The Himalaya—A Greatest Architectural Heritage and Tourism Destination of Earth World

Abstract

Mountains cover around 27% of the Earth’s land surface and contribute to the sustenance and well-being of 720 million people living in the mountains and billions more living downstream. In other way, we can say that over half the human population depends on mountains for water, food, and clean energy. The Himalayan region has a very important divine meaning for Hindus as a “sacred space”. For Hindus, it is not just an assemblage of natural features or beautiful landscapes, but a representation of the divine. Apart from pilgrimage tourism, “modern” tourism in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) region, which is represented by mass tourism, largely limited to sightseeing and visiting major tourism hubs, is also putting severe stress on the ecology and ecosystem services of the Himalaya as well as on local social structures. This way of tourism needs ever-growing road networks, hotels, related infrastructure, and institutional capacities, and puts huge demands on the water and natural resources of this fragile region. Over the years, mountain climbing, trekking, and nature-based tourism in the IHR have been gaining popularity. These round-the-year activities need to be encouraged and promoted dependably. While tourism is one of the chief development sectors for the Himalaya and can be the engine that drives future development in the region, this will only be possible if it is established and implemented the following principles of sustainability. This report lays out an action-oriented path for the expansion of sustainable tourism in the Himalaya, which can augment economic and livelihood opportunities while maintaining the ecology and cultural values of the region.