COUNTERVIEW / TOI editorial
They are too fragile to bear the traffic

[ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2004 12:00:00 AM ]

The proposal to lease islands in Lakshadweep and the Andamans to private
operators is just plain unworkable. While the rest of the world is wary of
opening up fragile ecosystems to tourism, we are moving in the other
direction. Make no mistake, allowing tourist traffic to these islands will
destroy them. A good example is what happened to French Polynesia. Its
stunning reefs drew large numbers of jet-setters sometime ago. These
ecologically sensitive atolls could not bear the load and their beauty is
today marred by mountains of garbage everywhere. The irreplaceable coral
reefs around the islands have been badly damaged. In other parts of the
world, like the Caribbean, sewage disposal has led to the degradation of the
coral reefs. It is now believed that coastal areas which are most under
threat from tourism are in the tropics. Hotels built close to the shoreline
alter natural sand movement and cause erosion. The mushrooming of resorts
close to coastlines damages delicate flora and fauna and alters the
lifestyle of the local populace. In Hawaii, hundreds of ancient burial sites
had to be moved to make space for a new resort. The native Hawaiian is today
reduced to a stereotypical caricature.

Protecting the environment from marauding tourists is one reason to keep
these islands off limits. Another is that it makes no financial sense.
Tourism "leakage" is a term that explains exactly why this industry will do
little to help the economy of either these islands or the mainland. It is
estimated that in most inclusive package tours, about 80 per cent of the
travellers' expenditure goes to the airlines, hotels and other MNCs. The
remaining 20 per cent is what will go to the locals. Though tourism booms in
Hawaii, native Hawaiians rank among the poorest, sickest and the least
educated of all people on the island. We have nothing to gain and everything
to lose by opening up these islands


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