Is India's ban on tiger tourism a good thing?

Filed under: Travel News

The Supreme Court of India has placed a ban on tiger tourism, closing the country's tiger parks indefinitely as they investigate a claim that ecotourism is having a negative impact on the habitat of this endangered species.

This means that reserves such as Dhikala in Corbett will soon be out of bounds for tourists, who will only be able to enter "buffer zones" surrounding the preservation areas.

The court ruling came after a conservationist filed a case complaining that authorities in several states had allowed rampant construction of hotels and resorts within core areas of the reserves. He claimed that tourism was exerting too much pressure on the tigers.

But the news has triggered a heated debate between conservationists and tour operators about whether the ban will help or hinder the dwindling tiger population.

Speaking to the International Business Traveller, Julian Matthews, chairman of Travel Operators For Tigers, said he believed the decision was a retrograde step as it would allow poachers to roam free, unseen and unreported by sharp-eyed tourists.

And Shashanka Nanda of New Delhi, a wildlife enthusiast and photographer, believes that, while the court's heart is in the right place, its not going about the situation the right way.

Speaking to CNN news, he said: "Responsible and regulated tourism forges a human connection to wildlife. Just seeing tigers in textbooks won't affect people to change," he said. "If you stop tourists and enthusiasts, you're losing half the battle of wildlife conservation."

But Toby Sinclair, vice president for the Ecotourism Society of India, told the news channel that he believed the government was allowing too many visitors into the parks.

"The 'eco' in ecotourism has changed to economy," he said.

The World Wildlife Fund says the main threats to the species are habitat loss from illegal logging and commercial plantations, and poaching and retributive killing, including the illegal trade if tiger parts (see the video below).

What do you think? Will banning tiger tourism help preserve them? Tell us your thoughts below.