Toshali Sands

Orissa Dream Destination

Tourism is the world’s largest and fastest growing industry. Last year nearly 700 million tourists crisis - crossed the world spending 3.4 trillion US dollars effecting economic activity of most of the countries making global ecology under strain, causing environmental damage, ecological imbalances and cultural degradation. The vices of mass tourism is realized at all major tourist destination of the world like Cancum in Mexico, Pattaya in Thailand and Goa in India. Holidaying is no more a harmless pleasure.

With an aim to preserve the local culture, the fragile habital and to conserve the natural resources from further exploitation, the United Nations has declared 2002 as the International Year of Eco-tourism. The concept of eco-tourism has been developed in the 1990s replacing the traditional tourism which based on Sea Sand-Surf (the fourth S is known to all), becoming the fastest segment of international tourism.

Eco-tourism is not just nature tourism visiting forests, lakes, beaches wild life sanctuaries forgetting the ruinous impact that holiday has on environment and local culture. It is holiday travel without harming environment ecology, natural resources and ethnic culture while creating job opportunities for local people. The mangrove International Eco-tourism Society in 1991 defined, “Eco-tourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well being of the local people.”

A eco-tourist is friend of nature who cares environment and wants to stay in natural surrounding with nature and local people to study, admire and enjoy nature and local culture. Thus eco-tourism promotes environmental values, preserve nature and ensures economic benefits to the local community. Costa Rice is the heaven for eco-tourists attracting 66 per cent of I its foreign tourists. Kenya attracts more than half of its foreign tourists for eco-tourism Nepal. Smaller than Indian attracts more eco-tourists than India. Kerala gets the largest foreign eco-tourists than any other state in India by developing eco-tourism projects.

Realising the negative impact of conventional tourism, the Government of Orissa plans to develop eco-tourism to avoid biotic pressure on forests, wild life, natural resources. Orissa is a rich bio-diversity state with rich cultural heritage. It has vast potential for eco-tourism that need to be tapped for economic benefits and healthy conservation of nature. The state bonds in natural owners, having 400 kilometers of coat line with finest beaches one third of its area full of forest and wild life, one fifth of its population live in forests and hilly areas having tribal culture, mountain ranges, hills and valleys, wild life sanctuaries, national parks, zoological parks, rivers and lakes, perennial springs, breath taking arts and crafts.

Recently the state identified Chilika, Bhitarakanika and Chandaka as eco-tourism dentations. Chilika the largest brackish water lake in Asia recently eco-restored is a heaven for eco-tourist for its numerous islands and hillocks with evergreen vegetation, migratory birds of multi-coloured plumage, flocks of sweet singing native birds, the dolphins, bird sanctuary at Satapada and Nalaban, cruising and boating on its blue water, Bhitarkanika sanctuary inside India’s second largest forest with esturine crocodile sanctuary, Gahiramatha sea turtle sanctuary and beautiful spots of extraordinary splendour for nature lovers. Fhandaka wild life sanctuary with Nadanakanan zoological park will be developed as eco-tourism spots.

The essence of eco-tourism lies in admiration of nature and outdoor recretion such as trekking, hiking, mountaineering, camping, bird watching, boating, rafting, biological exploration and visiting wild life sanctuaries without consummative erosion of natural recourses. The State’s promotion of adventure tourism which is for thrill of the tourist should be replaced.

Protection and conservation of bio-diversity of Orissa’s eco-habitat shall be the key of all tourism policy. Tourism plan should be centered on what the land, people culture have to offer and not the tourist needs. The planning and development of tourist infrastructure, operation and marketing should focus on environment, social, cultural and economic sustainability criteria. Eco-friendly resorts and hotels should be promoted. It should be the responsibility of the investors regarding solid waste, sewarage. Plantation of trees, drawing of ground water and observing architectural guidelines. Unconventional and environmental friendly ventures are to be encouraged. The leaders of tourism business and stakeholder’s awareness to be created from traditional tourism into eco-sensitive packages providing tourists back-to-nature holiday experience.

Like Srilanka, Maldives, Seychelles where tourism and the growth of tourism has peacefully co-existed with environment needs of the destination. Orissa should seriously implement eco-tourism in the truest sense . Then the state can attract more eco-tourist making the people, the government and the environment, all beneficiaries.