Tourism development and environmental protecetion (with special reference to Rajasthan)

Tourism has been regarded as a major source of economic growth and a good source of foreign exchange earnings. Tourism has also been considered as an activity that imposes costs on the host country. Such costs include increased pollution and negative impact on natural and cultural environments. One aspect that has been ignored is the general equilibrium effects of tourism on the other sectors in the economy. These effects can be quite substantial and should be taken into account when assessing the net benefits of a tourism boom on an economy. Rajasthan has emerged during the last decade as one of the favorite tourist destinations in India for both domestic and foreign tourists. At present, the State receives approximately one fourth of the foreign tourists who visit India annually. Additionally, over 6.50 million domestic tourists also visit Rajasthan annually. Some of the tourism products of Rajasthan have become popular among the tourists such as Palace-on-Wheels, Heritage Hotels, Camel Safaris, Pushkar Fair, Desert festival, Palace Hotels & Wild Life Sanctuaries/National Parks. This paper focuses on the various issues of tourism activity on environment in Rajasthan and enriches us how we could improve and make it ecologically, socially and economically viable.