Taming the Tourist Tide: Managing Overtourism in India's Fragile Destinations

Abstract

Overtourism in India’s prominent destinations such as Shimla, Manali, Goa, and Jaipur has emerged as a critical issue affecting both consumer experience and destination sustainability. This study explores the behavioural patterns of tourists and the management inefficiencies contributing to overtourism. Drawing upon structured surveys and stakeholder interviews, the research investigates how unregulated consumer demand—fueled by social media trends, influencer culture, and inadequate travel awareness—has resulted in unsustainable visitor inflows during peak seasons. Tourists' preference for popular, visually appealing destinations over lesser-known alternatives has created a consumption pattern that disregards ecological and socio-cultural limitations. From a management perspective, the lack of destination governance, inadequate infrastructural planning, and limited stakeholder coordination has exacerbated the issue. Local governance bodies have struggled to control unregulated accommodations, manage waste, and ensure fair economic distribution. Consumers (tourists) often remain unaware of their environmental footprint, contributing to resource depletion and tension with local communities. This behaviour is shaped by hedonic motivations, short-term experiences, and perceived value without consideration for long-term impacts. The data imply that ethical tourism marketing, behavioral nudges, and consumer education are the most important factors in influencing consumers' travel plans. The research recommends community engagement in sustainable tourism, tourist differential pricing, and carrying capacity limits. They propose the following. The findings demonstrate that ethical shopping and effective destination management must work together to reduce overtourism. Results provide municipal leaders, tourist marketers, and lawmakers local options to align tourism growth to sustainable goals. This management-informed, customer-oriented approach may establish a sustainable and resilient tourism ecosystem that meets tourist, local, and environmental needs.