Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

IMPRINTS OF THE TOURISM-ENVIRONMENT IMPACT: A STATEOF- THE-ART REVIEW

J. Eugene

Abstract

Travel and Tourism has manifested itself as a vital need for people from all walks of life. This growing demand inundates the need for various tourism infrastructure and facilities, amounting to voluminous usage of the destination by the tourists. Eventually, the destination’s environment is intervened and it suffers certain losses which cannot be compensated. This may result in lack of Sustainability of Tourism and Environment. This dubious status should be set right so that the future enjoys a benign environment. This paper mainly focuses on the impact of tourism projects on the environment. It highlights on the Environmental Impact Assessment to understand the impact of a tourism project on the environment. To discuss this theme, select environments from Pondicherry - a popular tourist destination, at the shores of Bay of Bengal, Southern part of India is taken for the study. The possible impacts of tourism projects on the chosen natural and built environment are studied. Based on the inferences, suggestions are drawn. This paper is carefully constructed using frequent field visits, observation techniques, interaction with the concerned authorities, archives, reports and reviews.