Sustainability of tourism development in Kashmir — Is paradise lost?

• Tourism potential (TP) regions are delineated on the basis of Multi-criteria evaluation (MCE).A weighted linear combination technique is adopted to demarcate TP regions.
• The tourism carrying capacity (TCC) is evaluated in order to better regulate tourist flow.
• TCC has exceeded in the summer season which has threatened the sustainability of tourism.
• The environmental impacts could be minimized by regulating tourist flow as per TCC limits

The Himalayan region has for long been a popular tourism destination. Yet tourism creates environmental and socio-economic consequences, and mountain tourism is of particular concern because it is frequently espoused as a means of community development yet it also degrades the environment. Kashmir, often described as a “Paradise on earth”, is a sought-after tourist destination. However, the seasonal character of tourism and the concentration of tourism activities at a small number of locations, in the absence of tourism policy, have triggered serious environmental and ecological concerns. This paper proposes a management strategy that would provide a basis for achieving sustainable tourism. The Kashmir Valley is divided into three tourism potential (TP) regions (High, Medium and Low) on the basis of Multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) of natural and socio-economic attributes. Knowledge-based weights and ranks are normalized, and a weighted linear combination technique is adopted to demarcate TP regions. The tourism carrying capacity (TCC) is estimated to better regulate tourist flow. The results reveal that TCC is being exceeded in the summer season, and the study proposes that the environmental impact of tourism could be minimized by regulating tourist flow as per TCC limits, developing winter tourism and identifying new tourist destinations.