The Gulmarg Development Authority’s decision to impose an odd-even rule for four-wheelers headed to the ski resort is welcome. Over-tourism is indeed a growing problem in the world’s most populous nation and ecologically fragile areas need extra care for preservation. We can learn from the experience of global hotspots in regulating tourist flows. The Glacier National Park in the US has an online reservation system that restricts daily visitor numbers. Machu Picchu restricts access in one-hour slots to avoid everyone rushing at the same time. Venice imposes a congestion fee for day-trippers and tourist tax for overnight stayers in its peak season. A combination of these can work for most hotspots in India. Only, the levy thus gathered must be used to keep the spots clean and well-tended.
