Impact of tourism on spatial growth of the destination

Abstract

With a diverse geography, India offers a wide range of
tourist attractions for all class of travelers. Tourism is one of the
significant sources of employment and income generation in India.
Many development activities have been taken in the last two decades
in order to promote tourism and to trigger the associated economic
benefits. Increased tourism activity has created an enormous
pressure on the destinations for the development of tourism
infrastructure. This has led to changes in land cover/land use of the
destinations with increasing built up area. The objective of this study
is to determine the relation between the changing built-up area and
the growth in tourist arrivals in the destination. This study
hypothesizes that change in built up area is significantly impacted by
tourism activity. The spatial distribution pattern of physical
infrastructure with in the area over space and time is being explored
through this research work.

Full text

Impact of tourism on spatial growth of the destination
Tagore Sai Priya Nunna
Ranbir and Chitra Gupta School of Design and Infrastructure
Management.
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
West Bengal, India
tagoresaipriya111@gmail.com
Ankhi Banerjee
Ranbir and Chitra Gupta School of Design and Infrastructure
Management.
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
West Bengal, India
ankhi@iitkgp.ac.in
Abstract—With a diverse geography, India offers a wide range of
tourist attractions for all class of travelers. Tourism is one of the
significant sources of employment and income generation in India.
Many development activities have been taken in the last two decades
in order to promote tourism and to trigger the associated economic
benefits. Increased tourism activity has created an enormous
pressure on the destinations for the development of tourism
infrastructure. This has led to changes in land cover/land use of the
destinations with increasing built up area. The objective of this study
is to determine the relation between the changing built-up area and
the growth in tourist arrivals in the destination. This study
hypothesizes that change in built up area is significantly impacted by
tourism activity. The spatial distribution pattern of physical
infrastructure with in the area over space and time is being explored
through this research work.
Keywords—Tourism, destinations, built up, Growth rate,
Correlation
I. INTRODUCTION
Tourism is a geographical phenomenon which includes the
movement and flow of people and spatial distribution pattern
of land consumption for tourism related activities [1]. Tourist
destinations have unique physical features and have different
spatial growth patterns, impacted by geography, infrastructure
development, tourist growth and socio-economic factors [2]. In
India, smaller tourist spots gradually cluster together with
nearby destinations to form a major destination offering a
range of facilities to the tourists thus a multi-centred networks
are formed, transforming into areas with distinctive change in
land cover and land use [3]. The use and conversion of lands
surrounding tourist destinations is directly linked to tourism
development, by means of hotels and restaurants and other
accommodation facilities, shopping areas, transport facilities,
and other leisure related activities.
India has been attracting many tourists representing an
annual growth rate of 15.6 % in 2017 [4]. Increasing demand
for the tourism and high tourist influx has created pressure in
the destination areas to develop accommodation, transport and
other facilities. This created a significant impact in changing
Land use/Landover of the destination regions through time.
The impact of tourism on land are different for different type of
destinations based on factors like connectivity, type of tourism
activities, seasonality, etc. [2]. Inefficient planning and
management of tourism industry in some of the destinations led
to negative impacts on environment leading to vulnerability
from natural hazards. Increased built-up area near tourist sites
may lead to loss of natural landscapes of the site and reduce the
attractiveness of the location to tourists [5]. Unplanned and
unchecked increase in built up area is one of the factors
affecting the vulnerability of tourism destinations.
Kedarnath is a popular religious destination attracting large
number of pilgrims from May to October every year. Although
Kedarnath is a remote location, it has underwent haphazard
growth of built-up area owing to the large influx of tourists and
to meet their demand of physical infrastructure facilities. In
June 2013 the town suffered extensive destruction from
cloudburst, flash floods and landslides. The unplanned and
haphazard construction further aggravated the situation
resulting into death of large number of tourists and residents
[6]. Kedarnath therefore serves as an example, how lack of
proper land management strategies and increased human
activity increases the frequency and intensity of the natural
disaster. This study therefore aims to understand the
relationship between changing built-up and growth of tourist
activities in most selected tourist destinations in India.
II. EVOLUTION OF DESTINATIONS
A. Destination Life cycle
Butler (1980) has focussed his tourism research on finding
the evolution of the destinations conceptualized through
different stages of tourism development.[7] Destination life
cycle concept is provided with an idea of how a tourist
destination transform and develop over time and how the
natural resources are pressurized and transformed from
exploration to development stage. The first stage of life cycle is
the exploration stage where very few number of tourists visit
the place for the first time. Then, the second stage is
involvement stage where the visitors are relatively high with
economic benefits. This stage leads to migration of the
settlements to nearby tourist sites impacting the land cover of
the destination. The development stage of the destination is
evident of well-defined marketing with heavy advertising about
the destination [8]. Also, the changes in physical attributes of
the area can be observed at this stage because of hotels and
lodges, restaurants, resorts, transport facilities, According to
butler, after the development stage, next comes the
consolidation stage where flow of tourists starts declining and
the destination has to promote the place through human made
attractions like resorts, theme parks etc. At these two stages,

tourism creates a heavy impact on land use/land cover of the
area. Therefore, it is evident that land use maps related with
tourism attractions can be used to indicate the destination’s
stage of life cycle.
B. GIS Appplications
Geospatial technologies have wide applications in tourism
development including location, condition of the area, trends
and changes, routing to and through the site, and patterns
associated with resource use [9]. Remote sensing and GIS tools
can be used as tools for land use and land cover mapping of the
destinations. GIS platform can be used to overlay the time-
series maps and analyse the trends in changing built up area.
III. MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study analyses spatial growth, along with increase in
resident population and tourists for major tourist destinations in
India. Land use maps at a scale of 1:250000, for these major
destinations are collected for 2005, 2009, 2013, and 2017 from
Bhuvan (http://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in). These raster images are
clipped to case study areas with a buffer of 10 km. These raster
images are reclassified with pixel value representing built up
area through GRASS to extract the only built up areas. The
area of the pixels coming under built-up class within the
selected regions has been calculated for given years. The
tourist arrivals data is collected for each destination from the
statistics provided by the Ministry of tourism, Government of
India. The population data is collected for 1991, 2001 and 2011
from the census of India and interpolated for years 2005 and
2017. The built up area and tourist arrival data of each
destination is considered for the years 2005, 2009, 2013 and
2017 based on the changing trends and correlated with tourist
arrivals and population for years 2001, 2011 and 2017. Also,
the growth rate of Built up area, Tourist arrivals and Population
for the period 2005 to 2017 is calculated for correlation study.
IV. STUDY AREAS SELECTION
The following study areas are selected based on three
criteria: i) Average Tourist arrival per year ii) Annual average
Growth rate of tourist arrivals and iii) Tourist to resident ratio.
The selected destinations are the most popular in India, with
rapid increase in tourist arrivals and tourist resident ratio.
S.No
Destination
State
Description
1
Manali
Himachal Pradesh
Hill station
2
Shimla
Himachal Pradesh
Hill station
3
Puri
Orissa
Religious Coastal
town
4
Mount Abu
Rajasthan
Hill station
5
Udagamandalam
(Ooty)
Hill station
6
Allahabad
Uttar Pradesh
Religious town
7
Haridwar
Uttarakhand
Religious town
8
Dharamshala
Himachal Pradesh
Hill town
9
Vishakapatnam
Andhra Pradesh
Coastal city
10
Tirupati
Andhra Pradesh
Religious hill town
A. Allahabad
The city of Allahabad, officially renamed as Prayagraj is
situated at the confluence of three rivers - the Ganga, Yamuna
at a point known as Triveni sangam with an area of 132.49
sq.km. This meeting point is considered as a sacred place for
Hindus and hence it attracts wide range of pilgrims and tourists
with it’s historic, cultural and religious sites throughout the
year [10]. It is also one of the four places where the
kumbhmela and Ardh kumbhmela happens once in 12 years
and 6 years respectively. Hence, sudden increase in tourists
during this event brings a huge demand on the availability of
infrastructure in the city. This huge demand resulted in
increasing built-up area around the Ghats with hotels, lodges
and other facilities [10]. According to 2001 Master Plan,
around 4.57% of the total panning area is allotted for
kumbhmela and religious purposes.
Fig. 1. Built up area of Allahabad in 1995(a), 2005 (b), 2017 (c).
B. Dharamshala
Dharamshala is a well-known Buddhist destination attracting
tourists by the beauty of Dhauladhar range, lush green forest
areas and its rich cultural heritage. It is also headquarters of
Kangra district. The total planning area of Dharamshala is
41.63 sq.km in which municipal council area is 10.63 sq.km.
As per census of India, the town population has increased
from 10255 in 1961 to 22586 in 2011. The town is surrounded
by ecologically fragile and dense forest areas which restricts
the physical expansion of the town. But the incidence of
unauthorized construction and unsafe construction practices
has rendered the town vulnerable to natural disasters.
Fig. 2. Built up area of Dharamshala in 1995(a), 2005 (b), 2017 (c).
C. Haridwar
Haridwar is an ancient Hindu pilgrimage city and also one
of holiest places in India. It is situated in the state of
Uttarakhand at an altitude of 292.7 m above sea level with an
area of 15.07 sq.km [11]. Haridwar is well known destination
for Hindu rituals and ceremonies, Ganga aarti, Temples and
Ashrams. It attracts 13 million tourists per year on an average

with its very rich religious and cultural heritage, natural scenic
beauty sited in the foot of Himalaya hills [11]. Also, it acts as
the gateway to the Char Dhams of uttarakhand. There are five
pilgrimage sites named Panchtirth which include Gangadwara
(Har Ki Pauri), Kushwart (Ghat), Kankhal, BilwaTirtha
(Mansa Devi Temple) and Neel Parvat (Chandi Devi) located
within the city. It is also one of the four places where
kumbhmela happen after every 12 years and Ardhkumbh after
every six years. The city has been developed in a linear form
between the plains below the shivalik mountain range and
River ganga. In 1938, the Har-kiPauri-Ghat was extended from
38ft to 285ft for kumbhmela. There was a rapid and unplanned
growth in the city after the establishment of BHEL in 1965
[11].
Fig. 3. Built up area of Haridwar in 1995(a), 2005 (b), 2017 (c).
D. Manali
Manali is a resort hill town with an area of 1.66 sq.km
situated on the right bank of River Beas at an altitude of
1829m. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations with
natural and cultural landscapes, heritage sites, Tibetan temples
etc. The kullu valley stretch ends at manali and continues the
stretch to Rohtan pass and the solang valley. In this stretch,
Manali is the host destination to all the nearby attractions such
as Kullu valley, Rohtang pass, Beas kund and solang valley.
The first planning efforts were taken up in 1965-66 allotting
vacant spaces for construction of houses and shops. The floods
in 1995 washed away the built up area constructed close to
river bank. But this destruction did not limit the haphazard
construction activities. Mass tourist influx pressurized the town
with tourist facilities and services which led to huge migration
into town. This created a demand in expansion of the town to
accommodate the needs of population as well as tourists which
led to unplanned and haphazard development in the outskirts of
the town.
Fig. 4. Built up area of Manali in 1995(a), 2005 (b), 2017 (c).
E. Mount Abu
Mount Abu is the only hill station in Rajasthan with an area of
22 sq.km and also considered as Eco sensitive zone
characterized by shallow wetland ecosystems, open and dense
forests. It has very distinct landscape patterns, steep slopes
with sharp rise in altitude from 1400 to 1700m in the north
and Oriya plateau surrounding low ridges in the south. The
flatter topography is more suitable for expansion of villages,
resorts and hotels as long as it is controlled. The main town
lies at an altitude of 1200m surrounding with peaks and
elevated ridges coming under Eco sensitive Zone which has
immense tourist activities. Out of the developed area,12.8% is
under commercial use where the majority of area is occupied
by hotels and lodges [12].
Fig. 5. Built up area of Mount Abu in 1995(a), 2005 (b), 2017 (c).
F. Puri
Puri is a coastal town with an area of 64.10 sq.km
attracting both domestic and international tourists in large
number with its religious and historic importance [13]. Since it
is the place of worship, there is mass tourist influx into town
creating a continuous pressure for development of facilities to
cater the demand of huge floating population throughout the
year. The region is basically a coastal stretch and frequently
proned to Cyclones and other marine disasters. According to
the Master plan prepared for 2031, 11.10 % of land use is
allotted for religious use and 5.56% for commercial
developments which comprises a large percentage of hotels,
lodges and dharmasalas [13]. Informal commercial growth in
Beach areas, uncontrolled expansion of informal stalls near
temple, major commercial establishments for tourists are some
of the reasons for increased built up area [14]. This rapid
development is threatening the coastal ecosystem and polluting
the marine ecology in the region.
Fig. 6. Built up area of Puri in 1995(a), 2005 (b), 2017 (c).
G. Shimla
Shimla is the most popular hill station and also capital city
of Himachal Pradesh. It is one of the most preferred
destinations situated on the last traverse spur of the Central
Himalayas and south of river Sutlej at an altitude of 2130m. It
is a multifunctional city where the growth is dominated by
tourism activities and then educational activities. These
activities are pressurizing the city to expand in terms of area
with unregulated development. The city is planned for an area

of 14.75 sq.km out of which 0.22 sq.km is for tourism purpose.
All the major built up area is on the southern slopes of Shimla
due to its topographical constraints. High growth of population
coupled with floating population is developing a heavy
pressure on existing area leading to encroachments,
unauthorized construction activities incompatible with
topography of the area.
Fig. 7. Built up area of Shimla in 1995(a), 2005 (b), 2017 (c).
H. Tirumala
Tirumala is a temple town located on the seshadri hills
(seven hills) attracting a large number of pilgrims for the
worship of Lord Balaji. Tirupati is nearby city located at the
foot of seven hills. The growth of town and also the city is
connected with the history of the temple and the growth in
pilgrim traffic. Tirupati city is the gateway to enter Tirumala
town, where the lodging facilities, darshan counters, transport
facilities are available within in the city.
Fig. 8. Built up area of Tirumala in 1995(a), 2005 (b), 2017 (c).
I. Udagamandalam (Ooty)
Udhagamandalam is one of the most important hill stations
in South India located at an elevation of 2286 m. It has
experienced a massive development in last two decades where
tourism is primary reason for this development. Tourism
industry is the major contribution for economic growth of the
town. These economic benefits led to migration of settlements
near by the town area converting forest area to agricultural
land and built up for their livelihood. The Natural forests and
grasslands are converted to built up area to meet demands of
flowing tourists into the town. The changes in land cover
increased vulnerability of the area to Landslides, flash floods
and Droughts which occur frequently in the region.
Fig. 9. Built up area of Ooty in 1995(a), 2005 (b), 2017 (c).
J. Vishakapatnam
Vishakapatnam, also popular as Vizag is a beautiful coastal
city well known for its beaches, Buddhist vihar, Dolphin’s
nose and Kailashgiri hills. It also acts a host destination for
many tourists visiting nearby tourist attractions like Araku
valley, Lambhasingi etc. with developed infrastructure and
facilities, resorts, Earlier, it is a small fishing village which
evolved as a port city with an area of 515 sq.km over the
decades [15]. The growth of the city is confined to port area
till 1970’s in terms of Industrial development and shipyard
[15]. After setting up a Steel plant in 1989, the city
experienced sudden increase in its growth especially in the
vicinity of the steel plant [15]. But this growth has threatened
the ecologically fragile areas in the coast stretch [15]. The
Government has formulated guidelines for coastal regulation
zone defined by Low tide line and high tide line where the
beach road is set as the boundary limitation for all
construction activities except for the constructions with
special permissions [15]. This city is frequently prone to
natural hazards like cyclones, Tidal waves and Tsunami [15].
Fig. 10. Built up area of Vishakapatnam in 1995(a), 2005 (b), 2017 (c).
V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The growth rate of built up area, tourist arrivals and
Population is calculated and shown in table 1. These values
show that the increase in built up area and the population is
significantly related. To understand the relation between
changing trends of built up area, tourist arrivals and population,
correlation factor has been calculated for each destination in
two cases. The built up area obtained from the maps is
correlated with tourist arrivals and population for 2005, 2009,
2013 and 2017 for each destination.
TABLE I. GROWTH RATE OF BUILT UP, TOURIST ARRIVALS AND
POPULATION
Destinations
Growth rate in 2005 - 2017
Built up area
Tourist
Arrivals
Population
Allahabad
0.18
1.55
0.18
Haridwar
1.06
1.79
0.23
Manali
0.01
1.07
0.47
Mount Abu
0.06
0.88
0.18
Ooty
0.02
3.43
0.03
Puri
0.18
5.73
0.15
Shimla
0.41
1.34
0.26
Tirumala (town)
0.23
0.17
0.24
Dharamshala
0.28
2.61
0.28

Vishakapatnam
0.23
4.98
0.72
Fig. 11. Growth rate of Built up, Tourist arrivals and Population.
TABLE II. CORRELATION BETWEEN BUITL UP AREA, TOURIST ARRIVALS
AND POPULATION
Destination
Correlation coefficient
Relation
Built up &
Tourist
arrivals(BT)
Built up &
Population(BP)
Allahabad
0.99
0.98
BT > BP
Dharamshala
0.95
0.99
BT < BP
Haridwar
0.95
1
BT < BP
Manali
0.91
0.85
BT > BP
Mount Abu
0.97
0.76
BT > BP
Puri
0.55
0.95
BT < BP
Shimla
0.98
0.90
BT > BP
Tirupati
0.05
0.94
BT < BP
Udagamandalam
0.88
-0.52
BT > BP
Vishakapatnam
0.40
0.95
BT < BP
All the hill stations like Manali, Mount Abu, Shimla and Ooty
shown very strong correlation among built up area and tourist
arrivals when compared with relation between built up growth
and population growth. In case of the buffer area of hill town
covers the city area which resulted it as an exception in
correlation between Built up and Tourist arrival growth. Both
the coastal cities Puri and Vishakapatnam has shown relatively
weak relationship in the case when built up area correlated
with tourist arrival growth than the correlation with population
growth. Allahabad, Haridwar and Dharamshala have shown
significant relation in both the cases which indicates that
tourism also contributes for increase in built up area. Ooty has
observed negative growth in population but positive growth in
built up area and Tourist an arrival which clearly indicates that
growth in tourist arrivals is the major reason for increasing
built up area
VI. CONCLUSION
From the obtained results, we conclude that there is a
significant relationship between changing built up area and
tourist arrivals growth in the destination in a broader
perspective. To evaluate the actual impacts of the tourist
arrivals on changing built up area, it is necessary to study the
pattern of the changing built area within the town , near to the
attractions and also the movement of the tourists with the
town. In addition, there are other parameters like connectivity,
topography, seasonality and type of tourism, building
regulations, which affect the distribution pattern of built up
area. However, the settlement patterns and the population
growth is indirectly connected with the economic benefits of
the tourism. The boom in tourism attract the settlements to
migrate for their socio –economic livelihood. This migration
leads to demand in residential and commercial use of land
which again increases built up area. In this case, tourism is not
directly related but somehow indirectly related with
significant contribution in expanding built up area of the
destination
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