NEW DELHI: All private hotels within 5km of national parks and sanctuaries in India will have to pay a cess which would be used for the upkeep of these wildlife hotspots, the Union environment ministry has decided. It has asked state governments to notify the cess by the end of this year.
The Centre, relaxing its earlier stand, has allowed state governments to decide what percentage of the annual turnover of the hotels will be charged as cess. The PM's Tiger Task Force had recommended a 30% cess.
The Centre, relaxing its earlier stand, has allowed state governments to decide what percentage of the annual turnover of the hotels will be charged as cess. The PM's Tiger Task Force had recommended a 30% cess.
The move is part of ecotourism guidelines proposed by the environment ministry which will be finalized after month-long open consultations. The guidelines also propose barring tourists from core areas of national parks and sanctuaries.
The move is bound to pinch the luxury hotels mushrooming around prominent tiger reserves. There are hotels in close proximity to tiger reserves that charge up to Rs 40,000 a night. The environment ministry earlier had warned some state governments that hotels around tiger reserves were choking wildlife zones and many such resorts were operating unregulated.
Unchecked tourism has led to resentment among locals living around parks and sanctuaries whose livelihood has been hurt by the creation of these cordoned-off wildlife areas. The irony of relocating poor tribals from the parks while allowing elite tourism to flourish has also caused bitterness, the ministry admitted.
"The mushrooming of tourist facilities around protected areas has led to the exploitation, disturbance and misuse of fragile ecosystems. It has also led to the misuse of the term 'ecotourism', often to the detriment of the ecosystem, and towards further alienation of local people and communities," the proposed guidelines state.
The ecotourism norms also require states to limit the number of tourists allowed inside all national parks and sanctuaries each day. This again could hit the lucrative business of hotels and travel agents, who organize rides and 'tiger sightings' inside parks. Tourism will also be banned in the core areas of tiger reserves. The tourist lodges in the core areas of all national parks and sanctuaries will also have to be removed over a period of five years.
The move is bound to pinch the luxury hotels mushrooming around prominent tiger reserves. There are hotels in close proximity to tiger reserves that charge up to Rs 40,000 a night. The environment ministry earlier had warned some state governments that hotels around tiger reserves were choking wildlife zones and many such resorts were operating unregulated.
Unchecked tourism has led to resentment among locals living around parks and sanctuaries whose livelihood has been hurt by the creation of these cordoned-off wildlife areas. The irony of relocating poor tribals from the parks while allowing elite tourism to flourish has also caused bitterness, the ministry admitted.
"The mushrooming of tourist facilities around protected areas has led to the exploitation, disturbance and misuse of fragile ecosystems. It has also led to the misuse of the term 'ecotourism', often to the detriment of the ecosystem, and towards further alienation of local people and communities," the proposed guidelines state.
The ecotourism norms also require states to limit the number of tourists allowed inside all national parks and sanctuaries each day. This again could hit the lucrative business of hotels and travel agents, who organize rides and 'tiger sightings' inside parks. Tourism will also be banned in the core areas of tiger reserves. The tourist lodges in the core areas of all national parks and sanctuaries will also have to be removed over a period of five years.
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