition to which has resulted Going by rough population projections that Nepal may count about 20
Nick Rankin of BBC World Service, followed by a late-night meeting with Alison Economic Issues of Tourism, Centre for Responsible Tourism, 2 I(pn<;.;naton in the rallying of an unprecedented number of groups and individuals million people by century-end and assuming the target is met, there will be
and other friends. On the second day, Frank Barrett of The Independent Road, San Anselmo, CA 94960, USA. countrywide. one touristfor every 20 Nepalis. Trying to visualise what the crowd will be like
interviewed me for their travel column, and this was followed by a full day of The report of consultation IV of the North American Network for Responsible Nor are the Indian people alone in asking for change. Recent developments in major urban settlements like Kathmandu and Pokhara when the one million
meetings with various people in the work of Tourism Concern and the TEN­ Tourism provides an overview of the economic imbalance between countries :n Eastern Europe and China have left many political theorists and others happens is frightening
UK network. of the North and South, and the role played by tourism in this context, in the breathless. EI Salvador and the Philippines could be foreseen, and even diehard The situation is however not as hopeless as it appears. Right steps taken today
My thanks to all who helped in organising meetings, hosted me at their paper by Prof. William Tabb. Presentations by other participants are South Africa has become less so. can help save tomorrow.
homes, and contributed to making the concerns of India better known through also included. The World Tourism Organisation and the sociaiist government of Algeria have In some countries there have emerged crusade-groups who claim to have
this brief visit. Apologies to friends in Austria and Switzerland, that for reasons agreed to establish an International Centre for Responsible Tourism at the answer: saner, gentler alternatives for today's mass tourism. The dharma
beyond my control I could not accept their kind invitations. Tourism in Tasmania Blessing or Blight: A discussion paper, by Michael Tamanrasset, a small Saharan town close to the borders of Mali and Niger. While of these groups that promote the alternatives: equal benefits both social and
Lynch, Tasmanian Institute for Independent Policy Studies, Australia, May 1988. some participants (at the seminar on Alternative Tourism held at Tamanrasset economic to the tourists as well as the hosts. The host population should not
This paper presents a "green" philosophy of tourism for Tasmania and studies last November) were not entirely satisfied with this decision, it is significant be looked UDon as the monkey-in-the-zoo and the tourists as invaders from
Heritaae Interpretation International specific issues which have a major impact on the direction of future tourism. that some steps - however tentative are being taken in the direction of a another
Hawaii. 1991 Included is a list of key elements of an environmentally responsible tourism new kind of tourism, and that this initiative has emerged from the industry, not Another idea that is taking shape is that of atourism with and
i}\'l'rledl
To he held at Honolulu, Hawaii in November 1991, the 3rd Global for Tasman ia. from its critics.
Congress of HI! will be co-sponsored by the University of Hawaii and But the job of the critics is not yet over. Bob Dylan's song of hope
Eastern Michigan University. The congress focus will be: "Interpretation, Himal, P.O. Bo)(.42, Lalitpur, many hundreds of thousands in the post-Vietnam war era: it rings even truer INSIDE
Preservation, and the Travellndustry'~ Organised trienially, prior heritage This bi-monthly magazine reports on the social, economic. cultural and Our job will now be to recognise the signs of change, and harness them International Centre ........ .. . 4
interpretation congresses were held in Coventry, England (1988) and in a positiv~~, creative end. And to do so more effectively than ever before,
environmental aspects of life in the Himalayan region. Vo!'2, No.3 is a special The Last Battle .......... . .................... 5
Banff, Alberta (1985). For detai Is write to: Dr. Gabe Cherem, Co-Chai r, Th" ff1'-' Ie ;c An thp t1P\loi.,nrnont rof tn. Irjcm hQ hln\J\!n ;:l'~"';)\/ ''''l
h" th p \fUr" \A!'n~C f)n \/i,h;rh tho" '''n h0rpr.

HI! 1991 Honolulu Congress, f:MU Department ot Geography,


• , • "- ' ............... -' ,~, ~~,. ~ •• ~ .......... , -....' '" I~' ••• ~ •• '" -" ~ '"" ---, .­ ,#'- ' ••' , . . . " " •• ~~"~J '-"-~ '~'} ." " ........ .., ~" . , . " ........ """'-'"1 ............ "" ......... 11 ......

india News & Views 6,


and its and the environment.
MI 48197 USA. Blame it on Rio 11
Paul Gonsalves
Published by: Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS), 96, H Colony. Indiranagar Stage 1, Bangalore 560 038, INDIA.

Design and Phototypesetting; Revisuality Dieitised Typp~ettingand Graphic Design, 42/1 Lavelle Road, Bangalore, India.

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